Verily, every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah” Psalm 39:5 KJV
Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah Psalm 39:5 NASB
Yea, He is altogether lovely. Song of Songs 5:16 KJV
And he is wholly desirable. Song of Songs 5:16 NASB
In Psalm 39, the writer, David, is keenly aware of the frailty and fleeting nature of life. Perhaps the years of wilderness exile were wearing upon him, or perhaps the tragic rebellion of Absalom caused him to recognize the transient nature of earthly fame and prestige. But for whatever reason, he prayed that he might know the measure of his days and be reminded of his humanity.
In light of this, he utters words that level the pride of men, humble the greatest of men, and strip from us all our hubris and arrogance. Every man, at his best, is really only vanity.
But may I introduce you to another Man, a different man, a distinct man? We are not looking at just another man Who came into time and lived, gathering to Himself the trophies of life, its bubbles and trinkets. This is the Lord from heaven. In His pre-existent greatness and in His voluntary incarnation, He stands apart from every other man. He was a real man, but not a mere man.
Man at his best, as expressed by David, is vanity. In contrast, while the Lord was always at His “best,” may I take you to a time when everything surrounding Him, every circumstance, was at its worst? Of course, that is the cross. His friends have forsaken Him. His foes appear triumphant and mill about the cross, strutting with self-righteous satisfaction. His few garments are the booty of the soldiers who had carried out the crucifixion. His nation has turned against Him and delivered Him to Gentile powers to be put to death. He is impaled on a cross. Add to all this, heaven is silent.
But was He ever more lovely? Was obedience ever so costly as when He became obedient even to the extent of across death? Was love ever expressed in such priceless currency as when “He loved me and gave Himself for me?” Was grace ever seen in such a magnificent display as when He turned to a repentant thief with the assurance of paradise? And what can we say of His mercy, gentleness to His mother, forgiveness toward His foes, dependence upon His Father in death?
Think of every virtue, ransack a dictionary to find the words, everything that bespeaks beauty, whatever constitutes beauty of character, it was all on display for the anointed eye to see when this Unique Man was at His “worst.” When at His “worst” He was still at His “best.” Add to that the sobering reality that the keenest of spiritual vision pales before the delight a Father found, the loveliness He enjoyed, and the beauty He saw.
We can only stand back and raise our voices to penetrate the time barrier, to tell David: “Here is an exception to your conclusion. Here is one Man Who is altogether lovely!”
Consider:
Look at the seven utterances of the Lord on the cross and notice how each reveals a different beauty or aspect of His character, displaying His loveliness.