Yesterday in worship we sang the song ‘Be still and Know”. I had just read an article that listed that verse as one of the verses most used out of context. I jumped over to Psalms 46 to review the entire thing.
From there I moved over a few psalms and settled the rest of the worship in Psalm 49. Yes, I should have been paying attention, but sometimes, the written word of David is better than the spoken word of contemporaries.
Anyway, there were several things in Psalm 49 that I could write about, and that I may. But one thing that stuck in my heart was this statement in verses 7 and 8
No one can redeem the life of anotheror give to God a ransom for them—the ransom for a life is costly,no payment is ever enough— (NCV)
and then how the statement is overridden by a greater power later in verse 15
But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;he will surely take me to himself. (NCV)
I especially like the wording in the ESV.
But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,for he will receive me.
The whole idea of a ransom, and God paying a ransom for my soul seems to really lay out the fact that God had to sacrifice for me in order to redeem me. All of use were captured and held for ransom by the power of death! He paid that ransom, when we couldn’t and can’t.
That’s something to consider this Holy Week as we head towards the anniversary of some of the greatest days that every happened on this Earth.