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FAQ: Doesn't the Psalmist say that when a man dies his thoughts perish that
very day?
A: The Hebrew word for "thoughts" in Ps 146:3-4 is 'eshtonah (esh-to naw')
which has nothing to do with either existence or awareness. The word is
very ambiguous and refers to quite a variety of meanings to choose from;
including, but not limited to: concerns, anticipations, conceptions, opinions,
imaginations, visualizations, ideas, epiphanies, plans, schemes, fantasies,
arguments, aspirations, deliberations, and the like.
For the man and his barns in Jesus' parable at Luke 12:16-20; I would
choose ideas, plans, and schemes.
For example: consider all those people who perished in the World Trade
Center, and in the Japan and Indonesia tsunamis, and the Haiti earthquake.
None of them woke that day planning on it being their last on earth. No, on
the contrary; they had people to see, places to go, and things to do: but
before the day ended; whatever was on their itinerary lost its importance--
their priorities went right out the window and became no more significant
than green cheese on the moon.
All their plans, their dreams, their schedules, their appointments, their
schemes, their problems, their ambitions, their loves, and their aspirations
went right down the tubes as they were suddenly confronted with a whole
new reality to cope with.
The fact is: Ps 146:3-4 doesn't mean that people cease to exist when they
die, nor do they lose awareness; no, it only means that whatever was on
their minds before they passed away is now null and void.
Take for example Michael Jackson. While working on a new world tour,
Jackson died in his sleep. As a result; his tour wrapped on the spot.
When my eldest nephew was paroled from prison, he quit drinking, and
began going to college with the goal towards becoming a counselor. For 2½
years all went well. His parole officer was happy, and he was on track and
getting good grades. My nephew's future looked assured. And then on the
morning of Sept 25, 2015, he dropped dead to the floor of natural causes.
My nephew's passing was a terrible disappointment to everybody; but
actually we all kind of expected it. He was grossly overweight, had high
blood pressure and high cholesterol, rarely exercised, and smoked. But the
point is; my nephew's dream ended just as abruptly as flipping a light
switch. And all of our hopes for his success ended the same way, viz: our
thoughts perished right along with his.
Death is the mortal enemy of human ambitions. It often casts its long
shadow when they set about planning their lives. The Scottish poet Robert
Burns noticed that life sometimes throws a curve ball that makes all your
careful preparations strike out instead of getting you on base.
He was working one day plowing in the field and uprooted a mouse's
underground nest who was all set for the oncoming winter. The mouse had
picked a fallow field as the site for its winter retreat thinking it would be safe
and snug; unmolested during the cold. But it didn't (or maybe we should say
it couldn't) know the workings of powers higher than itself-- in this case,
farmers and their machinery.
Mousie, you are not alone in proving foresight may be vain.
The best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew,
And leave us naught but grief and pain for promised joy.
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