THE MESSAGE OF WISDOM Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: Both low and high, rich and poor, together. My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp. Psalms 49:1-4 The Psalmist Preaches or admonishes the wisdom of considering the wealthy of this world. He emphasizes or places great importance on this subject. This is not just a message for one group of people, but a message for the whole world. Every man is to esteem Christ higher than earthly riches. All men need the Gospel of Christ. The low and high, the rich and the poor are warned. The desire for wealth, the pleasure that men take in it is a poor substitute for the blessings of God. God will not consider the financial state of any men at the Judgment. Special consideration will not be given for the wealth a man may have, or the lack of it. “My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.” His mouth was speaking what was in his heart; it was what God had put in his mind and he was absolutely convinced of it. He said that he would incline his ear to this saying. It was taught to him by the Spirit of God. What we desire to teach others must be something that has been taught to us. It was something that he was determined to show in his own life; he did not want to be overtaken with that which doomed others. It was something he did not expect others to pay attention to if he did not heed it himself. If the message is from God the tongue that speaks it will be sincere and the ear of those that hear it will be quickened. A message that does not come from the heart is a curse, we must always be careful and thoughtful before we speak. The use of the word “Parable” indicates that this was a truth that not many really understood. There are many things in the Bible that are hard to understand. When we make an effort to explain them to others, we must have already given it much careful thought. The Message Of Wisdom Is Dealt With Questions Poetically And Musically Some of the sweetest and most meaningful music we know today has come from those that have experienced the greatest sorrow. They could not explain it with words, so they expressed it with song. Music flows from the soul. There is mystery and meaning in music that could never be expressed in any other way. The oppressed will walk on in faith, singing. Their song is medicine for their wounds and relief for their suffering. Singing can open the well of tears and pour out the contents of the soul. Poetry has been a blessing to all cultured people and singing has blessed the holy people of God. Many have known the blessed experience of being made happy as they sang. Many times it is best to utter the dark feelings of this life in a song rather than uttering them to each other. As we seek relief in our singing, we are drawn to worship. The things we just can’t understand will seem to vanish as we open our heart to God through our song. THE FOOLISH WAY OF THE RICH OF THE WORLD Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption. For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah. Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah. Psalms 49:5-15 The rich of this world trust in their wealth. Everything they see as good comes from or is sustained by their riches. Their wealth is seen as the way to obtain the desires of their heart. The rich of this world boast of their wealth. They pride themselves in the amount of money and stuff they posses. There are many that sincerely believe that they can never lose their wealth, but history is filled with examples of just the opposite. The rich of this world seek to retain their wealth. “Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations.” They assume that they will keep their wealth until their death and simply transmit it to their children. It is amazing how few rich people truly understand how uncertain their wealth is. They rarely see themselves as stewards, but absolute owners, able to do entirely as they please. All men must die and when the rich die, they will leave their wealth to others. They cannot take it with them and it will not prevent them from their appointed time of departure from this life. In reality, they cannot control who will have it or what will be done with it after they die. A foolish person may squander it, or even an enemy may end up with it. The truth is, we cannot be assured that we will keep it while we are alive, but we can be assured that it will not follow us after we die. God has clearly declared that we bring nothing into this world when we are born and we will carry nothing out when we die. It is truly foolish to trust in this world’s riches! The wealthiest man in the world has no power to stop the death of even his dearest friend. “None of them can by any means redeem his brother.” How foolish it is to trust in and boast of that which cannot add one hour to the life of a parent, a child, a dearest friend, or even our own life. “For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish.” It makes no difference what a man’s character may be, wise or foolish, he is still destined to die. His wealth cannot save him from the grave. Wealth cannot benefit a person after death. Death relinquishes all possessions and their benefits finally and forever. “This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings.” There may not be benefits of wealth after death, but there certainly may be harm. The children if the wicked wealthy tend to walk in their steps, they adopt their principles, and they duplicate their actions. The Psalmist may have been exposed to the tyranny of his rich enemies, but he did not fear them. They were leaning on a broken reed and boasting in a mere shadow. His trust was in the Lord and His everlasting strength. “The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning.” “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.” God will rescue the Godly from the power of the grave. They shall arise in His power and be received into glory! REDEMPTION OF THE SOUL (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) Psalms 49:8 The object of redemption is not just mere matter, but man’s living soul. God made it, He gave it a choice, and He loves it. But the soul has lost the image of God; it is utterly corrupt, polluted, debased, and is at enmity against God. Unless it is redeemed, it is doomed to misery and destruction. The soul of man will live forever and ever. It will either be eternally happy with God or eternally hopeless without God. The price of the redemption of the soul of man was paid for with the Precious Blood of Christ. The worth of the whole world and all of creation combined is nothing compared with the price that Jesus paid for our soul. How precious is the opportunity for a person to hear the Gospel. The soul will live forever, but a moment in time is all it takes for it to be redeemed. THE PLIGHT OF THOSE THAT HAVE THEIR PORTION IN THIS LIFE Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him. Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself. He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light. Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish. Psalms 49:16-20
A man may be able to surround himself with all the luxuries this world can afford; he may have many friends who flatter him, but all of that will end at the grave.
How sad to prepare for everything in this life and do nothing to prepare for eternity. Their father who trusted in their riches died and went to Hell and because they walked the same paths, followed the same philosophies, and died without God, they too will see the same fate. What a shame to be created in the image of God and die like an animal. It is better to be a beast than to be a man made in the image of God and make your self a beast with no hope of Heaven. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Mark 8:36 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him. Psalms 37:38-40
the 49th Book of Psalms Daily Study Psalm 49 Morning DevotionalSo Glad To Be So Saved
Danny "Preacher" Bezet Christian Writing by "Preacher" Bezet Victory Baptist Church Baytown Texas
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