Death is the great equalizer!
Psalm 49:1-3
1 Hear this, all peoples!
Give ear, all inhabitants
of the world,
2 both low and high,
rich and poor together!
3 My mouth shall
speak wisdom;
the meditation of my heart
shall be understanding.
The invitation is for all
people to come and listen, for what will be announced is true for all, rich and
poor, of any social position in society.
Psalm 49:5-9
5 Why should I fear
in times of trouble,
when the iniquity of those
who cheat me surrounds me,
6 those who trust
in their wealth
and boast of the abundance
of their riches?
7 Truly no
man can ransom another,
or give to
God the price of his life,
8 for the ransom
of their life is costly
and can never suffice,
9 that he should live
on forever
and never see the
pit.
The psalmist asks a very
penetrating question: Why should I fear evil people who really have no power to
purchase life? With all their money they cannot keep anyone from dying. They
trust in their power and wealth, but have no lasting power.
Psalm 49:10-12
10 For he sees that
even the wise die;
the fool and the stupid
alike must perish
and leave their
wealth to others.
11 Their graves
are their homes forever,
their dwelling
places to all generations,
though they called
lands by their own names.
12 Man in his
pomp will not remain;
he is like the beasts that
perish.
Death is the great
equalizer. Wise and foolish, rich and poor all die leaving all behind. They all
end up in the grave; their power does not make any difference.
Psalm 49:13-14
13 This is the path of
those who have foolish confidence;
yet after them people
approve of their boasts. Selah
14 Like sheep they
are appointed for Sheol;
death shall be their
shepherd,
and the upright shall
rule over them in the morning.
Their form shall be
consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
Those who have placed
their confidence in their strength in this life, even though they might still be
praised by some people after their death, are dead forever.
Psalm 49:15
15 But God
will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will receive
me. Selah
The psalmist reminds
himself and us that God is his hope after death, that God will ransom him and
receive him. We should not fear in life or death.
Psalm 49:16-20
16 Be not afraid when a
man becomes rich,
when the glory of his
house increases.
17 For when he dies
he will carry nothing away;
his glory will not go down
after him.
18 For though, while
he lives, he counts himself blessed
—and though you get praise
when you do well for yourself—
19 his soul
will go to the generation of his fathers,
who will never
again see light.
20 Man in his pomp
yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
How could the psalmist
state it more clearly? Everyone will die, and their status while on earth will
have no eternal value. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews echoes this, as
well:
Hebrews 9:27
And just as it is
appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
What should we learn from
this psalm?
- Never envy those who
seem powerful today – Their power will end soon.
- Do not fear man – His
power is temporal.
- Death is the great
equalizer – All die and are buried.
- Only Christ can give
true hope – He is the Redeemer.
- Accumulating wealth on
earth has no eternal value – You will leave all behind.
- Eternal values are the
only ones worth living for – They make an eternal difference.
- Do not become distracted
by the temporal – You will be working hard for things that do not make a
difference.
Dear friend, look at your
life right now…
Is your time driven by the
temporal?
Are your thoughts captivated
by things that have no eternal value?
Are you worrying?
Are you envying others or
always hoping that your situation might change?
Do you fear men?
May this psalm drive you
to biblical thinking. Live in light of eternity, driven by eternal goals, and
rejoicing that you have a redeemer. Christ is alive today, may our lives be
centered on Christ and may our desire be to dwell with Him forever!
No comments:
Post a Comment