Theological Commentary: Click Here
There is a
verse buried in this psalm that I simply adore.
“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humankind. There is both breadth and depth in this verse
alone, which the rest of the psalm bears.
First of
all, there is the truth in the moment of life.
The one thing that we can count on is that we will eventually be
surrounded. Life will oppose us. People in life will oppose us. We will be threatened; we will be attacked. Who will come and save us? Is there much reason to believe that when we
are kicked, orphaned, and left for dead that we will be rescued by
humankind? Do human beings really have a
great track record of caring for those who are in the lowest of social
positions? Why trust in humankind at
all? I’d rather trust in God.
Then there
are the high points of life. When I am
elated, it isn’t because I have done something with finite success. The true highs in life are when I’ve been
able to reach into the eternal and make a difference. The moment when God uses me to shows unexpected
love to another person is a high. The
moment when God uses me to speak a profound truth that I’d have no hope of
coming up with myself is a high. The
moment when God uses me to befriend the oppressed is a genuine high. If I genuinely consider the grand high points
of my life, they all have more to do with times I am walking with the Lord than
accomplishing worldly goals.
Naturally,
there is the truly spiritual perspective.
In the end, no human medicine or science will be able to save me. These bones will wear out. My muscles will become weak. The cosmic rays coming from the sun will
damage my genetics beyond repair and I will suffer mutation, cancer, and the
like. It is better to take eternal
refuge in the world where I have a hope of eternal life than to live in a world
where my only hoe is to simply stop existing.
Indeed, it is
better to take refuge in the Lord than to put my trust in humankind.
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