Short Thoughts

“Remember how short my time is:
wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?”
~ Psalm 89:47

The brevity of man’s life is given no small attention in the Scripture. James reminds us that our life “is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14). Job characterized his own days as “swifter than a weaver’s shuttle” (Job 7:6). The number of the days of man’s life is compared to a hand breadth (Psalm 39:5) and “like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and whithereth” (Psalm 90:5-6). Day follows hard after day and our time flees as if pursued.

A quick glance at our text might cause us to put it in with other verses that treat of this subject. However, there is an important distinction between this verse and most others that address the shortness of man’s life. The distinction is one of perspective. Most of the verses are written man-ward in the sense that they speak to man to provoke him to realize his situation. Consider Psalm 90:12—“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Such verses exhort men to be wise and redeem their time because they have little of it and man is prone to waste his time on insignificant things.

Our text, though, speaks God-ward. It is a man speaking to God, “Remember how short my time is.” It should be considered a prayer, pressing upon the Almighty to remember how few the petitioner’s days really are. The Psalmist is crying out for deliverance asking, “How long, LORD?” (Psalm 89:46). This prayer is neither irreverent nor unbelieving. He does not doubt the deliverance of God, but he cries for it to come speedily.

The Psalmist feels a sense of urgency when he sees the people of God in disgrace in the world. He is grieved to see God’s enemies with a high hand defying the Living God. He cannot carry on with personal business when the Kingdom of God seems receding with its crown in the dust (Psalm 89:44). Though he knows his present condition is not the end of the story, he implores God that He will not let his days run out before the power of the true King triumphs.

The Psalmist qualifies his petition by asking, “Wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?” Several thoughts are suggested by this phrase. The vanity of how men spend their lives is magnified when set against the brevity of that life. So few days we have and they are mostly consumed in procuring the material things of the world.

It seems the Psalmist thought that his own days would be vain if God delayed in showing mercy. If the Lord were not working, his days would be consumed. He had the spirit of the old prophets who longed to see the power of God in their day. They had hope in the future, yet desired to see God working in their own day. They wanted to see terror struck in God’s enemies and for Him to be the rejoicing of His people.

We need this spirit in our day. A comparative minority of people continue to advance the agenda of evil and tread Christians under foot. Who will redeem their time in these evil days? Who will forsake all for the Kingdom’s sake? Who will beseech God that He act in power to confound His enemies and vindicate His own name in our day? May the people of God today have the conviction of urgency that makes them cry, “Remember how short my time is.” “Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen” (Psalm 89:52).

“Trust in the LORD, and do good;
so shalt thou dwell in the land,
and verily thou shalt be fed.”
~ Psalm 37:3

We can hardly find a more direct and succinct answer to a very common question than our text. How often have you asked or been asked, “What should we do?” Our text was a favored one of Hudson Taylor, missionary to inland China. In his later years, he administered a large, visionary mission endeavor. He had two principles of operation that he never abandoned during his work as a missionary—do not go into debt to finance the Lord’s work, and do not ask directly for money from others to finance the work. He had already seen a mission work fail for these reasons and he chose rather to trust God and ask Him for everything he needed.

While he was blessed for adhering to these principles, life was certainly interesting when he had many young men in his care and no, or not enough, money to provide for them. When this was the case, Taylor would always seem to be calm and quietly resting in faith. He would be asked times over, “What should we do?” His answer was simple and biblical, “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” Likewise, we may turn to this verse in all conditions when we wonder what we should do.

The construction in the Hebrew actually contains four imperatives. The first is to trust in the Lord. The second is to do good. The third is to dwell in the land. The fourth is to feed on the truth. Let us take a few moments and consider the four injunctions.

First, we are told, “Trust in the LORD.” At first, this statement may seem a little less than colorful, but when we consider the context of this Psalm, it becomes more meaningful. The whole Psalm speaks of “enemies,” “evildoers,” “workers of iniquity,” etc. So, this word does not come to the Psalmist in a vacuum or an abstraction. This word comes to one in adverse circumstances. The Psalmist sees the wicked “who prospereth in his way” (Psalm 37:7), and the wicked who “plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth” (Psalm 37:12). He is living in the real world, having very real problems. Yet, the word comes, “Trust in the LORD.”

Notice some of the other commands joined with “trust” in this Psalm—“fret not,” “delight,” “commit,” “rest,” “wait,” etc. All of these speak to one who dwells in the presence of his enemies and he must learn to trust, to sit down at the table there prepared for him and be able to delight himself in the Lord (Psalm 23:5).

The second admonition is to “do good.” What should we do when we are surrounded by enemies? What should we do when troubles overtake us? What should we do when we are in a quandary, not knowing what to do? Simply, we should “do good.” In every situation, it is always right to “do good.” It is always appropriate.

What does it mean then to do good? We can be assured that it is not to do good Pharisee-style. Rather, it is to do good by God. Jesus said the second greatest commandment was, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mark 12:31). Doing good is not in rites, traditions, and ceremonies. Rather, it is doing the will of God toward man. It is giving a cup of cold water to one who is thirsty (Matthew 10:42), feeding and clothing our hungry and cold neighbor (James 2:16), visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction (James 1:27), reaching out to those around us who are truly in need (Proverbs 31:20), returning good for evil and blessing for cursing (Matthew 5:44), and also, preaching the gospel in word to them (Matthew 11:5). What of these things are not always at hand to us? No matter our condition, we may always “do good.”

The third imperative is to “dwell in the land.” There is something to be said for staying where God has put us. In other words, do not run for the high ground when the circumstances are adverse. We must learn to be content in the land where God has led us, even when surrounded by enemies. If God leads us out, by all means, we must follow, but until that time, we must not abandon our post of duty.

I read a story once of Stonewall Jackson in a battle before the days of the Civil War. Jackson’s company was losing the fight and as it turned into a route, his fellow soldiers were retreating in mass. But, Jackson did not retreat. Rather, he dug in and weathered the storm. When asked later why he did not retreat with the others, he responded that he had no orders to retreat. He assured them he would have complied with such orders speedily had they come; otherwise, he would not abandon his post. May God give us the flint-like determination to dwell in the land, despite the difficulties.

The fourth word was to feed on the truth, or that we shall be fed with the truth. In the presence of much falsehood and “wicked devices” (Psalm 37:7), what better regiment of nourishment than the truth. When evil prevails around you, eat up the truth. When perturbation and chaos reign, swallow the truth. If bread and water fail, esteem the truth more than your necessary food (Job 23:12).

We should always strive to be immersed in and imbibed with the truth of God’s Word. Paul admonished the Philippians similarly, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). Further, he told young Timothy, “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them” (1 Timothy 4:15).

The words of our text are spoken against the backdrop of active, wicked, and cruel men. The Psalmist knew no better than to “Trust in the LORD, and do good.” How else could we know peace in the midst of the storm? How else could we find comfort amidst distress? Dear beloved people of God, do not let your eyes deceive you. Rather look unto God, “fret not,” “delight,” “commit,” “rest,” “wait.” “Trust in the LORD, and do good . . . And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday” (Psalm 37:3, 6).

“He shall choose our inheritance for us,
the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.”
~ Psalm 47:4

I have a particular Bible from which I usually read. It has a couple of markers in it that I move from day to day as I read through the passages. This morning, without much thought, I picked up another Bible, the one I use in devotions with my children. I prayed the Lord to open His Word to me and to give me direction in submitting to His will. I opened the book on the table and began cleaning my reading glasses. When I looked upon the open pages, I found I had opened to Psalm 47. My eyes were drawn to verse four, “He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.”

The whole Psalm is about the sovereign power of God. He is named the “LORD most high” (Psalm 47:2) and “God… the king of all the earth” (Psalm 47:7). His power is seen in execution as He “reigneth over the heathen” and “sitteth upon the throne of his holiness” (Psalm 47:8). What a just power is God’s and how right it is that He sits upon His throne! “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter” (Psalm 45:6). Surely, “he is greatly exalted” (Psalm 47:9).

The application of this truth in this particular Psalm is wonderful. The directive in the opening is to His people, “O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph” (Psalm 47:1). God’s sovereign right and power is given as reason for this command. God’s sovereign reign is here seen as the victory and rejoicing of His people. The promise is, “He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet” (Psalm 47:3). All for which we are to “Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises” (Psalm 47:6).

Now let us turn our attention more to our text. We have noted the power of God and His right to rule “over all the earth” (Psalm 47:2). His reign is not limited, but extends to all the affairs of men. He did not create a universe and merely set it in motion to move arbitrarily. He not only ‘flung the stars out into space,’ He also ‘holds them in their proper place.’ It is God “Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains” (Psalm 147:8). Furthermore, “He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry” (Psalm 147:9).

Can we question God’s intimate involvement in the order of the earth and all life upon it? “He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly. He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold? He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow” (Psalm 147:15-18). Here God is seen directing the forces of nature with His word, not leaving things to their own course. “He causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.” With what part of His creation is He not involved daily? “Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them” (Matthew 6:26).

With all this in mind, it should seem no problem that “He shall choose our inheritance for us.” In fact, His choice is “the excellency of Jacob whom he loved.” Can we fathom that His choice would not be to our good? “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22).

The “inheritance” here is the gift of God to His people. It is His blessing to choose and bestow this inheritance “as seemeth good unto him” (2 Samuel 15:26). Our text has to do with our submission unto God—our submission to His perfect will. Some hold to God’s sovereignty as an excuse to live recklessly saying, “Whatever will be, will be.” However, it is a very different thing to live by faith and trust Him to “choose our inheritance for us.” The latter is to rely upon Him and relegate all of our choice to His infinite wisdom, to want only what He wants for us and to abhor what He would not allow. O to sing with Fanny Crosby:

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice, And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith, And be closer drawn to Thee.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord, By the power of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope, And my will be lost in Thine.

David said, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4). I do not believe this verse is saying that we will be given what we want if we delight in Him. I believe we are taught here that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the right desires. In other words, He will cause us to want what He wants in all things. A similar thought is expressed in John 15:7, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” The truth here is not that abiding in Christ gives us the power to make our wishes come true, but rather that God’s will shall become our will. This is why we can ask what we will, and it shall be done unto us.

In closing, let us rejoice in God’s almighty power. Let us see the sovereign will of God as our victory in “the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). Let us trust Him in all things. Then we can say gladly with the sons of Jacob, “He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved.”