A psalm for today - #49

Are you ready to start another psalm? I sure hope you are ready, for this next one that I've been studying is very appropriate for our times. It seems it could have been written today!

I think the part of the psalm that really struck me was verse five:

Why should I fear in days of adversity, (Psalm 49:5a)

As we study, we'll see that the songwriter will answer his own question later on in this psalm, so for now, let's begin reading and pondering the whole psalm. 

Hear this, all peoples;
Listen, all inhabitants of the world,
 Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.
 My mouth will speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will express my riddle on the harp.

 Why should I fear in days of adversity,
When the injustice of those who betray me surrounds me,
 Those who trust in their wealth
And boast in the abundance of their riches?
 No one can by any means redeem another
Or give God a ransom for him—
 For the redemption of his soul is priceless,
And he should cease imagining forever—
 That he might live on eternally,
That he might not undergo decay.

 For he sees that even wise people die;
The foolish and the stupid alike perish
And leave their wealth to others.
 Their inner thought is that their houses are forever
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have named their lands after their own names.

But man in his splendor will not endure;
He is like the animals that perish.

 This is the way of those who are foolish,
And of those after them who approve their words. Selah
 Like sheep they sink down to Sheol;
Death will be their shepherd;
And the upright will rule over them in the morning,
And their form shall be for Sheol to consume
So that they have no lofty home.
 But God will redeem my soul from the power of [j]Sheol,
For He will receive me. Selah

 Do not be afraid when a person becomes rich,
When the splendor of his house is increased;
 For when he dies, he will take nothing with him;
His wealth will not descend after him.
 Though while he lives he congratulates himself—
And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—

He will go to the generation of his fathers;
They will never see the light.
 Mankind in its splendor, yet without understanding,
Is like the animals that perish.

We've discussed this concept before. It's an age-old question: why am I in dire straits when the wicked person next door is rolling in wealth and seems to have no worries? After all, I'm trying with the Spirit's help to live a godly life.

In today's world, it's even easier to fall into this line of thinking. Socialism is on the rise. Authoritarian mandates are coming at us, left and right. When we aren't dodging those, we are struggling to keep up with taxes and inflation, and some seem determined to squash our freedoms and relegate us to second-class citizenhood.

I think we need to get somewhere quiet. 

To take a deep breath.

And think on what is truly important. 

This week, Psalm 49 is going to help us do that. Hope you will follow along.