The Fates

"O you who dwell by many waters,
rich in treasures,
your end has come;
the thread of your life is cut."

Jeremiah 51:25, ESV (English Standard Version)

Many times, Scripture stresses that wealth is worthless for eternity, that regardless of a man's wealth, "his days are determined, the number of his months is with" God (Job 14:5, ASV (American Standard Version).

What drew my attention in this passage was the judgment ("your end has come"), but particularly the metaphor: "the thread of your life is cut." I pictured the Fates reeling out the thread of someone's life and snipping it to end it.

The view of life as a predetermined length of string that's cut to end it is usually associated with Greek mythology, but here it is in Scripture. Perhaps one group got it from the other, or perhaps both thought of it independently.

Regardless, thinking of life as a string to be cut or a precut string can help us keep our lives in perspective.

-'Dee

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I think about it a lot

Submitted by imaauthor on Mon, 2006-11-27 18:36.

That wealth is useless once you die. It seems the good people do is far more important than how much money they accumulate. Not that you don't need money but to worship it? Sell your soul for it?

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Sometimes

Submitted by Carradee on Mon, 2006-11-27 20:32.

I feel like laughing at Faustus or the unrepentant Scrooge for being such greedy fools. ^_^

-'Dee

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predestination

Submitted by blazin on Mon, 2006-11-27 18:14.

One of the things we want to remember however is that our days are not predetermined. Pre-destination would mean free will was useless!

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Actually,

Submitted by Carradee on Mon, 2006-11-27 20:31.

I disagree with you on that one. Predestination doesn't make free will useless, and that you think it does means you have the common misconception about free will: that it means we're puppets on a string.

And yes, that is a misconception about predestination.

-'Dee

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