Psalm 146:1–4 1Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. 2While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. 3Put not your trust in princes, Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. 4His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.
That king was a bust!
They say William the conqueror was seriously injured on the battlefield and was taken to his capital in a futile attempt to save his life. His injuries were great, and nothing could be done. When he took his last breath all those that he had thought loyal quickly left. His sons were not there to mourn him, they had gone to go argue which of them would be his successor. His princes and nobleman scurried to secure their self-interests. No friends nor family remained to care for the corpse of the fallen king. His armor, fine jewelry, and his expensive clothes were all taken by looters leaving only the lifeless naked body of William. They tell us that after some time a knight happened upon the unclothed corpse and took pity upon it having it dressed and prepared for a royal funeral. Legend tells that his body had bloated to the point that it would not fit in the place prepared for his burial so when they attempted to force it into the sarcophagus it burst filling a terrible stench throughout the sanctuary.
Don’t believe me?
Here is a link to the legend of the tragic death and funeral of Henry.
Yes, that king was a bust.
Come to think of it, his friends and family were busts too!
Even his supposed loyal servants proved disloyal busts!
Ok, so what in the world does this have to do with a Psalm?
Psalm 146 begins the finale of the Psalter, the last five called the “Hallelujah Psalms” because they all begin with the Hebrew word translated, “praise the Lord”.
What does a Psalm about praising the Lord have to do with a king that went boom?
The Psalmist declares that as long as he lives, he would make lifting up the Lord his focus.
Psalm 146:2 While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
He then warns about placing too much trust in any person in the next two verses.
Psalm 146:3–4 3Put not your trust in princes, Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. 4His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.
One neat thing about this passage is that the word translated “man” is the Hebrew “adam” which of course is the name God gave to the first person that he created. God named him after “adamah” the word for earth from which he created the first man.
Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
After the fall of Adam in the garden, God reminded the man of the origins of his body and where it was destined.
Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
The author of Psalm 146 quotes these words of God in verse 4.
Ok Bald Believer, what does all this have to do with the king that was a big stinky bust?
One historian chose this Scripture passage in reference to the events surrounding the death and desecration of the body of king William.
Psalm 146:3–4 3Put not your trust in princes, Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. 4His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.
Fitting choice huh?
Here is the point.
Earthly kings are destined to bust, oh their bodies may not be neglected, and they may not explode at the funeral service, but they will all cease to rule and leave their crown to another.
Those faithful family and friends may not rob you or leave you shamefully neglected when you pass into eternity. You may not be surrounded with the same sort of selfish souls as king William but those upon whom you depend are surely limited in their capacity to help.
Apart from the rescue of the rapture, we will all die. We will leave our land and what little loot we have acquired to people who marching swiftly toward a similar fate. Even our most loving and faithful friend is frail.
Our family can’t always be there to walk with us through our difficulties. Our friends won’t always know what to say. Their abilities may not rise to their best intentions.
In other words, to depend on those destined to die will prove to be a bust!
So, what do we do?
Trust in the Lord! Unlike us, he has no expiration date!
Rely on the Lord! He will never let you down.
Praise the Lord! He is a sure and safe investment.
He is a King that will never leave you busted!
Bible Readings for 12/23/20