Reading… and Thinking

Truly no man can ransom himself, or give to God the price of his life,
for the ransom of his life is costly, and can never suffice,
that he should continue to live on for ever, and never see the Pit.
Yea, he shall see that even the wise die,
the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others.
Their graves are their homes for ever, their dwelling places to all generations,
though they named lands their own.
Man cannot abide in his pomp, he is like the beasts that perish.
This is the fate of those who have foolish confidence,
the end of those who are pleased with their portion.
Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd;
straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away;
Sheol shall be their home.

– Psalm 49:7-14 (RSV)

There's not much to say in commentary on this passage. It is so clear that it cannot be misunderstood. The points are:

a) No one can save himself.

b) Everyone dies.

c) Death is real, it's permanent, and those who focus on this life have nothing else to look forward to.

(Which means, by the way, that there is no inherently immortal part of man that goes on. There is no eternal torment for the wicked – their fate is to perish in the grave forever.)

The verse in the psalm presents a wonderful contrast. The writer says, “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.” I added the emphasis, because I think this is the way to read this verse. He says, “Unlike these I've just described, I am not worried about dying, because God is going to raise me up. And He will receive me to Himself.”

Wow. What confidence! When you read this as the Lord Jesus speaking, it makes perfect sense, of course. But I believe the original writer meant it for himself, and we can also have this confidence. These can be our words.

How do we know the difference between the false confidence of those who are doomed, and the right confidence of those who truly belong to God? The rest of the psalm emphasizes that the ones who have the problem are those who put their confidence in their wealth. Well, we of course would never think that we are saved by having a lot of possessions. Or would we?

Often in the poetic and prophetic books of the Bible, the writers quote unrighteous people as saying ridiculous things. Like, “God does not see what I'm doing.” Or, “God approves what I do.” Or, “It does not profit a man to serve God.” Or, “My own right arm will deliver me.” I believe that these writers are conveying what people say by the way they act, not necessarily the actual words they use. Most of us are far too good at self-deception to say out loud the words that are attributed to the faithless. But our actions may be saying these very things.

Our actions may reveal that our real confidence is in the things of this life: expert medical care, a pension, a comfortable home, a secure job, our skill in what we do. Or perhaps: membership in a church, being a “good Christian”, knowledge that our moral behavior is far superior to that of other people.

The confidence of the true believer is to stand naked (as it were) before the Lord and say, “I am nothing, and have nothing. I rely on You, my God, for everything.” Not just say the words, but really have confidence in Him and Him alone.

Young people have an easier time with this than those who are older. This is what Jesus meant when he said we have to become like children. Children know that they can't take care of themselves. They rely on the adults in their lives. Our challenge is retaining that child-like reliance, relying on God and on the resurrection – rather than any circumstances, or possessions, or abilities of our own.