Psalms 49

1(A)Hear this, all peoples;
Give ear, all (B)inhabitants of the world,
2Both (C)low and high,
Rich and poor together.
3My mouth will (D)speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart will be (E)understanding.
4I will incline my ear to (F)a proverb;
(G)I will express my (H)riddle on the harp.
5Why should I (I)fear in days of adversity,
When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me,
6Even those who (J)trust in their wealth
And boast in the abundance of their riches?
7No man can by any means (K)redeem his brother
Or give to God a (L)ransom for him--
8For (M)the redemption of his soul is costly,
And he should cease trying forever--
9That he should (N)live on eternally,
That he should not [a](O)undergo decay.
10For he sees that even (P)wise men die;
The (Q)stupid and the senseless alike perish
And (R)leave their wealth to others.
11Their [b](S)inner thought is that their houses (T)are forever
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have (U)called their lands after their own names.
12But (V)man in his pomp will not endure;
He is like the beasts that perish.
13This is the (W)way of those who are foolish,
And of those after them who (X)approve their words. Selah.
14As sheep they are appointed (Y)for Sheol;
Death shall be their shepherd;
And the (Z)upright shall rule over them in the morning,
And their form shall be for Sheol (AA)to consume
So that they have no habitation.
15But God will (AB)redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,
For (AC)He will receive me. Selah.
16Do not be afraid (AD)when a man becomes rich,
When the [c]glory of his house is increased;
17For when he dies he will (AE)carry nothing away;
His [d]glory will not descend after him.
18Though while he lives he (AF)congratulates himself--
And though men praise you when you do well for yourself--
19He shall (AG)go to the generation of his fathers;
They will never see (AH)the light.
20(AI)Man in his pomp, yet without understanding,
Is (AJ)like the beasts that perish.
We hold onto our money, our homes, our clothes, everything we have as if we deserve them. Our entire lives are geared towards wealth: study hard in elementary, junior high and high school so you can get into a good college so that you can get a good career and make a lot of money and retire wealthy. But what an empty empty life. I was really struck by what the psalmist said about the uselessness of wealth. "No man can by any means (K)redeem his brother or give to God a (L)ransom for him-- for (M)the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever-- That he should (N)live on eternally, that he should not [a](O)undergo decay." Nothing we do can save another's soul, least of all our wealth. Salvation can never be bought. All around everyone is living as if their materials can save them and put eternity in them. The Israelites named their land after themselves to gain eternity though generations but even the land, overwrought by Romans, and the people, of which only 2 tribes remain, are lost. It's good to remember how evanescent we really are and how fleeting our world, and to question where we truly place our faith.