Psalm 39:5

Psalm 39:5

My time is nothing

As we have already observed, life is very fast moving – a series of acts in a play that tells a story but passes extremely quickly. You will probably be aware that the height of a horse is measured in hand breadths from the ground to the top of the withers. (The shoulders.) The measure, including the thumb, is near enough 4 inches so a thoroughbred horse would be about 16 hands. This method of measurement has been traced all the way back to ancient Egypt, so it is not unreasonable to assume that David is thinking about horses here and is suggesting that his life’s span is no more than 4 inches in length! In other words, it is a very small amount. In God’s terms 4 inches is as nothing, He is the God of infinity, the God of eternity, of never-ending eons of time that human beings cannot even begin to imagine. So, our importance and significance in this world is extremely small, even the greatest names in history only lasted for 4 inches! And the Psalm is so right, I hear names in the daily news of those who have just passed away that bring flashbacks from the past and I think, “Surely they are not that old?” Then I think of my own age and realise that the icons of my youth were all older than me and have advanced to senior citizen status! The pop stars, the footballers and sportsmen and women, the TV celebrities, the politicians, the names that seemed permanent have come and gone. 

What a lesson there is for us here. It is surely right to value life and to make good use of it, but to think that our contribution amounts to anything much is arrogant indeed. It is only the spiritual aspects of who and what we are, our relationship with Jesus Christ and our service to our Heavenly Father, that will have any significance at all after we have left this world. That is what it means to “lay up treasure in heaven.” Without faith what is life? Without faith our time here is a pointless waste. 

 

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