Saturday, May 10, 2014

Psalm 31:9

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely
Psalm 31:9

9 Have mercy [chanan] upon me, O LORD [Yahovah], for I am in trouble [tsarar]: mine eye [`ayin] is consumed [`ashesh] with grief [ka`ac], yea, my soul [nephesh] and my belly [beten].  KJV-Interlinear

9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; My eye is wasted away from grief, my soul and my body also.  NASB

This verse and the following verses, paint a picture of the characteristics of the human state. Using physical and mental burdens that can actually exist, then life is portrayed in these terms of reality, and this is as good or as bad, as life can actually get in this world. 

It will never be better, and it can certainly be worse for most, and perhaps not so bad for some.  But the sum of it all, is that, the human condition is always at risk and there will never be a time when it is not at risk.

So, what is a person to do about that?

Well, on your own, there is nothing that you can do.  Even if you are rich or have connections, your situation in life will always be faced with the limitations of life.  And no amount of money, no amount of insurance, no title or honor or reputation, nothing, will ever cancel out the fundamental limitations that exist for this life.

Trouble, ‘tsarar,’ means adversities, distress, difficulties, to be shut up.  And this points to either actual problems that you have in life, or the many possibilities that surround you, wherein you will always be faced with one type of trouble or another.  Life by default, is shut up in a cocoon of difficulties in this world.  It is the devils world and by default, life will never be better than it is.

Don’t be confused with the many possible circumstances that you can experience.  Some people have excellent lives, while others have miserable lives, but all face sin and death and an eternal plan.

Eyes consumed with grief, is a reference to tears.

Soul and belly, refer to the mental distresses and emotional distresses that consume your energy and strength, and simply wear you out over time.

And unless you have some strength or power that is beyond yourself, you have nothing better to face life with in this world.  And all that you will be left with are your physical attributes, while you have fallen out of an airplane, without a parachute, in thick fog, and you are clueless as to where you are going or when it will end.  And while you may be fine during the fall, sooner or later, that will change.

And of course there is but one solution, Christ.

Mercy, ‘chanan,’ means one who bends or stoops down as to an inferior to render assistance.  Grace is Gods favor or promise, and mercy is that grace in action, or the actual doing of something.

So, in this world, there is only one source of help, and that source is Jesus Christ who executes all of the details of the plan of God.  Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that if you have a good relationship with God, then you can expect more favor, and if you do not have a relationship with God, then you can expect less favor.

So, again, which would be the better situation?  And, what can you do about it?