Psalm 49
PSALM FORTY-NINE
For the director of music. Of the sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world,
2 both low and high, rich and poor alike:
3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding.
4 I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle:
5 Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me--
6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?
7 No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him--
8 the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough--
9 that he should live on forever and not see decay.
10 For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves.
12 But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. Selah
14 Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions.
15 But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. Selah
16 Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases;
17 for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.
18 Though while he lived he counted himself blessed-- and men praise you when you prosper--
19 he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light [of life].
20 A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
This psalm is the last in this series of three psalms, beginning with Psalm 42, which carries the name of the Sons of Korah. It forms a profound coda to this song cycle. The subject is death. The rendering of the psalm in TLB is particularly beautiful and captivating, and George Knight's comments in his Commentary On The Psalms is very good also. There is an unmistakable similarity between this psalm and the book of Ecclesiastes. Vs. 12 and 20, which read: "But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish," and "A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish," sound like Solomon's words: "Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless," and: "I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand."1 The Korahites may well have written this psalm in Solomon's lifetime. This kind of philosophy was fashionable at that time.
There is a possibility that the last verse of Psalm 48 was originally part of the title of this psalm: "For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death."2 If this is true, it would give a different perspective to the psalm, without which it would be difficult to determine what the psalmist actually wants to say. Does he compare the power of man with the power of death, or does he contrast the power of death with the power of God? In the book of Ecclesiastes, the perspective of heaven is purposely left out. Solomon wanted to demonstrate that one of the consequences of excluding God is that the life of man becomes purposeless. In that way he wanted to prove the existence of God, and the necessity of obeying Him. In this psalm, however, it seems that the poet draws a more direct line from life on earth to eternity. In vs. 15, for instance, another way is shown for the man who knows fellowship with God. We read: "But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. Selah" Craigie, in Word Biblical Commentary, thinks that this verse is meant to be an ironic quote of a godless person who thinks that God will make an exception for him.
The introduction gives to this psalm an international allure. "All peoples," that is the population of the whole world is addressed. In that sense, this psalm is akin to Psalm 47. In this psalm Israel alone is not the subject, as in Psalm 48, but all peoples, at all places, and at all times. The problem discussed concerns everybody, without distinction of their position in the world.
The psalm is presented as a prophecy, as if the psalmist is in a trance, and he utters truths that lie deeper than the human conscience. This prophetic character is suggested by the words: "words of wisdom," "utterance from my heart," "a proverb," and "my riddle." The trance is brought about by the music of the harp. "While the harpist was playing, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha."3 To us, levelheaded Westerners, this sounds strange. The problem is that this kind of spiritual experience can be inspired demonically or heavenly. In the case of this psalm there is no doubt, however, about its origin.
The topic is a mystery. TLB renders vs. 4 with: "I will tell in song accompanied by harps the answer to one of life's most perplexing problems." That is a beautiful translation. The question is: What is the problem? The word "fear" is used twice in the psalm (vs. 5, 16), although the NIV uses "overawed" in the latter, the Hebrew word is yare' the same in both verses. This fear has no connection with death in that context. The point is not whether man has to die or not, but why one man can have power over another that allows him to persecute and oppress. The theme of this psalm may be expressed in Jesus' words in Matthew's Gospel: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."4 The fear is not fear of death, but fear of men. This fear is conquered by the discovery that the person who has power over us is a mortal being himself. The deception upon which the other person bases his power is exposed.
The first misplaced confidence of man which gives him the allusion of power is his possessions (verses 6-12). The second misconception is the infallibility of their own insight, and judgment. Vs. 13 speaks about "those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings." Those people are impressed by their own words. The psalmist put both of those alleged certainties in the scale and finds them wanting.
The time mentioned in vs. 5 is "the evil days." There have been many "evil days" in world history. For me, the years of Nazi oppression are still fresh in my mind. The most evil day of all is still to come, at the time of the "Great Tribulation." This psalm will become more and more relevant as world history rushes to its end.
In the only question that matters in man's final destination, money, power, and possession have no value at all. The way in which this psalm presents the problem is very moving, and psychologically effective. Nobody in this world lives unto himself alone. The question the fool in this psalm asks himself is not, what he can do to receive eternal life for himself, but how he can use his power and influence to give to his brother, the one he loves, the security he misses himself. We find this kind of unselfishness not only among God's children. The rich man, for instance, in Jesus' parable experienced, as an important part of his suffering in hell, the fact that he had five brothers who were damned.5 It may be more heartrending to see that a brother or a child is lost for eternity, than to realize that one is lost oneself. The irony is that the solution lies in the salvation of oneself after all. We can only have a certain influence, as far as the eternal destiny of our loved ones is concerned, if we live in fellowship with God. But if we only want to save our own lives, we will lose our own life as well as the lives of the ones that surround us.
It is amazing to see how much insight the psalmist demonstrates in the human nature of his oppressors. He sees them human as human beings who want to redeem their brothers.
The suggestion that wise men and fools end up dying in the same fashion does not imply that the psalmist does not see a difference in the eternal destiny of man. There is often a contradiction between what a man sees and the inner convictions that motivate him. The psalmist says that the godless live as if they will never die, and at the same time he realizes that all men must die. Although no exception has ever been made for anyone, he acts as if he would be the first one ever for whom an exception would be made. When the author William Soroyan heard that he had been diagnosed with incurable cancer, he telephoned a journalist and said: "I thought that an exception would be made for me. What do I do now?" It is utter foolishness not to prepare oneself for the end of one's earthly life. The psalmist does not say this in so many words, but the suggestion is there that this lack of preparation demonstrates itself in the persecution of others. On the other hand, the realization that this life is only a preparatory stage for eternity will stimulate love for one's neighbor. The shortsighted person builds monuments for himself; God erects memorials for those who take Him into account in their lives.
King Solomon speaks about the same subject in the book Ecclesiastes. We read: "And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment-- wickedness was there, in the place of justice-- wickedness was there. I thought in my heart, 'God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.' I also thought, 'As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?' "6 Yet, we know that man is more than an animal. By breathing His breath, or His Spirit into man's nostrils, man became the bearer of God's image. We read: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. … the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."7 Only after man broke the bond of fellowship with God, He said: "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."8 If man is put here on the same level as the animals, this is a reference to the fall. For those who are in Christ Jesus things are quite different. When we are in Christ, it is said of us: "You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas."9 Disobedience lowers a man to the level of the animal; obedience makes him the crown of God's creation.
Ecclesiastes seems to put man and beast under the same classification; the psalmist tries to make a distinction even between one man and another. It is the person who is perfectly satisfied with himself, who is put in the same category as the animals: those who are so impressed by their own wisdom. The Jewish theologian and philosopher Martin Buber wrote a book I, And Thou, in which he emphasizes the importance of human dialogue. Man who is created in the image of God carries on a dialogue with his neighbor; the animal-man knows only monologues. He is always reading his own script. Some are so preoccupied with themselves that they do not realize where they are, and where they are going. TLB puts it beautifully by saying: "Death is the shepherd of all mankind."
In spite of the negative character of the subject it treats, the poetry in this psalm is of the highest quality. A sheep, destined to be slaughtered, grazes peacefully in the meadow and chews its cud, without the slightest notion that this is its last meal. That which is sad in the case of an animal is the deepest tragedy in man who should know his destiny. Our thoughts go to the Lamb of God, who was taken to the slaughterer, and who was fully conscious of the reality of the moment. Like the stupid man who does not realize where he is going, Jesus took on the same attitude, but not because of ignorance. He knew the enemy, and He went like one of the herd, in order to be able to lead many sons to glory.10
The great surprise of this psalm is found in the last part of vs. 14 and in vs. 15: "The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. Selah." I cannot understand why Craigie, in The Word Biblical Commentary, does not interpret these lines in the light of the resurrection of the dead. He sees vs. 15 as a quotation of idle hope, cherished by the man who is doomed, thinking that he will escape in one way or another. But then, who are the upright that will rule over the wicked? If there is indeed no distinction between the righteous and the sinner, this psalm is nonsensical. Then fear of man is only replaced by fear of death. But in reality, fear of man can be overcome only by the hope of the resurrection.
We should return for a moment to the ransom paid for a brother, referred to in vs. 7. Our hope is based on the fact that our Brother has paid the ransom for us. Peter says this so beautifully in his first epistle: "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."11 This fact places us in the category of the righteous to whom the position is given to rule in the morning, the morning of the resurrection of the dead. This also is our guarantee that God will redeem our lives from the grave and surely take us to Himself. Our Lord Jesus assures us: "I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."12 We understand that this does not mean that our bodies will no die. The words of the psalmist, therefore, should be taken in the sense that God will redeem us from the power of the kingdom of death. He takes us up into glory when we leave this earth. How could we take these statements as coming from the mouth of the wicked? Some people maintain too easily that the Old Testament believer had no concept of life after death. "He will surely take me to himself" can hardly mean anything less than immortality.
The last verses, 16-20, are more or less a summary of the main theme of this psalm. Material riches and everything connected with that, has no value whatsoever in the light of eternity. The keywords in this section are: "without understanding." Earthly pomp should be an image of heavenly glory. The human being who thinks that he has achieved his goal in life by piling up possessions, and who purposely keeps life after death out of the picture is not human in the deepest sense of the word. The psalmist compares him to a beast, not because of the way he dies, but because of the way he lives. Both aspects are emphasized in verses 12 and 20. Our attitude toward death determines our attitude toward life. We can only live victoriously if we have overcome death. In Jesus Christ we are more than conquerors!
1
Eccl. 3:19; 5:13-152
(KJV)
3
II Kings 3:15
4
Matt. 10:28
5
See Luke 16 :27,28
6
Eccl. 3:16-21
7
Gen. 1:27; 2:7
8
Gen. 3:19
9
Ps. 8:5-8
10
See Heb. 2 :10
11
I Pet. 1:18,19
12
John 8:51
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