Man vs. God

I am waiting to pick up a new book, the title of which says much: "Family is Hard - Deal With It!"  I'm sure it won't tell me something I don't already know, and yet the kicker will surely be in the "Deal With It" aspect of the reading.  Just how do we deal with the "hard" in life.

I recall recently reading through Psalm 62, and one of those word pictures made me pause: 

Verse 9 says: "Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie; In the balances they go up; They are together lighter than breath."

Interesting picture.  If you've ever weighed something in comparison to another, you know, one of those old balances that has a pan on each side, you can tell which has more weight by which pan goes up and which goes down. 

The section of the psalm preceding this verse explains how God, and God alone, is the answer for what troubles us.  The other alternative is to turn to man, to man's wisdom, and the psalmist says that in the balance, compared to God, men "go up."  Does it get any lighter than breath?  There is no substance to man's wisdom compared to God's.    This is why we are, over and over again, compelled by God to live by HIS wisdom.

Balances to the Hebrews were important tools.  Honest weights were necessary, and when it came time to strike a deal, buy some goods, or pay a debt, whatever the balance said is what the parties would go by.  There is no mistaking this psalm then, that if we rely on ourselves in the tough times, we've picked the wrong side of the balance.

God indeed is THE refuge for us.  I pray we rely on Him more today that we did yesterday.


Holding Fast to the Name of Our Creator