Psalm 49

A Bible Devotion from Psalm 49

The Redemption of Souls is Costly

Hear this, all peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together. . . . Those who trust in their wealth and boast 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 souls is costly, and it shall cease forever--that he should continue to live eternally and not see the Pit. For he sees wise men die; likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, and leave their wealth to others. . . . Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him. Though while he lives he blesses himself (for men will priase you when you do well for yourself), He shall go to the generation of his fathers. Psalm 49:1-2, 8-10, and 16-19a, NKJV

Is it a sin to be wealthy; is that what Psalm 49 is teaching us? No! Job and Solomen were two Godly men who were blessed by God with great wealth. What then is the lesson we are to learn?

DO NOT TRUST IN YOUR WEALTH. Your soul is not for sale to the highest bidder; the price is too great! There is only One who can pay the price for your soul. Many rich (many poor, too) people believe that wealth is everything. It's no wonder that they believe this; look how the world runs after wealth. When you are wealthy, you are forgiven everything by this world! Look at the famous people in our time. How many of them are poor?

What does everyone look for? They look for their ship to come in, or to win the lottery! Why? Because they believe that they will be happy forever if they have all of the money they want. Hey, don't get me wrong; I'd love to be wealthy, too. BUT, don't seek wealth at the expense of your own soul!

God's people, the true believers, are already wealthy beyond their imaginations. The ungodly rich will die and leave all of their wealth behind. The believers who are rich in Christ will take their wealth with them.

Pray today that you will live in the wealth that Christ has given you by purchasing your soul.

Next: Psalm 50, The Mighty One Has Spoken

More devotions on the 49th Psalm from my blog, Daily Bible Devotions

Costly Redemption, verses 1-9

Man is Man, verses 10-12

He Shall Receive Me, verses 13-15

Man and Beast, verses 16-20