Psalms 49 and 50 from my new book:
A NEW LOOK AT THE OLD PSALMS
Praying the Psalms: a modern interpretation
____________________
Psalms 49 and 50 from my new book:
Praying the Psalms: a modern interpretation
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I present here a new perspective on the psalms. I have rewritten them from a New
Testament Christ-centered point of view. I did not try to capture the poetry of the
psalms – I leave that to more gifted writers – but I attempted to capture their message
with a more modern interpretation.
Testament Christ-centered point of view. I did not try to capture the poetry of the
psalms – I leave that to more gifted writers – but I attempted to capture their message
with a more modern interpretation.
God bless,
John
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Psalm
49
A
|
wise man had a vision and saw that there are two
kinds of people in the world: those who deny the existence of God and seek to
amass riches and power to overcome their fear of dying; and those who believe
in God and trust he will not leave them in the grave.
The foolish trust in their own wealth to protect
them from their enemies, yet when they die they leave all their estate to
others. No amount of money can save them from the grave. They perish like
beasts in the wild. Others will be impressed with the titles and property the
dead accumulated while alive, but they are doomed to the tomb forever.
The wise, however, trust in God, not in people or
power, and believe that he will rescue them from the grave and give them
eternal life.
Thank you, Father, for giving us the wisdom to
understand that you became man to free us from the slavery of sin and our
obsession with the wealth and pleasures of the material world. Above all, thank
you for the gift of eternal life. Amen.16
Psalm
50
(A vision of Judgment Day.)
J
|
esus, in radiant beauty, with the power of the Father
and the fire of the Holy Spirit, descends from heaven and summons all the
people of the world to come forth and be judged.
He addresses the faithful first. He acknowledges
that they, instead of honoring God in word only, followed through and put his
word into action. Because they trusted God, he welcomes them into the glory of
his kingdom.
Turning next to the wicked, Jesus accuses them of
disobeying his laws and associating with all kinds of sinners: thieves,
adulterers, liars, and slanderers. Because Jesus watched and did not scold
them, they thought they could do as they pleased. But now he holds them
accountable for their sin. They are to be destroyed.
Thank you, Jesus, for this warning. Let us all
repent, offer you praise and thanksgiving, follow your precepts, and merit
salvation while we still have the time. Amen.17
Cover image: Christ the Saviour (Pantokrator)." Web. 25 Sept 2016.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spas_vsederzhitel_sinay.jpg
"Creative Commons License." Web. 18 May 2016.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
16The Orthodox Study Bible. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008), 714.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spas_vsederzhitel_sinay.jpg
"Creative Commons License." Web. 18 May 2016.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
16The Orthodox Study Bible. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008), 714.
17Ibid.
Scriptural quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois
60189. All rights reserved.
60189. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2016 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material must
be done in its entirety with the copyright notice intact. This book is not for sale, but is
offered to the public free of charge for the glory of God.
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