"God will receive me"
[Psalm 49]
It is said that animals are superior to humans in many ways. For example, the cheetah is faster than a human, the giraffe is taller, and if you compare weight, seven people cannot compete with one elephant. In terms of eyesight, hawks or eagles are superior to human vision, and a dog's sense of smell is over 10,000 times more developed than that of a human. As for hearing, a human's ear doesn't even compare to that of a rabbit. If we consider swimming, humans cannot keep up with seals. In many ways, there are things in which humans are inferior to animals.
However, despite all this, there is a reason why humans are superior to animals. The reason is that the Creator God has granted only humans the image of God. The first aspect of God's image in humans is the heart that longs for eternity and the faith that reveres the Creator God. The second is that God has given us a good conscience. The conscience is the foundation of morality and ethics. It always stands on God's side, even when it resides within us. Therefore, when a person sins, their conscience feels guilty and uneasy. Thus, a truly human person, one superior to animals, is someone who possesses a good conscience and the secret faith in Christ (Internet).
So, what kind of person is inferior to animals? It is the one who does not long for eternity in their heart and does not have the faith to revere the Creator God. Furthermore, a person inferior to animals is someone whose conscience is numb, without a good conscience. In today’s scripture, Psalm 49:12 and 20, it says that such a person is "like a beast." As we consider who these people are, and why they are foolish, we will also reflect on the type of person who, like the psalmist, confidently declares, “God will receive me” (v. 15). Through this, we will consider the responsibilities of such a person and learn from the passage what kind of people we should be and what kind of lives we should live.
First: The person like a beast who is heading to destruction
What kind of person does the Bible describe as someone who is like a beast heading to destruction? The Bible tells us that even if someone enjoys wealth and fame in this world but does not know God, they are like a beast destined for destruction (v. 12, 20). This "beast-like" person, while enjoying the wealth and fame of this world, does not know God. Because of this, instead of relying on God, they rely on their wealth and boast about their abundance (v. 6). Therefore, such a person dreams as if they will live forever in this world, and they leave ownership of land in their name (v. 11). In other words, they are striving to make a name for themselves on earth (Park Yun-seon).
This effort, which only focuses on worldly prosperity, is foolish. Why? We find three reasons in today’s passage.
(1) The first reason is found in today's passage, Psalm 49:17: “For when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.”
A life that comes with empty hands and leaves with empty hands. No matter how much wealth one has, they cannot take it with them when they die. To live relying on and boasting of wealth that you cannot take with you—how foolish is such a life? In many ways, we see how so many people idolize wealth (money) and live a vain life, only to meet a futile death, returning to the dust.
(2) The second reason is that, since one’s wealth ultimately goes to others, a person like an animal is foolish.
Look at verse 10 of today's passage, Psalm 49: “For the wise man dies, just like the fool and the senseless man perish, and they leave their wealth to others.” We have already reflected on a similar verse in Psalm 39:6: “Surely every man walks about like a shadow; they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them.” Eventually, as the Scriptures say, the wealth of the wicked will be taken by the righteous. So, if you live for wealth and don’t know God, what does it matter how much you accumulate if, in the end, you don’t even know who will take it when you die? What a vain life! Truly, it is a foolish life.
(3) Another reason can be found in verses 7-9 of today's passage: “No man can redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him— the redemption of his life is costly, and will never be enough, that he should live on forever, and not see the pit.”
No matter how much wealth one has, it cannot redeem a human life from death. The redemption of our lives is so precious that it cannot be bought with money. We cannot live forever in heaven because of the wealth we have accumulated. It is said that Queen Elizabeth of England, at the time of her death, said: “If anyone could give me more time to live, I would give a million pounds for it” (Park Yun-seon).
We should not envy such people, who are like animals heading to destruction. Asaph, the psalmist, confessed in Psalm 73:22-23: “I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless, I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand.” Asaph had envied the prosperity of the wicked (v. 3) and looked down on the arrogant, but when he entered the sanctuary of God and understood the end of the wicked (v. 17), he confessed his foolishness and his beast-like nature before the Lord (v. 22). However, because he was always with God, God held him by his right hand (v. 23), and though he almost slipped, he did not. We must never envy the prosperity of the wicked because the wicked will perish.
Second: The Righteous Redeemed
The beast-like person will perish, but the honest ones who are redeemed will be received by God.
Let us look at Psalm 49:15: “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He will receive me (Selah).” The phrase "God will receive the redeemed honest person" refers to God bringing the soul of the saint to His kingdom after death (Park Yun-seon). The beast-like individuals who perish put their hope only in their life and wealth in this world, but we, the saints, live with hope in the coming world, in heaven.
(1) Therefore, we do not need to fear those who live like beasts.
Look at Psalm 49:5: "Why should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels surrounds me?" Here, “iniquity” does not refer to the saint’s actions but to the evil and oppression of those who persecute them (Park Yun-seon). The psalmist did not fear the wicked who persecuted him, despite their evil and oppression. The reason is that the wicked cannot save themselves from death with their wealth or abundance, but the saints are redeemed by God and live forever (Park Yun-seon).
(2) We must walk the right path.
We must walk the path of righteousness. We must never walk the path of injustice. Look at Psalm 49:14: “Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall be their shepherd; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.” Here, “the upright” refers to those who are righteous, that is, the saints. Therefore, we, the saints, must not live like those who do not know God, who rely on the wealth and abundance of this world, and boast in them. Instead, we must walk faithfully on the right path that the Lord walked, looking to the afterlife.
(3) We must live with the assurance that God will lead us to His eternal kingdom after death.
Look at Psalm 49:15 again: “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He will receive me (Selah).” Our God is the one who guides us until death (48:14). Even now, He is leading us to His eternal kingdom. Therefore, we can confess: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6).
This Tuesday, I visited my beloved grandmother Jang in the nursing home. Although she had become physically weaker, I saw that she was not afraid of death, but instead longed even more to see Jesus. Grandma Jang, who deeply thanks the Lord for washing all her sins with the blood of Jesus on the cross, is, as a precious daughter of God, walking toward heaven today. When I sang hymn 495 (“My Soul Has Found Rest”), with the chorus: “My soul, having received grace, has cast off the heavy burden of sin, and in this sorrowful world, it has turned into heaven,” she sang along with me, knowing that God will receive her.
As I share in the final journey of my dear grandmother’s life, I am enjoying the grace God gives.
Pastor James Kim
(Praying that we walk the right path according to God’s guidance)