Psalm 49 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 49 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Hear this, all you peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
Verse 2both low and high, rich and poor together.
Verse 3My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
Verse 4I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.
Verse 5Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
Verse 6those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?
Verse 7Truly, no ransom avails for one's life, there is no price one can give to God for it.
Verse 8For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice
Verse 9that one should live on forever and never see the grave.
Verse 10When we look at the wise, they die; fool and dolt perish together and leave their wealth to others.
Verse 11Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they named lands their own.
Verse 12Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
Verse 13Such is the fate of the foolhardy, the end of those who are pleased with their lot. Selah
Verse 14Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home.
Verse 15But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah
Verse 16Do not be afraid when some become rich, when the wealth of their houses increases.
Verse 17For when they die they will carry nothing away; their wealth will not go down after them.
Verse 18Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy-for you are praised when you do well for yourself-
Verse 19they will go to the company of their ancestors, who will never again see the light.
Verse 20Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
Devotion
Why do people boast? The psalmist suggests that while boasting and presenting oneself boldly may seem powerful and in control, it is a false confidence. Boasting is the pride that goes before a fall. We, by ourselves, are not some kind of gods who stand above the creation. Instead, we are part of the whole of creation. There is a reciprocity in God’s creation. We receive and we give. We live and we die and we participate in the new life that is to come. All of that is a gift to us.
It is as if a person received a great promise from someone and with the promise they were given a ring as a sign of this promise. But then admiring the ring they wandered off, forgetting the promise and the one who gifted them. The psalmist calls us again to the one who gives us life and is the source of true riches.
Prayer
Holy One, give us humble hearts that trust in you beyond all else. Quiet our fears and lift our hearts. You are our home and our every blessing. Amen.
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