What is the meaning of Psalm 62:9? Lowborn men are but a vapor • David begins by putting the humblest of society in perspective. As fleeting as the steam that vanishes from a kettle, so are “lowborn men.” • Scripture often affirms this brevity: – “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow” (Psalm 144:4). – “All flesh is grass, and all its glory is like the flower of the field” (Isaiah 40:6–7). – James 4:14 reminds, “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” • The point is not to demean the poor but to remind every reader that human existence, stripped of God, lacks permanence. • The verse pushes us to loosen our grip on earthly status because even the least advantaged life reflects a common fragility shared by all humanity. the exalted are but a lie • The spotlight now shifts to the influential, wealthy, or powerful. Their prominence can look solid, yet God calls it “a lie.” • Psalm 49:12 notes, “Man, with all his honor, does not remain,” echoing the same truth. • Jeremiah 9:23–24 urges, “Let not the wise boast in his wisdom, nor the mighty in his might,” because such boasting is illusory. • Whatever seems impressive in high society—titles, fortunes, platforms—fails to deliver ultimate security. When the spotlight of eternity hits, the façade crumbles. Weighed on the scale, they go up • In ancient balances, the lighter side rises. When God places both classes on His scales, they prove lighter than air. • Daniel 5:27 records God’s verdict on Belshazzar: “You have been weighed on the scale and found deficient.” The same deficiency appears here. • Job 31:6 appeals, “Let God weigh me in honest scales,” underscoring that only God’s assessment matters. • Every human—regardless of pedigree—fails to register spiritual weight without the righteousness God provides. together they are but a vapor • Merge the two groups, and nothing changes. Collectively humanity is still “a vapor.” • Ecclesiastes 1:2 sums up life without God as “Vanity of vanities… all is vanity.” • Romans 3:23 levels the field: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” • This sweeping statement presses one conclusion: put your trust not in people but in the Lord alone, the only truly weighty One (Psalm 62:8). summary Psalm 62:9 dismantles every illusion about human importance. The poorest and the most powerful share the same frailty, the same inability to stand before God on their own merit, and the same desperate need for Him. Our hope, therefore, rests entirely in the LORD, whose strength and steadfast love give true substance to otherwise weightless lives. |
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