Psalm 49
1-4: Introduction – an invitation to hear wisdom speak
5-9: Admonition – fear not unjust men; their wealth has no redemptive value
10-12: Insight – all of humanity perish like animals, regardless of their status
13-15: Revelation – death overtakes all men, but God redeems the righteous
16-20: Conclusion – neither fear nor envy the rich; their wealth and lives are temporal
This powerful, contemplative psalm of the Korahites reflects on the appropriate response of the righteous to the prosperity of the unjust. Its overall message is for the righteous to look forward, beyond the death that strips the unjust of their possessions, to the redemption that awaits the righteous.
The hope of the wicked end in this life, no matter the wealth they acquire or the monuments they erect in their own honour. To live unjustly is to lack understanding, and such a life only leads to Sheol (the grave). To live justly is to invest in a future glory that overtakes death on resurrection morning.
Chronicles of a Journeyman 
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