But Men | Psalm 9

“Glory has its Price” reads the title of an article about the ’81 49ers. They’re the team that brought glory to San Fran with “The Catch” during the NFC Championship game—Joe Montana to Dwight Clark. Now they’re a group of guys who can barely walk. Crooked backs, shattered knees, stiff necks and immobile shoulders about sums up the bodies of these once inhuman athletes. Reality creeps in as 4.4 forties have slowed to rickety walks. It hurts just to read of their pains.

What could cause such turn around? Well, naturally the body wears down. However, the process speeds up when the body endures monstrous, bone-crushing hits day after day—consider Lawrence Taylor and Joe Theismann (Video). But another reason, a more fundamental explanation, can answer the question. As big and physically superior as NFL football players can be, as fast and super-human as they might seem, they are but men.

And taking a look back through history, humans have forgotten that bit of truth over and over. When David languishes over the enemies of God in Psalm 9, he declares that those who rise up against God’s ways will parish and fail. God will set things right.

David exposes the heart of those rebels. He understands why mere mortals would dare challenge the righteousness of God and forsake his ways in the face of his justice, mercy and marvelous works. They forgot a simple, yet imperative, facet of reality. David responds “Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men.”

Appropriately, Anne Lamott said, “The biggest difference between you and God is that God doesn’t think he’s you.”