Psalm 49

1 Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:

2Both low and high, rich and poor, together.

3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

4 I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?

6 They that trust in their wealth and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.

7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:

8 (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceases forever:)

9 That he should still live forever, and not see corruption.

10 For he sees that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

11 Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue forever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.

12 Nevertheless man being in honor abides not: he is like the beasts that perish.

13 This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approves their sayings. Selah.

14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.

15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

16 Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased.

17 For when he dies, he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.

18 Though while he lived, he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou do well to thyself.

19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.

20 Man that is in honor, and understands not, is like the beasts that perish. (KJV)

As you look at these verses, try to picture yourself listening to Christ preaching his messages from the hills of Galilee. The message that Christ is preaching is to answer the statement: No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him the ransom for a life is costly; no payment is ever enough that he should live on forever and not see decay.  Let’s face it we cannot redeem our life. As we read this psalm, we realize that all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. There is no way that man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings.

However, there is a way, and it is also in his message: But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.

This psalm continues with a warning for us: “Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. Though while he lived, he counted himself blessed and men praise you when you prosper, he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life. A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.”  That understanding of verse twenty of this psalm can be found in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life,”  and I John 5:12” He that hath the son hath life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”

One event that a person will experience as they grow older is the end of a life of a loved one or someone who is close to them. Yes, I am writing about a funeral. I experienced my first funeral (my father’s) when I was only fifteen. Then four months later, I attended the funeral of my brother. So, at the age fifteen when most young adolescence were enjoying the experience of youth, I had already lost a father and a brother and started the process of asking God the hard questions of life. Today as I was attending the funeral of a friend’s father, I realized that understanding one’s life is like putting together a puzzle. As I study Psalms 139:16, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” I realize that God has the top of the puzzle box with the picture. We are the ones that have to put together the pieces of the puzzle of life.

Sometimes our personal beliefs come into conflict with the world and even those who are close to us.  This psalm has the greatest promise for all of mankind.  The promise of redeeming us from the grave.  Jesus spoke this promise to Nicodemus in their discourse that is recorded in John 3:1-21.  Jesus used the example of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness as the way God was going provided as the way to redeem our life.   Jesus explained that his only purpose of being send by God to this earth was to save man from the curse of sin.  We either believe in Christ or we do not and reject him.  Believing in Jesus will change the way we walk in this world.  Knowing that there is so much more after we die and leave this world that the things of this life does not have as much attraction to us as it did in the past.  I can now live a life that does not fear death.