A Poem and a Hymn About Futility, Death and Hope

I am posting a new poem I recently wrote, the most complete text I am able to find of an old Isaac Watts hymn, and some related scriptures, all on the subjects of death and the futility of "success" in this life. God is our only hope.

I have not posted for the last few weeks. This has been partly because of the enormity of the project I’ve now started–trying to integrate much of the history of the past two thousand years to show what can practically be learned from it for the Church in the present. But it has mostly been because of a period of being overwhelmed by feelings of futility. These feelings have arisen from a great rash of deaths among my acquaintances–starting with the death of two close friends and my oldest son two years ago, and proceeding in a string since then–three of the departed being much younger than I. I have also been fighting signs of aging in my own body, and fighting to accept that major parts of my life that I still feel are important are really entirely behind me, never to be revived. Most recently, a week and a half ago I went to the funeral of a family member very close to us, and then, a week to the day after that funeral, our 18-year-old (really quite old) cat died. The death of our cat may seem trivial, but it was, after all of the other losses, the emotional tipping-point for me. It led to the poem that is the first item I will post below.

My poem will be followed by a few Bible verses, and an Isaac Watts hymn. I will post all of the verses Watts originally published, including five verses that are left out of all modern hymnals (as far as I know) as too depressing for use in modern “seeker friendly” churches. Unfortunately, while we naturally do not want to think about these things, my poem, and the “depressing” verses of Watts’ hymn, represent reality. Life on earth carries a death sentence. The purpose of life is not “success” and happiness in this life–things our dying world usually denies us (but instead appears to grant to other people who are less “deserving”). Our only hope is that we are secure in God.

My Pet Star

[Ian Johnson]

  Our cat died tonight
 The last of many losses
 The sweetest cat we've ever known
 But she was old
 And old cats die.
 We agreed we would never 
 Have another pet; 
 Losing them is too hard 
 And it would be hard 
 For our next pet to lose us.
 Old people also die.
 But might I make an exception
 For a pet rock?
 Old rocks also die
 But on geologic time.
 Of course, someone might.
 If ignorant of our relationship,
 Discard my new pet.
 And, after my demise,
 Someone might feed my rock
 To a crusher,
 To make works
 Of fleeting human "progress."
 So maybe I should instead 
 Take a pet star!
 Even old stars die,
 But if I pick a young, blue one
 I can be certain it will
 Outlive me by many years,
 And remain,
 Even when my sun is no more, 
 And not mourn my passing.

ECCLESIASTES 3:16-21:

Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. I said to myself, “God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,” for a time for every matter and for every deed is there. I said to myself concerning the sons of men, “God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts.” For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity.  All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.  Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?

Ecclesiastes 3:16-21 (NASB 1995)

PSALM 49:5-20:

Why should I fear when evil days come,
    when wicked deceivers surround me—
6 those who trust in their wealth
    and boast of their great riches?
7 No one can redeem the life of another
    or give to God a ransom for them—
8 the ransom for a life is costly,
    no payment is ever enough—
9 so that they should live on forever
    and not see decay.
10 For all can see that the wise die,
    that the foolish and the senseless also perish,
    leaving their wealth to others.
11 Their tombs will remain their houses forever,
    their dwellings for endless generations,
    though they had named lands after themselves.
 12 People, despite their wealth, do not endure;
    they are like the beasts that perish.
 13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
    and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
14 They are like sheep and are destined to die;
    death will be their shepherd
    (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
    far from their princely mansions.
15 But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;
    he will surely take me to himself.
16 Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
    when the splendor of their houses increases;
17 for they will take nothing with them when they die,
    their splendor will not descend with them.
18 Though while they live they count themselves blessed—
    and people praise you when you prosper—
19 they will join those who have gone before them,
    who will never again see the light of life.
 20 People who have wealth but lack understanding
    are like the beasts that perish. 
Psalm 49:5-20 (NIV) 

O GOD OUR HELP IN AGES PAST

[Isaac Watts–copied from timelesstruths.org’s music library]

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

Under the shadow of Thy throne
 Thy saints have dwelt secure;
 Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
 And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
 
Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men”:
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.
 
A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
 
 The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in foll’wing years.
 
Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the op’ning day.
 
Like flow’ry fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flow’rs beneath the mower’s hand
Lie with’ring ere ’tis night.
 
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.                                                      
       
        

1 CORINTHIANS 15:20-26:

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming,  then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.  For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.  The last enemy that will be abolished is death.

1 Corinthians 15:20-26

1 CORINTHIANS 15:19 (NASB 1995):

If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

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Psalm 90

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