“Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.” (Jeremiah 5:4)
How great a tragedy that one should go through their life without having known so great a God and His glorious Word. Depending on our idea of the good life, we pity those who have not experienced various “good” things; those who have missed out on marriage, children, prosperity, success, etc. But despite how full or rich a life may appear by earthly standards, it remains desperately empty and poor if it is absent of relationship with the living God and His life-giving Word.
The gaining and having of earthly things and experiences often masks the void in one’s soul. Every person on the face of the earth has been created for a life of worshipping their Creator. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created ALL things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Rev. 4:11) God has made us for Himself. He has generously given us gifts, but He never intended for us to worship His gifts to us. We are not to make and chase after “other” gods besides Him. He is the “fountain of living waters” and those who make for themselves cisterns to hold water to find ultimate satisfaction for their souls will discover that those cisterns are broken and perpetually leaking.
“Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:11-13)
God calls for His creation to be astonished at those who have had such a great opportunity to know Him in a wonderful fullness yet forfeit it for nothing.
Never mourn for a person who has chosen the Creator over the creation, who has counted all things as loss and dung to know their God. Mourn over those who seemingly have it all down here, but have never known the life God made possible for them through His Son. They are the true paupers on earth who are missing out on so much. Unless they awaken from the worldly spell they are under and repent of their idolatry, they face an eternal tragedy.