Psalm 49

Hear this, all you peoples;
    listen, all who live in this world,
both low and high,
    rich and poor alike:
My mouth will speak words of wisdom;
    the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.
I will turn my ear to a proverb;
    with the harp I will expound my riddle:
Why should I fear when evil days come,
    when wicked deceivers surround me—
those who trust in their wealth
    and boast of their great riches?
No one can redeem the life of another
    or give to God a ransom for them—
the ransom for a life is costly,
    no payment is ever enough—
so that they should live on forever
    and not see decay.
For all can see that the wise die,
    that the foolish and the senseless also perish,
    leaving their wealth to others.
Their tombs will remain their houses forever,
    their dwellings for endless generations,
    though they had named lands after themselves.
People, despite their wealth, do not endure;
    they are like the beasts that perish.
This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
    and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
They are like sheep and are destined to die;
    death will be their shepherd
    (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
    far from their princely mansions.
But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;
    he will surely take me to himself.
Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
    when the splendor of their houses increases;
for they will take nothing with them when they die,
    their splendor will not descend with them.
Though while they live they count themselves blessed—
    and people praise you when you prosper—
they will join those who have gone before them,
    who will never again see the light of life.
People who have wealth but lack understanding
    are like the beasts that perish.

• Psalm 49:1-20

Type of Psalm

Didactic psalms: These psalms are psalms that are intended to teach.  In most cases the psalm instructs us in moral principles.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“This psalm is a sermon, and so is the next. In most of the psalms we have the penman praying or praising; in these we have him preaching; and it is our duty, in singing psalms, to teach and admonish ourselves and one another. The scope and design of this discourse is to convince the men of this world of their sin and folly in setting their hearts upon the things of this world, and so to persuade them to seek the things of a better world; as also to comfort the people of God, in reference to their own troubles and the grief that arises from the prosperity of the wicked. I. In the preface he proposes to awaken worldly people out of their security (ver. 1-3) and to comfort himself and other godly people in a day of distress, ver. 4, 5. II. In the rest of the psalm, 1. He endeavours to convince sinners of their folly in doting upon the wealth of this world, by showing them (1.) That they cannot, with all their wealth, save their friends from death, ver. 6-9. (2.) They cannot save themselves from death, ver. 10. (3.) They cannot secure to themselves a happiness in this world, ver.11, 12. Much less, (4.) Can they secure to themselves a happiness in the other world, ver. 14. 2. He endeavours to comfort himself and other good people, (1.) Against the fear of death, ver. 15. (2.) Against the fear of the prospering power of wicked people, ver. 16-20. In singing this psalm let us receive these instructions, and be wise.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm49:6 Those who trust in their wealth: “Mankind’s propensity to trust in his own material goods is well attested in Scripture (e.g., Ps. 52:7; Jer. 17:5). Biblically, this is ex­ posed as the epitome of stupidity (cf., e.g., Prov. 23:4, 5; Luke 12:16ff.).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

My Thoughts

From the Sons of Korah, the psalmist speaks of wisdom and telling proverbs.

The wealthy trust in their wealth rather than trusting in God.  You do not have to be that wealthy.  But the cost of salvation is extremely costly; no one could pay the ransom.  And even if you have a town named after you, it will not endure.

That reminds me of a miser who lived in a very small community in Alabama.  In his will, he would give a million dollars, or something of that nature, if they named the town after him.  They did so to get the money, but they misspelled the man’s name.  The psalmist was thinking of other ways of a person’s well-kept name to be destroyed or forgotten, but misspelling takes the cake.

And death will be the shepherd of those who do not turn to the Lord.

But as for those who God redeems, they will be plucked from the realm of the dead.

Psalm 50

The Mighty One, God, the Lord,
    speaks and summons the earth
    from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
From Zion, perfect in beauty,
    God shines forth.
Our God comes
    and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
    and around him a tempest rages.
He summons the heavens above,
    and the earth, that he may judge his people:
“Gather to me this consecrated people,
    who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
    for he is a God of justice.
“Listen, my people, and I will speak;
    I will testify against you, Israel:
    I am God, your God.
I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices
    or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
I have no need of a bull from your stall
    or of goats from your pens,
for every animal of the forest is mine,
    and the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird in the mountains,
    and the insects in the fields are mine.
If I were hungry I would not tell you,
    for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?
“Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
    fulfill your vows to the Most High,
and call on me in the day of trouble;
    I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
But to the wicked person, God says:
“What right have you to recite my laws
    or take my covenant on your lips?
You hate my instruction
    and cast my words behind you.
When you see a thief, you join with him;
    you throw in your lot with adulterers.
You use your mouth for evil
    and harness your tongue to deceit.
You sit and testify against your brother
    and slander your own mother’s son.
When you did these things and I kept silent,
    you thought I was exactly like you.
But I now arraign you
    and set my accusations before you.
“Consider this, you who forget God,
    or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:
Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
    and to the blameless I will show my salvation.”

• Psalm 50:1-23

Type of Psalm

Didactic psalms: These psalms are psalms that are intended to teach.  In most cases the psalm instructs us in moral principles.

Psalms of praise: Exactly as stated.  God is being praised.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“This psalm, as the former, is a psalm of instruction, not of prayer or praise; it is a psalm of reproof and admonition, in singing which we are to teach and admonish one another. In the foregoing psalm, after a general demand of attention, God by his prophet deals (ver. 3) with the children of this world, to convince them of their sin and folly in setting their hearts upon the wealth of this world; in this psalm, after a like preface, he deals with those that were, in profession, the church’s children, to convince them of their sin and folly in placing their religion in ritual services, while they neglected practical godliness; and this is as sure a way to ruin as the other. This psalm is intended, 1. As a proof to the carnal Jews, both those that rested in the external performances of their religion, and were remiss in the more excellent duties of prayer and praise, and those that expounded the law to others, but lived wicked lives themselves. 2. As a prediction of the abolishing of the ceremonial law, and of the introducing of a spiritual way of worship in and by the kingdom of the Messiah, Jn. 4:23, 24. 3. As a representation of the day of judgment, in which God will call men to an account concerning their observance of those things which they have thus been taught; men shall be judged ‘according to what is written in the books;’ and therefore Christ is fitly represented speaking as a Judge, then when he speaks as a Lawgiver. Here is, I. The glorious appearance of the Prince that gives law and judgment, ver. 1-6. II. Instruction given to his worshippers, to turn their sacrifices into prayers, ver. 7-15. III. A rebuke to those that pretend to worship God, but live in disobedience to his commands (ver. 16-20), their doom read (ver. 21, 22), and warning given to all to look to their conversation as well as to their devotions, ver. 23. These instructions and admonitions we must take to ourselves, and give to one another, in singing this psalm.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 50:15 : ” Want to worry less? Then pray more. Rather than look forward in fear, look upward in faith. This command surprises no one. Regarding prayer, the Bible never blushes. Jesus taught people that ‘they should always pray and never lose hope’ (Luke 18:1). Paul told believers, ‘Continue praying, keeping alert, and always thanking God’ (Colossians 4:2). James declared, ‘Anyone who is having troubles should pray’ (James 5:13).
“Rather than worry about anything, ‘pray about everything.’ Everything? Diaper changes and dates? Business meetings and broken bathtubs? Procrastinations and prognostications? Pray about everything.”

• Max Lucado, Come Thirsty

My Thoughts

This psalm is a psalm of Asaph.  God shines as the sun shines.

But a tempest rages and God will be the judge.  God will mete out justice

There will be no need of sacrifice.  God desires us to obey and call on the Lord.

Disobedience means that we hate God’s laws.

We must remain blameless.

Note: In the use of blameless, this does not mean sinless, but a life where no one can find any reason to blame us for a crime or misdeed.  Take this into account when recommending someone for a leadership position in the church.  But also take heart in that this statement does not mean we have to live a totally sinless life – yet, for those of God’s elect, there sins have already been forgiven.

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    so that sinners will turn back to you.
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
    you who are God my Savior,
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
Open my lips, Lord,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise.
May it please you to prosper Zion,
    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
    in burnt offerings offered whole;
    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

• Psalm 51:1-19

Type of Psalm

Penitential psalms:  Penitential psalms relate to penitence, but more specifically confession.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“Though David penned this psalm upon a very particular occasion, yet, it is of as general use as any of David’s psalms; it is the most eminent of the penitential psalms, and most expressive of the cares and desires of a repenting sinner. It is a pity indeed that in our devout addresses to God we should have any thing else to do than to praise God, for that is the work of heaven; but we make other work for ourselves by our own sins and follies: we must come to the throne of grace in the posture of penitents, to confess our sins and sue for the grace of God; and, if therein we would take with us words, we can nowhere find any more apposite than in this psalm, which is the record of David’s repentance for his sin in the matter of Uriah, which was the greatest blemish upon his character: all the rest of his faults were nothing to this; it is said of him (1 Kgs. 15:5), That ‘he turned not aside from the commandment of the Lord all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.’ In this psalm, I. He confesses his sin, ver. 3-6. II. He prays earnestly for the pardon of his sin, ver. 1, 2, 7, 9. III. For peace of conscience, ver. 8, 12. IV. For grace to go and sin no more, ver. 10, 11, 14. V. For liberty of access to God, ver. 15. IV. He promises to do what he could for the good of the souls of others (ver. 13) and for the glory of God, ver. 16, 17, 19. And, lastly, concludes with a prayer for Zion and Jerusalem, ver. 18. Those whose consciences charge them with any gross sin should, with a believing regard to Jesus Christ, the Mediator, again and again pray over this psalm; nay, though we have not been guilty of adultery and murder, or any the like enormous crime, yet in singing it, and praying over it, we may very sensibly apply it all to ourselves, which if we do with suitable affections we shall, through Christ, find mercy to pardon and grace for seasonable help.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 51:10 : “We are thirsty.
Not thirsty for fame, possessions, passion, or romance. We’ve drunk from those pools. They are salt water in the desert. They don’t quench-they kill.
” ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness ...’  Righteousness. That’s it. That’s what we are thirsty for. We’re thirsty for a clean conscience. We crave a clean slate. We yearn for a fresh start. We pray for a hand that will enter the dark cavern of our world and do for us the one thing we can’t do for ourselves-make us right again.”

• Max Lucado, The Applause of Heaven

My Thoughts

Can I just repeat the entire psalm?  Anyone who comes face to face with their sins should repeat this psalm.

David committed a multitude of sins in which he was begging God to forgive.  He had lusted after Bathsheba.  He committed adultery.  He tried to cover up his sin, but Uriah was an honorable man and would not sleep with his wife while his men were in combat.  So, then Uriah was given a suicide mission with his men being told to retreat and leave him to die.  Joab soon took the city they were laying siege to at that moment, but when Bathsheba gave birth, the baby got sick, and Nathan accused David of all his sins relating to Bathsheba.  This was a lot of sin for one brief period of time.

But even if our only sin was saying a naughty word or telling a needless lie, we have sinned.  When we read something like this, at least I do not feel that I am alone, I see the sin in my life, in indiscretions, the lack of doing things for others that I could have done, and the biggest with me is my wandering mind.  My focus occasionally gets on ten things instead of God.  Some of that is old age.  Some of it is being alone.  But those are excuses.  I know better.  And God knows I am weak when “in the shadows.”  Yesterday, the internet crashed twice, while the supplier was making repairs and improvements, and God reminded me that I had been procrastinating my Sunday school prep.  No telling how my mind would wander when there was no television show to watch, no internet connection, and all my files on the cloud…

But David asks with several synonyms for God to blot out his sin, wash him, cleanse him, and show mercy.  David reminds God how God has unfailing love for him.  In many psalms, David speaks of his love for God, but he is not starting with that.  His actions are proof of failure, at least weakness so that we fail.

David speaks of God teaching him faithfulness, and expecting faithfulness, while in the womb.  I believe that this is not just hyperbole or being poetic.  God imprints in our RNA, probably, those truths that David knew – killing someone is wrong.  People are blurring the line with abortion these days, but we know that killing is wrong and David arranged for Uriah’s death.  Thus, God indeed teaches us in the womb by the innate concepts we grow up learning, having know that it just makes sense at birth.

We are taught that since God has forgiven us our sins: past, present, and future, we are to confess them and forget them, but David wears his guilt, now being poetic with his bones being crushed.

Hyssop (in the photo above) is used in cleansing and healing in Levitical Law.  In Numbers 19:18, the man who is ceremonially unclean will take hyssop, dip it in water, and sprinkle the water on his tent, the furnishings, and the people who touched what was unclean.  So, while hyssop has some healing properties (respiratory, digestive, and skin health, pain relief, antioxidant and antiviral properties), it is a major part of cleansing ceremonies.

Then David speaks of God’s desire to be our obedience, instead of sacrificing, as stated in Psalm 50 also.  If sacrificing would help, David would make great sacrifices, but David’s sacrifice was a contrite heart.  David was beaten and broken by his sin.  Trying to cover it up just made it worse.

We should take this to heart.  I have heard people say that God has already forgiven their sin, so why bother with confession.  We confess so that we will always have a crushed spirit and contrite heart when our sins are brought to mind.  We should lay the sins at Jesus’ feet and forget them, but maybe not forget our propensity of screwing up.  Our sins, even the small ones, need to cut us.  They show that we are still a work under construction.

Our church has the usual prayer that everyone prays out loud, and then the liturgist talks about having a moment of silent prayer to bring those sins to God that are on our heart.  Some of the members of my Sunday school class complain that the silence is not half as long as it should be.  They are never finished.  And I wonder, has anyone at your church ever wept out loud during the silence for personal confession?  I have never heard that except when helping out during an altar call.  I was not there, but I am sure that David wept so loudly, they everyone in the palace knew that he was in physical pain thinking about his sin.

I think we need to read this psalm in that light, and then praise and glorify God for Jesus paying the price we so richly deserve.  Unless we feel that our bones are crushed beneath the weight of our sins that God has forgiven, we take those sins too lightly.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

Psalm 49

“1. Do you believe ‘the best things in life are free’? Give some examples of great things money can’t buy.
“2. If there were no heaven or hell, would you agree with modern sentiments like ‘Grab all the gusto you can,’ or ‘He who has the most toys in the end wins’? What world view would attract you most ·if there was no Christianity?
“3. Has the death of a loved one caused a ‘big chill’ on your or your friends’ world views?
“4. This psalm is echoed in Jesus’ teaching (see Mt 6:25-34). How do both teachings challenge your current lifestyle and priorities? How can you avoid being ‘like the beasts’?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Psalm 50

“1. Do you ever picture God as an angry judge? How does it make you feel? Did your parents give you this image?
“2. If God were to address your church today through this psalm, what would he more likely attack: ‘mindless ritualism’ or ‘lip service’? Why? What forms of empty religion would he rail against? What forms of hypocrisy?
“3. What comes first in your spirituality: (a) Action? (b) Sacrifice? (c) Prayer? (d) Talk? Why? What comes second? What does the small group emphasize?
“4. In this psalm, God first warned the people, then reissued his call to follow him: How has he done that for you?
“5. What ‘thank offerings’ do you give to God? Brainstorm on ideas. Can the group give a ‘thank offering’?”

Psalm 51

“1. Has covering up sin backfired in your life? How have you seen God’s mercy when you owned up to your sin?
“2. Are there really any ‘victimless crimes’? How do personal failings affect God? Others? Self? Society?
“3. Are you more sensitive to sin and brokenness in yourself as a Christian than beforehand? Why?”

There is one set of questions each of these psalms.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.