If men are weighed on the scales, they are altogether lighter than vapor. Do not trust in oppression, nor vainly hope in robbery. If riches increase, do not set your heart on them. (Psalm 62:9-10)

Many years ago, a popular, secular song declared of humanity that, “all we are is dust in the wind.” The analogy would mean that we, who consider ourselves to be weightier than anything in this world, are actually lighter than the air — an element that can’t even be seen. This means that, in spite of our intelligence and technological advancements, we remain vulnerable and, to some degree, subservient to the eternal elements of this world. We who are made from the dust of the earth are pushed and pulled by forces beyond our control, which is to say, forces commanded by the Creator of all things. We are but dust in the wind.

This notion is pretty much what David says in this verse; we are lighter, arguably less influential, than vapor. In another psalm, David made the observation that “Every man at his best state is but vapor” (Psalm 39:5). In the New Testament, James posed this question: “What is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). The point is that, in comparison to other components of God’s creation — things like the earth, the wind and even time itself — we are nothing. We live for a while, make our mark and then disappear. And if we, who are but vapor, are so insignificant in comparison to these other things, why should we put our confidence in anything we can manufacture?

And yet, though we are nothing more than a vapor, it is to man that God has bestowed His goodness and love. Only man has been made in the image and likeness of God, which means that our very existence is evidence of God’s goodness and mercy. We may be nothing more than dust in the wind, but at the same time, it is the wind of God — His very breath — infused into the dust that we are that gives us life. When God breathed into man’s nostrils, we became a living soul. And because He breathes life into us, we are enabled and empowered to affect His Creation in an eternal way.

Therefore, we should not trust in things temporal; we should not behave in ways that are destructive. Guided by His Spirit, we must set our sights on things eternal and make the most of the time we have been given because, as Solomon said: “The dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill 

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