I don't know how you picture this psalm being performed, and honest biblical scholars will agree that we don't have much in the way of historical evidence. All we know is that the psalms were a common part of biblical worship. I imagine this psalm beginning as one person in a crowd beginning to sing with a smirk on his face. He starts to taunt his audience a little, promising the secret to a riddle as the audience draws in. As they arrive, the grin gets bigger as the riddle begins to laugh at those who rely on their wealth. People get a little uncomfortable. The singer is talking about death now- the only inescapable reality. People are afraid of death, as it is entrance into the unknown. People in the Old Testament didn't have many hints toward an afterlife, so death was especially scary. The harpist is playing and singing along, and then... comes the hope? Yes, indeed, we hit verse 15 and the harpist declares one of the first hints of the resurrection. And then a pause (selah), and the audience is saying "WHAT?!? Tell me more?" And yet, the psalmist does not, but only warns those who trust in their riches that the end of trusting in material wealth and power is the same as the beasts of the field.
I find delight in this psalm, although it's probably because I view the psalmist as winking at the crowd who hears it. He (or she) hints toward a day to come, a day none of us can fully explain or understand, yet a day that has dramatic implications on how we live today. How has this psalm spoken to you?
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