Two different fates - eternal life in Psalm 49

In Psalm 49, we read:

This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,

    and of their followers, who approve their sayings.

14 They are like sheep and are destined to die;

    death will be their shepherd

    (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).

Their forms will decay in the grave,

    far from their princely mansions.

15 But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;

    he will surely take me to himself.

There are two kinds of people: the one who trusts in themselves and the one who trusts in the Lord. These people have different fates: die or live with the Lord.

Everyone wants to live beyond death, but the one who trusts in the Lord wants to be taken to the Lord.

meditate on the Lord's unfailing love.

 In Psalm 48:9, we read: "Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.". 

I have heard many sermons about to belong to the body of Christ (where many different persons unite their gifts), but in practice it is very difficult to create meaningful relationships inside the church. 

Here in Psalm 48:9, the psalmist declares that the congregation meditates on the Lord's unfailing love. I think that this verse is saying to me: "look how the Lord is taking care of you. Praise the Lord for all He has done to you. How He has being taking care of you, your family and the church". 

A better me and a better church is created when we mediate on the Lord's unfailing love instead of meditating on the love received by our brothers and sisters.

nations under the people of the Lord

 In Psalm 47 we read that:

- the Lord Most High is the great king over all the earth (v2)

- the Lord loves Israel (Jacob) and chose its possession. (v4)

- the Lord subdued nations under Israel. He set peoples under the feet of Israel. (v6)

- all nations are called to clap their hands, in honor to the Lord.

As a Christian, I consider that all these verses are true to Christians because Christians are the people of the Lord. .

The teaching of Jesus were contrary to Rome.

Rome subdued nations by its power. Rome killed many Christians.

How did Christians subdue Rome?

They obeyed the King Jesus when He said to love the enemies and pray for them.

Even when Christians were killed, they praised the Lord. This faith and courage were the seeds to convert many other Romans that were looking the slaughter. The Lord's power is very different from men's power.

In Psalm 47, we see that the Lord set nations under his people.

Praise be to the Lord!

The Lord bans war inside me

In Psalm 46:

Attention, all! See the marvels of God!

    He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,

Bans war from pole to pole,

    breaks all the weapons across his knee.

“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,

    loving look at me, your High God,

    above politics, above everything.”

I retired from my job as a teacher. 

It seems to me that most of my life was at war.

I remember saying to myself as a child: I don't understand how they say that children are happy. I am not happy.

Since I was a child, I had to struggle as I had to prove that I was worthy living. 

It began in school: I had to prove I was a good student and make my way to university.

Then, I had to prove that I deserved my salary.

and more recently, I had to prove that I had some value as a teacher before my students.

Even in home, it seems that I have to prove to my wife that I care for her of for the house.

The problem is that I am always failing, I am always loosing wars.

In Psalm 46, I read that the Lord bans war.

Let him bans the war inside myself.

I don't have to prove anything to the Lord, do I?

He knows me and He knows everything about my failures.

The Lord is calling me to look to Him, to see his marvels.

Let me take a long, loving look to my High God. 

Let me marvel about the Sun, the sky, the plants and the birds that He created.

Let me marvel about the blood that pumps in my arteries, my brain that recognizes Him as my Lord. I myself is His.

He is above everything. He is above my failures. He bans war and bring me peace.

Was it possible to expect a Messiah as the Second Person of Trinity based on the Tanakh?

It is very rare to find texts that point to a future king as the Second Person of Trinity in the Tanakh, Old Testament. Well, in some sense, the whole Bible points to Jesus, I know... but I don't find many prophetic texts that point to a king that should be praised as the Lord, as the Second Person of Trinity. 

Let me illustrate it. Moses says in Deuteronomy 18:15-22 about a future prophet like Moses. 

15 One day, the Lord your God will send to you a prophet like me. He will come from among your own people. You must listen to him. 

We, Christians, understand that Moses was referring  to Jesus, but we see Jesus as much more than a prophet like Moses. By this text, a Jew would not think of this prophet as the Second Person of Trinity.

In 2 Samuel 7 we read the prophet Nathan saying to David:

“‘The Lord declares(AD) to you that the Lord himself will establish(AE) a house(AF) for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest(AG) with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood,(AH) and I will establish his kingdom.(AI) 13 He is the one who will build a house(AJ) for my Name,(AK) and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.(AL) 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son.(AM) When he does wrong, I will punish him(AN) with a rod(AO) wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him,(AP) as I took it away from Saul,(AQ) whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me[b]; your throne(AR) will be established(AS) forever.(AT)’”

At first glance, Nathan was talking about Solomon. The problem with him is that his throne was not established forever. Christians believe that Jesus kingdom was established forever fulfilling this prophecy despite it is written "when he does wrong". All Christianity believes that Jesus was perfect, with no sin. So, again, it is difficult through this text to see the future Messiah as the Second Person of Trinity.

There are other passages in the Old Testament that points to Jesus but I am just stating that it is difficult for a Jew to see Jesus, as God himself, through these passages. It is clear that the pharisees and even the disciples of Jesus were not expecting a Messiah like Him. 

Today I read Psalm 45 which talks about a king. I don't know how the Jews read this Psalm, but I find it is impossible to read without Jesus.

We read:

5 Let your sharp arrows(K) pierce the hearts(L) of the king’s enemies;(M)

    let the nations fall beneath your feet.

6 Your throne, O God,[c] will last for ever and ever;(N)

    a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.

7 You love righteousness(O) and hate wickedness;(P)

    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions

    by anointing(Q) you with the oil of joy.(R)

The Psalmist is addressing the king as Elohim (God) in verse 6. 

Here, I (and I think that all Christianity) see verse 6 referring to Jesus as the Second Person of Trinity.

10 Listen, daughter,(AC) and pay careful attention:(AD)

    Forget your people(AE) and your father’s house.

11 Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;(AF)

    honor(AG) him, for he is your lord.(AH)

Here the Psalmist is talking about a wedding. The bride is said to honor him, but is some translations we see "adore". The bride should bow down to him. Christians identify the bride as the church.

There are other Psalms that refers to a Messiah as the Lord as in Psalm 2 and 110, but I didn't remember about this Psalm that I read today. 

Therefore, I believe that it is not very easy for a Jew to expect a Messiah as the Second Person of Trinity. There some passages, as Psalm 22 or Isaiah 53 that are impossible to understand without Jesus, but still, these passages don't point to a Messiah as the Second Person of Trinity. 

Psalm 45 is a rare passage that points to a Messiah as Elohim in verse 6.

The Lord was merciful to me in my tribulations

 The Lord is my Creator and the Lord is merciful.

He saw me when was suffering bullying, when I was persecuted without cause.

Now, I am retired. I lack nothing (as in Psalm 23). 

The Lord has saved me from my persecutors. 

When I was persecuted, it was difficult or impossible to feel the presence of the Lord. 

Now, looking in hindsight, I know that the Lord kept me safe and alive. 

Let my soul praise the Lord, for what He has done.

Questioning the Lord's justice to the Lord

In Psalm 44:20-22, we read in MSG:

If we had forgotten to pray to our God

    or made fools of ourselves with store-bought gods,

Wouldn’t God have figured this out?

    We can’t hide things from him.

No, you decided to make us martyrs,

    lambs assigned for sacrifice each day.

The psalmist remembers how the Lord was with Israel through his victories, but now, the Lord seems absent in face of so much defeat. Why these defeats are happening? The psalmist doesn't know but he questions what the Lord is doing.

If psalms are a model for Christians to pray, I can't remember of questioning the Lord's justice when praying to the Lord. I have a very normal prayer: Lord thank you for X ; please provide me Y, etc. I want to be more open to the Lord despite looking pious or not. I want to pray as the psalmist prays because I want to see the Lord present in my life. I don't want to see the Lord as a mental abstraction.