Devotional
Short Note to Psalm 49: Korah in this Psalm wants to address issues pertaining
to this life and especially the life of all people (49:2a) and “all inhabitants
of the world” (49:2b). Rich or poor (49:3b); famous or infamous (49:3a); up in
the administrations or down in the grassroots, chief of the churchboard or
members in the pew, literally everyone together (yahad). Korah will speak
wisdom (49:4a) and his heart will speak “thanksgiving/praises” [Middle Egyptian
and Late Egyptian ḥknw for “thanksgiving/praises” for the Hebrew Word והגות which was mistranslated by
Middle-Age Rabbis on the basis of Arabic as “meditation” which became wrongly
understood in Jewish Kabbalism as been involved in a kind of yoga ‘repetitious
meditation self-activities of the mind’ and Christians in modern times took it
over. One Adventist dissertation on it was blindly attracted to this Judaistic
understanding, my apology to say it, by this Arabic superimposed semantics in
the Hebrew Dictionary and thus suggests that modern Adventists should practice
more meditation in their prayers and worship to make it more interesting! Korah
did not know Arabic but could have known Egyptian]. That the word is “praises”
and not Middle-Age Rabbinic mixed with Arabic practices of ‘meditation’ is evidenced
in the next verse that says that he will speak in parables and riddles upon the
harp (49:5a-b) that is to say, the activity of the so-called mistranslated ‘meditation’
in 49:4b, is a singing action with accompaniment of the harp not a repetitious
self-mumbling in the action of prayer. In
Psalm 49:6 starts his wisdom about life. When dark days should come over anyone
and himself, “why” should he fear? When he will [future form of the verb] be
surrounded by iniquity (49:6b) there is no need to any fear. These kind of
people are identified by the Psalmist that they “trust in their wealth” and
that they are rich (49:7). They say loud on television to the world, “I have so
much money….I am so rich”. “Ah”
says the Psalmist with an emoticon of agony or surprise (49:8a). The surprise is
that “no one can certainly redeem a man” or “give to God his ransom” (49:8a). It
is so Paulinic New Testament here that one can see where Paul got his proper
theology from. He did not invent his own theology. He merely studied the Old
Testament properly. The price of a soul is too expensive “and the redemption of
their souls will be too expensive” (49:9a). Of course it cost God His Son and
Christ His blood and us giving up ourselves for redemption to be accepted as
ours (said Billy Graham in a Youtube extract of a sermon in 1958). “It
should cease to eternity” (49:9b) meaning that this action of trying to buy off
redemption must cease totally since it is useless. The Catholic church had a
manner that souls of the dead can be bought off from hell. The Psalmist here is
against that activity. Humanity lives with this dream “and he/she will live
unto eternity” (49:10a) “that he/she will not see the pit” [death] (49:10b). This
they do despite that fact that all people die: wise and fool and as the Book of Ecclesiastics says, “leave their
wealth to others” (49:10c). “Their inward thought is that their houses shall
continue forever and their dwelling-places to all generations. They call their
lands after their own names” (49:12a-c). “Man
will not [Korah uses here the Phoenician negative bal as loanword] abide in
honor” (49:13a). “He is like a beast: they perish” (49:13b). These people are
the foolish that do speak wisdom whether philosophical or in literature or
other forms of media and others approve and are excited by their works
(49:14a-b). But they will not abide in honor. The Psalmist was citing here from
a work since he used the citation mark Selah. Korah
then cited from another work in verses 15-16. These people are like sheep “they
are placed to Sheol” and “death will shepherd them”. The agnostic, the atheist,
the careless faithful are all led by death or Satan as shepherd “and the upright
shall have rule on them to the morning” (49:15c) which is the morning of the Resurrection
at the Second Coming of Christ. The
evil will stop to exist that day “and their form is for nothingness [taken as a
derivative from the word bal meaning not in Phoenician], Sheol who exalts for
him” (49:15d). If people follow Satan or Death as shepherd then Sheol awaits
them and their endresult is nothingness at the Second Coming of of Christ. “Oh”
the Psalmist says in verse 16 using an emoticon of wish and desire for the
better. “God will redeem my soul from the hand of Sheol” (49:16a). Why the hand
of Sheol since death is not just a human affair, there is a supernatural
demonic connection to it who is the cause behind it and Satan is given a hand
here. “For
He shall take me. Selah” (49:16c). If Korah is granted his wish in his emoticon
then God will take the memory of his DNA in His mind and at the Resurrection
God will resurrect a perfect clone of him. Counsel
to all is given after the citation stopped: that people should not be afraid of
the rich or richer or growing rich (49:17). Their destiny on this earth is such
that they cannot take their wealth with them in the coffin (49:18). Pharaoh
like Thutankamun placed their belonging with them in the tomb but in 1923 it
was discovered full of dust but still there. The corps or mummy is still there.
While the rich live they praise themselves for their own achievements (49:19).
Yet, Korah says, they shall go similarly as their ancestors who did not believe:
“unto eternity [unto the Second Coming of Christ from the day they die.The
reason is that the same strong preposition is used that is used in the 2300
days prophecy of Daniel 8:14 “Unto 2300 evenings and mornings… meaning unto or
time up to 1844] they shall not see light” (49:20a). Honorable people do not
understand and is like beasts that perish (49:21a-b).