49:1ff The futility of worldliness—riches, pride, fame—resounds from this psalm. Comparable in form to the book of Ecclesiastes, this psalm is one of the few written more to instruct than to praise God.
49:7, 8, 15 In the slave market of the ancient world, a slave had to be redeemed (someone had to pay the price) in order to go free. In Mark 10:45, Ephesians 1:7, and Hebrews 9:12, we learn that Jesus paid such a price so that we could be set free from slavery to sin in order to begin a new life with him.
There is no way for a person to buy eternal life. Only God can redeem a soul. Don’t count on wealth and physical comforts to keep you happy because you will never have enough wealth to keep from dying.
49:10-14 The rich and poor have one similarity: When they die, they leave all they own here on earth. At the moment of death (and all of us will face that moment), both rich and poor are naked and empty-handed before God. The only riches we have at that time are those we have already invested in our eternal heritage. At the time of death, each of us will wish we had invested less on earth, where we must leave it, and more in heaven, where we will retain it forever. To have treasure in heaven, we must place our faith in God, pledge ourselves to obey him, and utilize our resources for the good of his Kingdom. This is a good time to check up on your investments and see where you have invested the most. Then do whatever it takes to place your investments where they really count.
49:12, 20 We are not like beasts in all ways, but like the animals, we all must face death. It is inevitable and we must be prepared. God will deliver us from the grave and receive us unto himself (49:15) if we trust him, and not our wealth, to save us. Psalm 73:24 also gives us confidence in the afterlife. Let us not be foolish and brutish (49:10), but respond to God’s offer.