God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. –
Psalm 49:15
In a great many psalms, the writer is either praising God or petitioning Him for a need. Psalm 49 is directed to its readers as a preaching psalm. “Hear this, all peoples!” the psalmist proclaims (v. 1). What is so pressing that he wants all humankind to hear?
It is actually a matter of life and death. As one commentator wrote, the psalmist seeks to warn the rich and give consolation to the poor regarding the value of worldly wealth. The poor may yearn to have all that those with riches enjoy. However, the rich may trust solely in their wealth for all their happiness in this life… and this is “foolish confidence” (v.13). No one is exempt from death, and there is no one who can pay the ransom due to God for sin, except Jesus who died for all. There’s no taking it with you! There’s only Christ who can save you.
In the end, the problem is not really rich versus poor, but a matter of in whom or what you trust. The believer is redeemed by God’s hand; you are His child through faith in Christ Jesus. Trusting in self, money, or anything or anyone else is worse than fruitless!
The prosperity of the wicked is transitory, but hope in Christ is eternal. Without the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, every person in the world would experience eternal separation from God.
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