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“The Brevity of Life”
The Brevity of Life (James 4:13-17)
Wade Webster
“Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (Jam. 4:13-15, KJV). What a wealth of information is found in these verses. For sure, we will be challenged to tell the half of it. In these verses, we see a call, a comparison, and a correction.
A CALL - “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain” (Jam. 4:13). The expression “Go to now” is found only two times in the New Testament (Jam. 4:13; 5:1). The expression is used as an interjection and is designed to engage attention much as “Come now” was used by the prophet Isaiah to call Israel to reason with him (Isa. 1:18). As was the case in Isaiah’s time, there were those in James’ day who were not thinking correctly. They were thinking that life was going to go on indefinitely. They were making plans for the future without any consideration of the brevity of life or the sovereignty of God. Notice that those that James was referring to in the text chose the when (today or tomorrow), the where (such and such a city), the what (buy & sell), and the why (get gain) without any thought of life’s brevity or God’s sovereignty. They said, "I will..." instead of "If the Lord will" (Jam. 4:15). How haughty! How presumptuous! They did not know what would be on the morrow much less a year down the road. Also, they didn’t know what was going to happen in their own city much less in another city. They were going to THEN, but James told them to "go to NOW!" They were living in the future. In like manner, the writer of Proverbs advised his son, "Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth" (Prov. 27:1). As you know from experience, a day can bring forth wealth or poverty, health or sickness, happiness or sorrow. Perhaps, you recall as well, the rich farmer that Jesus told about (Lk. 12:16-21). He went to bed one night with his field full of grain and his head full of dreams. He was going to tear down his barns and build bigger barns. He was going to take ease, eat, drink, and be merry for many years. Our Lord called him a fool. He was banking on a future that he didn’t have. That very night his soul was going to be required of him. He had gained the world but had lost that which was worth more than the world in the process - his soul (Mt. 16:26).
A COMPARISON - “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (Jam. 4:14). Notice that James compared life to a vapor that appears for a moment and then disappears. No doubt, we have all seen the steam that rises from a kettle on a stove or the smoke that comes from our mouths on a cold winter morning. As you know, these things are no sooner seen than they are gone. That is life, James says. I am afraid that as human beings we are prone to see the brevity of life as a chance rather than as a certainty. Likely, we all know some young person who died in a car wreck or in some other type of accident. For them, life was certainly brief. However, what we miss is that earthly life for all of us is brief. While it is true that some lives are shorter or briefer than others, all lives on earth are short. In fact, the longest life that was ever lived, the life of Methuselah, which lasted 969 years, wasn’t even a blip on the screen of eternity. Just think of that. Methuselah lived over 9 ½ centuries. Today, we are amazed when a man lives over one century. Routinely, the pictures of those over one hundred appear on morning shows for the whole country to see. We talk about what a good long life they have had and discuss the changes that they have seen within their lifetimes. However, it really doesn’t matter if we are talking about one century or about nine, man’s time on earth is short when it is considered in the light of eternity. James wanted them to realize that life on earth is but "a vapor that appeareth for a little while, and then vanisheth away" (Jam. 4:14). It is important to realize that James was talking earthly life in general when he compared it to a vapor. He was not talking about just a few, unfortunate people who have their lives snuffed out at a young age. He was saying that all earthly life is like a vapor which appears for a little while and then vanishes away (Psa. 103:15-16; 1 Pet. 1:24-25; Job 14:1-2; 9:25-26; 16:22; Psa. 90:10).
A CORRECTION - “For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (Jam. 4:15). As we have already noted, James spoke of some who were presumptuously saying, “I will go into such and such a city….” (Jam. 4:13). James now corrects such thinking. Instead of saying “I will,” they should have said “If the Lord will.” In like manner, God should be in our plans from beginning to end. After all, it is in God that “we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Rather than boasting about what we are going to do, as those that James corrected, we ought to commit our way to the Lord (Psa 37:5). The apostle Paul is a great example of someone who did this very thing. In the epistles that he penned, we often find him making his plans in accordances with God’s will (Acts 18:18-21; 1 Cor. 4:19; 16:5-7; Heb. 6:3). Hopefully, those of whom James was speaking humbled themselves and revised their plans in accordance with James’ instructions. If they did not, death likely caught them unprepared.
For sure, James’ words are as applicable today as ever. Every day men strike out on business with no thought about the brevity of life or the sovereignty of God. Let’s make sure that we do not make the same mistake.
