Will You End Empty or “Received”? (Psalm 49)
GIST: Don’t get caught up in the pursuit of wealth and personal praise; they’re empty. Be rescued and received by Jesus instead!
Welcome to our annual “Summer in Psalms”. I truly look forward to this yearly break in our “regularly scheduled programming” to walk through the songbook of the Old Testament. We do this for a few reasons. Not only does it give me an excuse to say “summer in Psalms” (which sounds nice), but the Psalms also pull from so much Scripture that it gives us an opportunity to cast our net a little wider in the summer. On top of that, though some of the psalms might build off one another, they can easily be taken in isolation. This is nice during the summer especially when people are frequently gone for vacations…etc.
This is our sixth summer doing this. Originally, I thought this journey would take about 15 years. However, given that we’ve been averaging about seven psalms a summer since moving away from our evening services, if we keep that average (which Psalm 119 will definitely destroy), we’ll wrap this up in 15 years… from now ☺. Therefore, if the Lord tarries, some of you will still be alive when we finish (and my oldest child will almost be the same age I am now)!
We’re starting this summer with Psalm 49. Like several of the psalms in this section, this one is attributed to the Sons of Korah. If you were with us last summer, I pointed out that there are a few different theories out there about who these people were. Undoubtedly, they were somehow connected to worship since they penned several psalms, so this could have just been a title given to a division of the priesthood or something along those lines. However, there are also several Korahs in the Old Testament. This has, of course, led many to believe they are the descendants of one of these. The most famous one is found in Numbers 16. He led a rebellion against God and His chosen leader, Moses. This led to Korah —and those supporting him —being swallowed up by the earth. Still, Numbers 26 tells us his line survived. That has led many to speculate this group, which penned many of the psalms and were known as great worship leaders, were descendants of that rebel. Talk about redemption!
Let’s start by reading the whole psalm in context→
“1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. 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. 4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre. 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. 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. 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. 15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me. Selah 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.”
Now, let me give you our gist. Then, we’ll actually just walk through the passage piece by piece before pulling everything together in our takeaways. GIST: Don’t get caught up in the pursuit of wealth and personal praise; they’re empty. Be rescued and received by Jesus instead! Let’s dive in!
“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. 4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.”
He starts by calling us to pay attention. This is a message meant for all people from all walks of life —low, high, rich, poor. We all need this. However, what he’s unpacking is also something we often miss. He calls it a riddle and tells us what he’s unpacking is wisdom and understanding which have resulted from the meditation of his heart. He has pondered this truth and let it sink in… and been inspired by God to write it down ☺️.
The next few verses then introduce the main issue he’s addressing→
“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.”
What’s the issue? Well, he poses it as a question really: Why should I be afraid when life is hard and I’m mistreated by people who seem to have it all going for them? Then, he answers the question, and the answer he gives isn’t mysterious. However, I don’t think this is a riddle because it’s complicated. The riddle rests in why we continue to struggle with this even when the answer to this concern is not only clear, but—in many circles—frequently talked about. Specifically, everyone will die, and no one —regardless of personal wealth or influential connections —can do anything to stop that. You can’t stop yourself from dying and neither can any of your wealthy or prestigious friends.
He continues with that thought in the next section but takes it a step further and addresses why ignoring this truth is not only futile but dangerous→
“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. 13 This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah”
What’s happening here? Everyone’s dying ☺️. Smart, stupid, and famous (people who have stuff named after them). What is the psalmist trying to tell us? False self-confidence still leads to death. It doesn’t matter how wise you think you are. It doesn’t matter if you have it all going for you here. It doesn’t even matter if you’re blissfully ignorant about eternal realities. Every human, like every animal, will die. However, it’s far more serious for us because when we die chasing after ourselves—especially when we do it well— we leave a legacy of self-destructive pursuit. Look at verse 13 again. After talking about these people who have stuff named after them, the psalmist says, “This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts.” Then, we get an immediate “Selah” which we’ve talked about before as probably being meant to encourage pausing and letting these truths sink in. These individuals are not only choosing empty pursuits which lead only to Hell. Graves being called their forever homes means what their chasing leads only to death and destruction…not life. They aren’t going this direction alone though. They are also leading others down the same road!
It’s all a somber warning up until this point, but there is hope in the contrast we’re given in the next section→
“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. 15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me. Selah”
Here we’re given a contrast. There are two types of sheep. But the only thing that makes them different is their two contrasting shepherds: Consuming Death or Redeeming God. Those who are pursuing themselves (wealth, prestige, desire…etc) are following the lead of Death. But that isn’t what has to happen. The previous verses said that everyone will die and be in graves forever, but here we see this developed more. This is the natural state for everyone, but there is something that could overwrite this reality. What makes the difference? How can we avoid being consumed by death and despair? Well, it looks like you’ll want to be amongst the “upright” because they’re ruling over everybody else ☺️! Other English translations use the words triumph over, or prevail, and these might more closely communicate what is meant here. The upright are in a much better position. They are in a place of honor in eternity, even if they weren’t in life. Why? What makes the difference? Not their personal accomplishments, but belonging to the Good Shepherd! Look at how you get to this place of uprightness. You’re ransomed (bought, rescued) by God and He receives you. Everything I studied pointed to this word “receive” as being the same word used to describe what happened to Enoch. In Genesis 5:24, we’re told: “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” That taking is what we see referenced here. Enoch didn’t die. He was just taken straight into the presence of God. One day, if we’re His, though our earthly bodies might give out, we’ll be forever in His presence.
Then the end of the psalm basically amounts to a final admonition, and it’s exactly where I got my gist statement from, as well, because it ties up the whole psalm nicely→
“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.”
What’s he saying? Don’t get caught up in the pursuit of wealth and personal praise. They are empty. It doesn’t matter what you amass in this world. It won’t go with you. It doesn’t matter if your wealth and fame lead to large houses and things being named after you. At the end of the day, we all will die, and when we do there are only two ways that can go.
And that’s the beautiful implication of not only these last few verses but really the entire psalm. We can live for ourselves and face death and destruction, or we can be rescued and received (taken in) by Jesus and experience life.
Ok, let’s hit a few quick→
TAKEAWAYS
Don’t waste your life. Seize each day for Jesus. Dig into Him. Read His Word. Share His hope. Fall in love with Him and what He’s doing in your life and all around you. Then, you’ll live a fulfilled and beautiful life.
Don’t fall for the trap of worrying about worldly success. This means chasing after it for yourself or envying it in others. Follow the Good Shepherd to His glory instead of chasing your own desires to the grave.
No comments:
Post a Comment