Psalms 39:5
Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.
Earthly life and human hopes are brief and passing, with days made as a handbreadth and age as nothing before God. Every person even at his best state is altogether vanity, for fallen human beings remain weak and ignorant and unable to provide lasting security apart from God. Sudden bereavement reveals how quickly the brightest hopes can vanish. The verse therefore teaches people not to place their dependence in worldly education or friendship. As people learn more of God's will and ways and draw nearer to Him, they recognize their own smallness and defects and their need for humility.