But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. (ESV)

But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself. (NIV)

But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave. (NLT)

Dive Deeper:

Near the end of one of my favorite stories, one of the main characters, Sam, who has just been rescued beyond hope, wakes up in a beautiful room. Standing before him is his friend, Gandalf. Sam exclaims in total amazement, “I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue?” - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

We long for the sad things in the world to come untrue; for the broken things in our lives to be mended. But is it possible? The astonishing answer that we see in the Bible is: yes! In Psalm 49:15 we read these encouraging words: “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me” (Psalm 49:15). Those who have faith in Jesus need not fear death because God will save them from the power of death. For the Jewish people, Sheol represents the afterlife. In other words, when the writer states that God will “ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,” he means nothing less than the power of God breaking into our story and bringing life where death once reigned. This verse becomes even more powerful when you consider the verses that precede it.

“This is the path of those who have foolish confidence…Like sheep, they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell” (Psalm 49:13-14a). 

Consider the stark contrast—one path leads to life; the other to destruction. One path follows the Good Shepherd, while the other follows Death. The Good Shepherd conquered death so that we can confront it with confidence. He walked out of the grave as proof that we will rise from ours one day. The resurrection power of God will one day reverse the curse of sin and restore what was broken by the Fall. So, will everything sad become untrue? Yes! 

There’s a day coming when the brokenness we experience because of sin will be completely and totally eradicated. No more death. No more shame. No more sickness or pain. No more loneliness. No more cancer or conflict. Only joy and perfect flourishing. It’s breathtaking to consider. All brokenness will be mended. All potentialities realized. All hopes will be satisfied. Everything will be renewed to its original design. This is a world full of wonder, and one where justice and human flourishing are the experienced reality of every single person. This is the Good News. This is the resurrection power we long for with eager expectation. Because Jesus beat death, we can face death with hope.

Written by Nick Harsh