Psalm 49

0 To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.
1  Hear this, all you peoples;
  give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2  both low and high,
  rich and poor together.
3  My mouth shall speak wisdom;
  the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4  I will incline my ear to a proverb;
  I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.
5  Why should I fear in times of trouble,
  when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
6  those who trust in their wealth
  and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7  Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,
  there is no price one can give to God for it.
8  For the ransom of life is costly,
  and can never suffice
9  that one should live on forever
  and never see the grave.
10  When we look at the wise, they die;
  fool and dolt perish together
  and leave their wealth to others.
11  Their graves are their homes forever,
  their dwelling places to all generations,
  though they named lands their own.
12  Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
  they are like the animals that perish.
13  Such is the fate of the foolhardy,
  the end of those who are pleased with their lot. Selah
14  Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
  Death shall be their shepherd;
 straight to the grave they descend,
  and their form shall waste away;
  Sheol shall be their home.
15  But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
  for he will receive me. Selah
16  Do not be afraid when some become rich,
  when the wealth of their houses increases.
17  For when they die they will carry nothing away;
  their wealth will not go down after them.
18  Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy
  —for you are praised when you do well for yourself—
19  they will go to the company of their ancestors,
  who will never again see the light.
20  Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
  they are like the animals that perish.

Daily Prayer (based on Psalm 49:16)

Merciful God, how ironic and sad it is that we who live in this country, and who, for the most part, are greatly blessed materially, are so often unsatisfied and envious. Rather than enjoying what You have given us and being continually grateful, we look around at what others possess and are unhappy. We ache for more and better things, as if they would satisfy our hearts. But, of course, they don't. So once we get them, we're again hungry for the next purchase, and the next, and the next.

Postscript

A passage from The American Paradox by David G. Myers (p. xi):

To an extension of Ronald Reagan's famous question, "Are we better off then we were 40 years ago?" our honest answer would have been, materially, yes, morally, no

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Except for the Scripture text, all material of The Daily Psalm Copyright © 2006 by Mark D. Roberts

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The Scripture text used in The Daily Psalm is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved