Phantoms under the sun and the Son
For the past month and a half I’ve been trying to read a chapter of Psalm each day along with whatever other specific book of the Bible I’m at the moment engaged in (or is it with?). Sorry mental detour .. anywho. I was reading Psalm 39 last night which had a passage that reminded me of some similar thoughts portrayed in Ecclesiastes 1. In Psalm 39:4-6 David it seems, has turned from focusing directly on his sins against God, and their immediate consequences, to a deeper introspective position. David seems to be not only fixated on the vanity and folly of going about life by his own devices, but has come to the realization that when compared to God, his life is nothing, inconsequential to God, The Creator of all that was, is, and shall be. David is not saying that we are not cherished by God our Creator (John 3:16), rather I think that his realization and at least one line of thought in Psalm 39 has bought him to conclude in his heart that outside of God’s parameters, our lives are meaningless; as he’s already felt the sting of death literally (death of son born to Bathsheba) and consequentially in the demise of his reign.
Psalm 39:4-6
4 “Show me, O LORD, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man’s life is but a breath.Selah
6 Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.
In a somewhat similar train of thought from Ecclesiastes 1:, the author whom some Bible scholars have penned as the works of King Solomon (son of David) is lamenting (crying out in grief) about the meaningless toils of man.
Ecclesiastes 1:2-3
2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”3 What does man gain from all his labor
at which he toils under the sun?
I think that an idea to take from both referenced passages is, not to give up on life; nor necessarily the pursuit of a comfortable life while still in this thing called life (1 Timothy 6: 6-8), in spite of the “meaningless” of our actions while temporarily occupying this little patch of the universe that God crafted for us. Instead, like David there needs to be that realization, an epiphany(?); that nothing we fabricate by our own means in the pursuit of happiness will in fact bring eternal peace and happiness. That honor is reserved for Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior (John 14:6).
Fellow blogger, Steeler fan, & someone I consider a friend, E. Barrett (aka E.B. of R3 fame) has a post from the day after Christmas titled: “A Chistmas Lesson” where he shares another page from his personal journey in “learning to live as a Christian“. E.B. and I have shared thoughts on our respective walks with Christ, perspectives on where God is moving the believer, and how he moves us all closer to knowing and doing his will. A thought shared with E.B. back in September that somehow seems to be coming full circle, or at least fits with the flow of this post from my quirky minded perspective:
(2 September 2008)
I think that for starters, anytime a Christian acknowledges that they’re deficient in an area of their walk with Christ; that acknowledgment is sort of like the precursor to that deficiency becoming “fixed” by the Lord. A spin on how the Law makes us aware of sin, I suppose. I used to never speak out openly about God because of fear of ridicule. Nowadays, that’s not a problem, and I would say it’s because over time (as your relationship grows), Jesus does transform the committed believer.My point? Yesterday was a day that you walked behind Christ, today you might be walking a little closer to Him; and tomorrow is the day that you walk side by side, step for step with Him.
Maturation by nature takes time, some folks perhaps do go through a radical and quick process of transformation, while others don’t. Scripture an my own personal experiences tell me that it all starts with the condition of the heart, sometimes we have deeper issues that the Lord must work on before we get to that spot where we become the “Super Christian” we aspire to be.
Cue the lights and fade in final thoughts…
Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Grace and peace be with you
Thanks Chris, we Steelers fans need to stick together!
I find that so often we can’t even grasp how God is working (if he’s working at all) as we’re going through things. But when we turn around it’s so obvious God has not only been there all along, but he’s been holding the door open!
The trick, I think, is to try and remember that any time you enter a new period of doubt or struggle.
Christopher says
Yeah E.B, I think perhaps we can in fact add to our struggles when we try to figure out God’s plans; having a tendency to want to jump ahead of Him once we get a whiff of what we assume He’s trying to accomplish in our lives. That’s not to suggest that we don’t attempt to know & understand God’s will, just that it probably is best accomplished with much listening to God in addition to talking to or at Him.
Grace and peace be with you.