“…whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
For what is your life?
The word “what” means of what quality. What is the nature of your life? The idea is that the nature of our lives has a transitory quality. We do not live on this earth for very long.
It is even a vapor
Our life is like a mist, a smoky vapor, a hot, steamy vapor trail. A vapor appears briefly and then disappears. The idea is that our life is temporary. Our time on this earth flees from us quickly. Our life is transitory because so many contingencies might befall us, many of which we have little control over. None of us can guarantee the future. We have no assurance that we will grow old.
that appears for a little time
God’s providence intervenes in our plans. We appear on the scene for a short time with a great deal of fanfare, and then we disappear off the face of the earth.
and then vanishes away
The plans of man are never absolute. God intervenes in business plans. He introduces dissonance into those plans. No businessman can guarantee his future. Just look at the stock market. It is a presumption if we think otherwise.
All human life is transitory. The only difference is that we do not know the termination point.
Ps 90:10, 12, “The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away…
12 So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Ps 102:11, “My days are like a shadow that lengthens,
And I wither away like grass.”
Life is a fleeting wisp of smoke from a fire. If our lives are so transitory, it is foolish not to attend to God’s will.
Job 7:6-7, “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And are spent without hope.
7 Oh, remember that my life is a breath!
My eye will never again see good.”
Job 14:1, “Man who is born of woman
Is of few days and full of trouble.”
PRINCIPLE:
Spiritual Christians look for the concurrence of God’s providence when making plans for the future.
APPLICATION:
We do not “do it my way” because God is providentially in charge. The sovereign God of the universe controls every event and each situation. He providentially concurs (not agrees) with everything that comes into our lives.
Ps 37:3-4, “Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
Once we understand that God gives us but a brief moment in the scheme of things here on earth, we should live our lives as unto the Lord. Why waste our time if it is so short? We ought to focus on and prioritize the things of greatest value. The true purpose of life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Life is independent of circumstance. We might be wealthy but miserable, or poor but blessed. The purpose of life transcends circumstance. Paul and Silas sang while in prison (Acts 16).
Financial wealth has glamour, but it doesn’t last long. It will vanish away. Our generation places great value on personal wealth, but that value dulls in old age. “What was the purpose of the accumulation of money all my life?” The point: there is great prosperity here, but a pauper there. There is great folly in putting too much value on temporal things.
