"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Tuesday, July 26, 2016 with Scripture Psalm 49:1-12

"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Tuesday, July 26, 2016 with Scripture Psalm 49:1-12

Psalm 49:1 (0) For the leader. A psalm of the descendants of Korach:

2 (1) Hear this, all you peoples!

Listen, everyone living on earth,

3 (2) regardless of whether low or high,

regardless of whether rich or poor!

4 (3) My mouth is about to speak wisdom;

my heart’s deepest thoughts will give understanding.

5 (4) I will listen with care to [God’s] parable,

I will set my enigma to the music of the lyre.

6 (5) Why should I fear when the days bring trouble,

when the evil of my pursuers surrounds me,

7 (6) the evil of those who rely on their wealth

and boast how rich they are?

8 (7) No one can ever redeem his brother

or give God a ransom for him ,

9 (8) because the price for him is too high

(leave the idea completely alone!)

10 (9) to have him live on eternally

and never see the pit.

11 (10) For he can see that wise men will die,

likewise the fool and the brute will perish

and leave their wealth to others.

12 (11) They think their homes will last forever,

their dwellings through all generations;

they give their own names to their estates.[Complete Jewish Bible]
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Entitlement seems to be an ever growing point of contention in our culture. Some will say that their riches, status, or fame should give them the right to say whatever comes into their minds, no matter if it is true or hurtful. Some will say that they have been crushed by the wealthy; that their poverty gives them the right to cry foul. There remains a silent majority who are not able to raise their voices above the din, which can sometimes sound like the "Whos in Whoville." The psalmist is calling everyone to listen to a simple message: whatever you feel you have is not enough to buy your way into an alternate future. The fall of Adam and Eve brought sin and death into the world, and subsequently, we will all die. Talk about feelings of futility! However, we are given a sense of hope. If we read beyond where our reading stops to verse 15, we find there the promise: "God will ransom my soul from the pit."

Gracious God, it is easier for us to see the dark side of life and lose hope than to look for the light. Allow your Spirit to remind us that we need not despair, for nothing can separate us from your love. Amen.
Rodger Prois
Bishop Western Iowa Synod, ELCA
Master of Divinity , 1993
Psalm 49:1 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.[New Revised Standard Version]
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