“God will redeem my soul”
[Psalms 49]
It is said that there are many things that beasts are better than humans. For example, a cheetah is faster than a human, and a giraffe is bigger than a human, and if you weigh it, seven people can't beat one elephant. In terms of the brightness of the eyes, hawks and eagles are ahead of human eyes, and dogs with smelling noses are 10,000 times more developed than the human. In terms of hearing, the human’s ears are said to be less than rabbits. It is said that if we swim in the water, people cannot follow the seals. There are many things that humans cannot do as beasts. Nevertheless, there are reasons why man is better than beast. That is, Creator God gave the image of God only to the human. The first in the image of God is to have a heart that longs for eternity in our human hearts and the faith that fears the Creator God. The second is to give a good conscience. Conscience is the foundation of morality and ethics. The conscience is always on the side of God. That is why when we sin, our conscience is rebuked and anxious. Therefore, a person who is a really man or who is better than a beast is a person who has a good conscience and the mystery of faith in Christ’ (Internet).
But what kind of person is worse than the beast? Those who don’t yearn for eternity in their hearts and have no faith in fear of Creator God. It can also be said that a person who is less than an animal is a person whose conscience is paralyzed, a person without a good conscience. If we look at Psalms 49:12 and 20, the Bible says that a man is “like the beasts”. Who is the perishing beast that the Bible is talking about in Psalms 49:12, 20? Why is he foolish? I want to think about what responsibilities I have. Like the psalmist, I would like to think about what kind of people and what responsibilities are another class of people who are convinced that “God will redeem my soul” (v. 15). In the midst of that, we want to learn from Psalms 49 what kind of person we should be and what kind of life we should live.
First, the person who is like beast that perish
What kind of man does the Bible say is like the beast that perish? The Bible says that people who don’t know God even though they enjoy wealth and glory in the world are like beasts that perish (vv. 12, 20). This beast-like person is proud of his abundance of riches by relying on his wealth rather than relying on God because he doesn’t know God while enjoying the wealth in the world (v. 6). So this man who is like the beast takes ownership of the land in his own name, dreaming that he will live in this world forever (v. 11). In other words, the person is striving to make a name on the ground (Park). It is foolish to think and strive for prosperity in this world. What is the reason? We can find three reasons in Psalms 49:
(1) The first reason is found in Psalms 49:17 – “For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him.”
A life that comes empty-handed and goes empty-handed. No matter how much riches we have, we cannot take it with us when we die. What a foolish life is to live with boasting and relying on our wealth? In a way, too many people idolize wealth (money), live a vain life, and die in vain, returning to dust.
(2) The second reason is that the person who is like beast is foolish because his wealth is eventually given to others.
Look at Psalms 49:10 – “For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish And leave their wealth to others.” In Psalms 39:6, we can see a similar word like this: “"Surely every man walks about as a phantom; Surely they make an uproar for nothing; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.” In the end, as the Bible says, the wealth of the wicked will be taken by the righteous. So, what a vain life it is to live for wealth and to amass riches without knowing God and without knowing who will gather them? What a foolish life.
(3) Another reason can be found in Psalms 49:7-9: “No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him--For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever -- That he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay.”
No matter how much riches we have, we cannot redeem ourselves from death. The redemption of our lives is so precious. It cannot be done with money. The reason why we can live in heaven forever without seeing corruption can never be done by great wealth. It is said that Queen Elizabeth of England said at the end of her death: ‘I will give you a million dollars if there is anyone who makes me live more’ (Park).
We should not be jealous of this kind of people who are like beasts who are perishing. The psalmist Asaph confesses in Psalms 73:22-23: “Then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand.” When Asaph saw the prosperity of the wicked, he was envious of the arrogant (v. 3). But after he went into the sanctuary of God and perceived the end of the wicked (v. 17), he confessed that he was senseless and ignorant and “I was like a beast before You” (v. 22). But since he was continually with the Lord and the Lord had taken hold of his right hand (v. 23), his steps didn’t slip. We never need to envy the prosperity of the wicked because the wicked will perish.
Second, the upright person who will be redeemed.
The beast like people will perish but God will receive those who will be redeemed. Look at Psalms 49:15 – “But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.” Here, the word that God will receive the upright person who will be redeemed refers to God taking the saints’ souls to His kingdom after their death (Park). Those who are like perishing beasts put their hope only in wealth and life in this world. But we the saints live with hope in that heaven, the world to come.
(1) We shouldn’t fear people who are like beast.
Look at Psalms 49:5 – “Why should I fear in days of adversity, When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me.” Here, “the iniquity” doesn’t belong to the saint, but refers to the evil deeds and violence of those who persecute the saint (Park). The psalmist didn’t fear those who persecute him, even in the midst of the evil deeds and violence of the wicked who persecuted him. The reason is because even though the wicked cannot deliver them from death with the wealth or riches they believe in, the saints lived eternally under the redemption of God (Park).
(2) We must walk the right path.
We must walk the path of righteousness. We must never walk the path of unrighteousness. Look at Psalms 49:14 – “As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no habitation.” Here, “the upright” refers to us, the saints. Therefore, we believers must not walk on the path of unrighteousness of pride, relying on the riches and the wealth of this world, without knowing God like those who are perishing beasts. Rather, we must faithfully walk the righteous path that the Lord walked while looking at the future heavenly life.
(3) We must live with assurance that God will lead us to an eternal kingdom after death.
Look at Psalms 49:15 – “But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.” Our God is the God who guides us until death (48:14). Even now, He is leading us to the eternal kingdom of God. Therefore, we can confess, “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
When I visited my church beloved grandmother Jang Eul-soo this Tuesday at a nursing home, she was weaker physically. But she wasn't afraid of even death, and she prayed earnestly to see Jesus more and more. Grandmother Jang, who is justified and is God’s precious daughter, is most grateful that Jesus washed away all her sins with His blood on the cross. God will redeem her soul, grandma Jang, who sang with me the hymn “Since Christ My Soul From Sin Set Free”: “Since Christ my soul from sin set free, This world has been a Heaven to me; And 'mid earth's sorrows and its woe, ‘Tis heaven my Jesus here to know. O hallelujah, yes, 'tis heaven 'Tis heaven to know my sins forgiven; On land or sea, what matters where? Where Jesus is, 'tis Heaven there” (v. 1 and chorus).
As I enjoy God’s grace given to me as I am with beloved grandma Jang on her last journey in this earth,
James Kim
(Desire to walk the right path according to God’s guidance)