A Rustproof Life
A recent conversation about a once-thriving business that appears to be in trouble reminded me of one of my Daddy’s favorite poems, entitled “On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness.” It was first published in 1930 in The New Yorker, two years before Daddy was born. I don’t know where Daddy learned about it, but Daddy loved words and fun, so it’s no surprise that he liked it. It goes like this:
On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness
The tusks which clashed in mighty brawls
Of mastodons, are billiard balls.
The sword of Charlemagne the Just
Is Ferric Oxide, known as rust.
The grizzly bear, whose potent hug,
Was feared by all, is now a rug.
Great Caesar’s bust is on the shelf,
And I don’t feel so well myself.
That recent conversation also reminded me of a statement I have heard often: “How the mighty have fallen.” I thought perhaps the statement came from the Bible and found it three times in 2 Samuel. David included the statement in his chant lamenting the deaths of his close friend Jonathan and Jonathan’s father King Saul.
“Your beauty, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
How have the mighty fallen! . . .
Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life,
And in their death they were not parted;
They were swifter than eagles,
They were stronger than lions.
O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
How have the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan is slain on your high places. . . .
How have the mighty fallen,
And the weapons of war perished!”
2 Samuel 1: 19, 23-25, 27
Death and the passage of time caused the fall of mastodons, Charlemagne, the grizzly bear, Caesar, and Saul and Jonathan. David’s son King Solomon is an example of a mighty one who fell while still alive. Solomon had begun his reign well. In 1 Kings 3, he prayed:
“So give Your servant an understanding heart
to judge Your people
to discern between good and evil.
For who is able to judge
this great people of Yours?”
1 Kings 3:9
God answered Solomon’s prayer, promising:
“Behold, I have given you
a wise and discerning heart,
so that there has been
no one like you before you,
nor shall one like you arise after you.”
1 Kings 3:12b
Just eight chapters later we learn in 1 Kings 11 that this king who had a wise and discerning heart and knew how to discern between good and evil did not live up to the standard he knew. Solomon loved many foreign women from nations God had warned the Israelites about, saying:
“You shall not associate with them,
nor shall they associate with you,
for they will surely turn your heart away
after their gods.”
1 Kings 11:2
The story in verse 3 is astounding and heartbreaking:
He had seven hundred wives, princesses,
and three hundred concubines,
and his wives turned his heart away.
For when Solomon was old,
his wives turned his heart away
after other gods;
and his heart was not wholly devoted
to the Lord his God,
as the heart of David his father had been.
1 Kings 11:3-4
What a heartbreak it would have been for King David to see his son who began so well with his beautiful request to fall so far. Let’s all be in the way of God for the long haul, looking forward to His everlasting (and rustproof) reward, trusting Him, and training our children to trust Jesus’ words:
Be faithful until death,
and I will give you the crown of life.
Revelation 2:10
Image Credits
World’s champion watches Washington baby cue wizard perform with ivories. Just reaching his sixth birthday and barely able to see over the table, Andrew M. Dargan, son of a Washington pool room owner, is amazing pocket billiard expert with his mastery of intricate shots on the green cloth. He is shown in this photograph taking a few pointers from Irwin Rudolph, world’s champion at pocket billiards who is in Washington for an exhibition, c. 1927. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Sword of Charlemagne etching by French artist Jules-Ferdinand Jacquemart, 1864. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Louis R. Metcalfe, 1928
Bearskin rug at Sagamore Hill, President Theodore Roosevelt’s country home, September 14, 1905. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Bust of Julius Caesar by Italian artist Andrea di Pietro di Marco Ferrucci, c. 1512–14. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913