Godly counsel against fear or awe of the godless wealthy.
Scripture References:
st. 1 = vv. 1-4
st. 2 = vv. 5-9
st. 3 = vv. 10-11
st.4 = vv.12-15
st. 5 = vv. 16-20
Traditionally ascribed to (or assigned to) "the Sons of Korah," Psalm 49, like Psalms 1, 34, 37, 73, and 112, gives instruction in godly wisdom. It calls God's people to hear wise counsel (st. 1) against fear or awe of the wealthy, especially those who trust in riches rather than in God. Death takes them too, and no ransom payment can ward it off (st. 2). They are fools whose final home is the grave (st. 3). While death is the shepherd of those who trust in themselves, God redeems the godly from the grave and takes them to himself (st. 4). "Do not be overawed," says the psalmist (v. 16), by the wealth and honor of the rich (st. 5); "one who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish" (v. 20). Helen Otte (PHH 17) paraphrased Psalm 49 in unrhymed dactylic meter in 1984 for the Psalter Hymnal.
Liturgical Use:
Occasions when the church speaks out against materialism and all forms of proud secularism.
--Psalter Hymnal Handbook