He Will Surely Take Me To Himself (Psalm 49:13-20)

¹³ This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
¹⁴ 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.
¹⁵ But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;
he will surely take me to himself.
¹⁶ Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendor of their houses increases;
¹⁷ for they will take nothing with them when they die,
their splendor will not descend with them.
¹⁸ Though while they live they count themselves blessed—
and people praise you when you prosper—
¹⁹ they will join those who have gone before them,
who will never again see the light of life.

²⁰ People who have wealth but lack understanding
are like the beasts that perish.

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The verse that stands out for me in today’s passage is verse 15.  This verse is the hinge of the entire psalm, as it contains the only offer of hope.  The psalmist has been reminding us that wealth provides no help in the face of death and the grave.   No matter how much wealth we accumulate, no matter how princely our mansions, we will still die. Others will take what we have accumulated, and we will reside in the grave, along with the poor and the foolish.

But in verse 15, the psalmist offers the only hope.  God will redeem us from the dead and take us to himself.  Who is the psalmist speaking of?  In verse 13, he identifies those whose end is the grave as those “who trust in themselves.”  Obviously, the opposite of this would be those who trust in God.

And that is the real contrast in this entire psalm.  Do I trust in wealth?  Do I look to follow those who are good at accumulating it?  Or do I trust in God?  When we consider our mortality, the only true course, the only wise path, is to trust in God.

So again my prayer today is that I might be “delivered from evil” and led “not into temptation” regarding wealth.  It is a powerful idol, that like all idols, cannot deliver on its promises.  I pray that by the Spirit’s power, my life would be marked by trust in the One who does deliver on His promises, for this life and the next.

 

NOTE:

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