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).