“Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world! High and low, rich and poor—listen! For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight. I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp. Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me? They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God. Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough to live forever and never see the grave. Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and senseless, leaving all their wealth behind. The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves, but their fame will not last. They will die, just like animals. This is the fate of fools, though they are remembered as being wise. Interlude Like sheep, they are led to the grave, where death will be their shepherd. In the morning the godly will rule over them. Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates. But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave. Interlude So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid. For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave. In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success. But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day. People who boast of their wealth don’t understand; they will die, just like animals.”
Psalms 49:1-20 NLT
Psalm 49 is a rather dark passage in that speaks clearly of the frivolity of man and his vain attempt to control his own destiny. In an ever prescient description, the wicked and foolish are described as those who actively seek to usurp the penalty of death garnered by Adam. Interestingly, the usurping of death seems to be less of an issue than the usurping of the penalty. The wise are those who accept that death is a rightful outcome. Those who understand that we enter into death for a reason are the only entitled to leave it. They understand that a ransom must be paid. They understand that death is rightfully owed a price that must be realized. They understand that it is only God who can realize that price. Our earthly fortifications and splendor will not save us. Even our legacy fades away within a few generations. The only true way to gain salvation is to pay death’s price and align yourself with something larger than death, after that price has been paid. When we do this, we can be assured that our legacy, as well as our lives will finally be freed to mean something beyond what this mortal coil can make of it.
JOSH McGARY.COM 