April 18, 2025
Read Psalm Chapters 49 and 50
Key Verses: Psalm 49:1 and 50:14-15 and 22-23…
1 Listen to this, all you people!
Pay attention, everyone in the world!
2 High and low,
rich and poor—listen!
3 For my words are wise,
and my thoughts are filled with insight.
4 I listen carefully to many proverbs
and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp.
5 Why should I fear when trouble comes,
when enemies surround me?
6 They trust in their wealth
and boast of great riches.
7 Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death
by paying a ransom to God.
8 Redemption does not come so easily,
for no one can ever pay enough
9 to live forever
and never see the grave.
10 Those who are wise must finally die,
just like the foolish and senseless,
leaving all their wealth behind.
11 The grave is their eternal home,
where they will stay forever.
They may name their estates after themselves,
12 but their fame will not last.
They will die, just like animals.
13 This is the fate of fools,
though they are remembered as being wise.
14 Like sheep, they are led to the grave,
where death will be their shepherd.
In the morning the godly will rule over them.
Their bodies will rot in the grave,
far from their grand estates.
15 But as for me, God will redeem my life.
He will snatch me from the power of the grave.
16 So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich
and their homes become ever more splendid.
17 For when they die, they take nothing with them.
Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.
18 In this life they consider themselves fortunate
and are applauded for their success.
19 But they will die like all before them
and never again see the light of day.
20 People who boast of their wealth don’t understand;
they will die, just like animals.
50:1 The Lord, the Mighty One, is God,
and He has spoken;
He has summoned all humanity
from where the sun rises to where it sets.
2 From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines in glorious radiance.
3 Our God approaches,
and He is not silent.
Fire devours everything in His way,
and a great storm rages around Him.
4 He calls on the heavens above and earth below
to witness the judgment of His people.
5 “Bring My faithful people to Me—
those who made a covenant with Me by giving sacrifices.”
6 Then let the heavens proclaim His justice,
for God Himself will be the judge.
7 “O my people, listen as I speak.
Here are My charges against you, O Israel:
I am God, your God!
8 I have no complaint about your sacrifices
or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.
9 But I do not need the bulls from your barns
or the goats from your pens.
10 For all the animals of the forest are mine,
and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird on the mountains,
and all the animals of the field are mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for all the world is mine and everything in it.
13 Do I eat the meat of bulls?
Do I drink the blood of goats?
14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
15 Then call on Me when you are in trouble,
and I will rescue you,
and you will give Me glory.”
16 But God says to the wicked:
“Why bother reciting My decrees
and pretending to obey My covenant?
17 For you refuse My discipline
and treat My words like trash.
18 When you see thieves, you approve of them,
and you spend your time with adulterers.
19 Your mouth is filled with wickedness,
and your tongue is full of lies.
20 You sit around and slander your brother—
your own mother’s son.
21 While you did all this, I remained silent,
and you thought I didn’t care.
But now I will rebuke you,
listing all my charges against you.
22 Repent, all of you who forget Me,
or I will tear you apart,
and no one will help you.
23 But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors Me.
If you keep to my path,
I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, please help me to be thankful in every situation, when things are going bad, and when things are going well. Help me to realize that I nothing without You! And giving sacrificial thanks should be on my lips and on my heart at all times. If I don’t repent of selfishness, I know it can bring me down a path that does not lead me to You. I desperately need Your Salvation, I need to keep my eyes on Your path, the path that leads to life everlasting. Help me to always pay attention to Your commands and obey. Amen.