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NO
81:PSALM 49 (Today’s NIV Version)
For the director of music. Of the
sons of Korah. A Psalm.
- Hear this all you peoples; listen all
who live in this world,
- both low and high, rich and poor
alike:
- My mouth will speak words of wisdom;
the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.
- I will turn my ear to a proverb;
with the harp I will expound my riddle.
- Why should I fear when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me –
- those who trust in their wealth and
boast of their great riches?
- No one
can redeem the life of another or give to God a sufficient
ransom –
- the ransom for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough –
- so that someone should live on forever
and not see decay.
- For all can see that the wise die,
that the foolish and senseless also perish, leaving their wealth
to others.
- Their tombs will remain their houses
forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they
had named lands after themselves.
- Human beings, despite their wealth,
do not endure; they are like beasts that perish.
- That is the fate of those who trust
in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
- They are like sheep and are destined
to die; death will be their shepherd (but the upright will
prevail over them in the morning). Their forms will decay in
the grave, far from their princely mansions.
- But God
will redeem me from the realm of the dead; He will surely take
me to Himself.
- Do not be overawed when others grow
rich, when the splendour of their houses increases;
- for they will take nothing with them
when they die, their splendour will not descend with them.
- Though while they live they count
themselves blessed – and people praise you when you prosper –
- they will join those who have gone
before them, who will never again see the light of life.
- Human beings who have wealth but
lack understanding are like beasts that perish.
This Psalm
is a wisdom Psalm… sounding much like a Proverb, the content in these
verses is the futility of worldliness. The starting point is “HEAR
THIS, ALL YOU PEOPLE….”When the Bible says stop and listen, then
that’s exactly what you had better do! These wisdom writings speak
to man in his common humanity… rich and poor alike, educated and
those of simple understanding, old and young… all mankind, every
single one who has an ear to hear… this scripture is so specific… LISTEN
UP!!
The prophet here, when saying that he shall speak with great wisdom
and understanding, is speaking from the point that he KNOWS he has
heard from the Holy Spirit, and is confident of the divine Spirit
that spoke In Him… you then need wisdom to speak with the tongue
of fire, with precision and clarity, just as the Holy Spirit has
directed.It seems that the truth came to the psalmist as a parable,
and so he endeavours to unriddle it for the ear of the ordinary man.
He interprets the parable to the form of a song, longing to unleash
what was once a mystery…and the Psalm was played as the sons of Korah
lifted up their voices in the temple. What a powerful picture.Sounds
like the most heavenly song discovery class to me!!!
Verse 5 is so significant… Why should I fear??I know there are many
who go to bed at night with their stomach in knots, fearing what
may be… fearing the things they cannot see. And this is the exact
plan of the enemy… remember in Genesis whenit says that the enemyshould
wound the heel of the woman’s seed… that the enemy is at enmity with
humanity, and desires us to live in fear, full of dread and doubt.
Fear of what you do not have…even though the scripture goes on to
speak about the absolute foolishness of those who trust in their
own ability and their own resources in this life.That worldly riches
are absolutely worth nothing when it comes to the hour of death,
and that the only certainty in life is found in Christ.
The scriptures just keep coming about the lie that can accompany
riches… and that no amount of gold or cash can redeem a man from
his deathbed… there is no payment that is ever enough for a life
to not see decay, no earthly wealth could secure any man. That people
feel some sort of eternal security when they have wealth, to have
lands named after them, to own every place they place their foot… this
is what is known as the ‘world’s empty glory’.
Grace is not hereditary…but the mindset of those who clamour after
wealth and who will sell their soul to get it goes on from generation
to generation.At the end of verse 13 in the original text, there
is a SELAH… which I find very important, as the word of God is asking
us to THINK CAREFULLY about your position on these matters.
Any sacrifice you make in this life…and whatever you don’t possess
by worldly standards… you’ve got to always understand the measure
of true wealth. These verses continue to portray that whatever glory
or strength is portrayed in the lives of the ungodly, the full measure
of their brilliance will reach its full bloom in this life, but their
last place, the grave, will never be able to protect them from the
wages of sin.
Have you ever been with someone who knows Christ, as they slip into
eternity?? The experience is quite overwhelming, as the Truth of
their life here on earth, their vague understanding of being part
of the eternal plan becomes reality… and the sense of peace that
accompanies this eternal transaction is an honour to see. On the
other hand, to be with someone in their last hours who has no regard
for life on earth or after, is the hardest thing to witness, as in
their last breaths, their soul finally sees what it cannot live without,
and often it is too late.No, there is definitely nothing that compares
to life, or death, in Christ.
Well, in these last verses, the psalmist becomes a preacher, encouraging
us to just not let it bother us if someone around us is prospering… temporal
prosperity is far too trivial a thing to be concerned about.
Men worship success…but we’ve got to always be concerned with worshipping
the one and only who gives and takes away.
If you are in a season where you are struggling financially… just
make it your business to continue to tithe, continue to be generous
in your outlook, continue to be passionate about the true riches
in life. And if you are in a season of financial blessing… guess
what, to whom much is given, much is required. As you can see, the
Bible warns us of how quickly your eyes can be dimmed to the life
of faith, and longing for the seductive life of comfort.
A million “well done’s” on earth will mean nothing without the ultimate
well done of our heavenly Father on that great and glorious day.
This I guess, is a comforting word to the righteous… but a great
warning to the worldly. And remember, it opens with ‘hear oh rich
and poor, listen… all nations of the earth!!!
‘
FROM THE LOFTIEST PLACE OF HONOUR, TO THE UTTERMOST DEPTH OF DEATH
IS BUT A STEP’…Spurgeon
OK GUYS… thank you for being the most amazing people that you are.
Give God all the glory all the time….And lets BRING our unsaved friends
and families to the house of God this weekend!
Love Ya….
Darls…..xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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