In life’s struggles, we often wonder how circumstances can change. A simple phrase such as “This Too Shall Pass” can bring comfort and sometimes resolution. But why do we find peace and comfort in such a simple phrase? Most people believe that this phrase came directly from the Bible itself. Unfortunately, that is not the case at all.
History and Origin
According to Rabbi Lisa Rubin, “King Solomon was trying to humble his wisest servant, so he asked him to perform a seemingly impossible task: to find something that did not exist. He requested a magic ring — one that, if a sad man wore it, he would become happy and if a happy man wore it, he would become sad.” The story suggests that the servant could not find anything of such nature. So, King Solomon decided upon himself to go to a jeweler and design a ring with the inscription in Hebrew saying, “Gam ze ya’avor,” which means, “This, too, shall pass.”
Over the years, this phrase has been widely used, even by Abraham Lincoln himself. This phrase has apparently been made famous because he used it in his speeches. “It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: “And this, too, shall pass away” (Roy P. Basler et al.).
A Case of Mistaken Biblical Identity
Although this information is great, this does not seem to explain why people believe “This Too Shall Pass” is in the Bible. So, I conducted a search in the Bible to see where people may see that phrase.
In Deuteronomy 28, the phrase, “It shall come to pass” is repeated twice. “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:1). God clearly states that if you obey His commands then all of these blessings will come to pass.
But God also states in Deuteronomy 28:15, “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you…”
A lot of the times we are afraid of the outcome of circumstances. If we don’t obey or heed God’s voice, then we are following our own voice. We fear God, but we also fear man. Proverbs 29:25 states, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.”
In Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, he states, “The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his delight to bless. It is better that we should be drawn to what is good by a child-like hope of God’s favor, than that we be frightened to it by a slavish fear of his wrath” (Nehemiah 9:17).
Here are some other scriptures that use this phrase:
“‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17).
“It shall come to pass, That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).
“’For I am the Lord. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass; it will no more be postponed; for in your days, O rebellious house, I will say the word and perform it,’ says the Lord God’” (Ezekiel 12:25).
Even in the book of Genesis, part of the phrase “it came to pass” is mentioned more than once: “And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made” (Genesis 8:6).
“And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry” (Genesis 8:13).
Hope Nonetheless
In some ways, we all hope that things in life will come to pass. Sometimes things in life we don’t want to come pass come about anyway. Our hope may be so focused on how things will come to pass. We have this perspective on how we see certain circumstances coming to pass. But when those circumstances don’t come the way we thought, we begin to question or lose hope.
In the Bible, we see God’s reassurance of this hope that he gives us.
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4).
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).
Trust that God has the best plan for your life. Do not look at your circumstances, rather look to the God of hope.
Sources
https://www.centralsynagogue.org/worship/sermons/detail/this-too-shall-pass-rosh-hashanah
http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/fair.htm
https://www.biblestudytools.com/nkjv/deuteronomy/28.html
https://www.biblestudytools.com/nkjv/proverbs/29-25.html
https://www.biblestudytools.com/nkjv/deuteronomy/28-1.html
https://www.biblestudytools.com/nkjv/nehemiah/9-17.html
http://www.christianity.com/bible/bible.php?ver=niv&q=acts+2%3a17-38
https://www.biblestudytools.com/nkjv/isaiah/65-24.html
https://www.biblestudytools.com/nkjv/ezekiel/12-25.html
https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/words/Pass
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Rebecca Gordon has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a heart for the nations. She has a wonderful boyfriend named Joseph and a sweet dog named Lucky. She has lived in the Atlanta metro area all her life. She loves photography and plans to use that in her ministry one day. She also loves sweet tea and laying by the pool in the summer. Her focus now is becoming the writer that God has created her to be. Connect with Rebecca on Instagram: @beck242 or on her website Free and Healed.
