“The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off and we fly away. 11. Who knows the power of your anger? For as fear of You, so is your wrath. 12. So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Obviously, verse 10 is not a promise that one will live seventy years, nor that one will die after living seventy years. I can prove the latter by reason of the fact that I reached seventy six this year and am still kicking – though not as high as I once did. The psalmist, in this case Moses, is comparing our longevity to that of God. In Psalm 90:2 he wrote: “Even from everlasting to everlasting You are God.” This means that God is infinite, while we are finite. Since we are bound to die and go out into eternity, Moses gives us some advice as to how we should live our finite lives. He tells us to “number our days.” In one sense this means to live our lives one day at a time since we have no other choice. It also means that we are to make each day count for something good – for God. We waste a lot of time taking care of our little concerns, while the world goes about its business going to hell. As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to make each day count for Him by doing the right things at the right times, and being careful that we do not waste these precious days. We should be careful each day to not do those things that we should not do, and to do those things that we should do. If we are to “number our days,” we need to remember that it is not enough to not do the things that we should not do. A lot of people think that they are numbering their days correctly when they spend their days navel gazing and being proud that they are not acting like the rest of the world. This is commendable to a point, but to really “number our days” we should give equal thought to doing those things that we should do. In other words, it is not enough to be negatively good, we should also strive to be positively good. We should live so that the world is a better place because we are in it. Since we will have to answer to God for how we have “numbered our days,” we need to be aware that His judgment will be based on what we have done, as well as what we have not done. (Read Matthew 25:31-46.) The text tells us to “number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” The Bible teaches us that everything that we do not do and that we do is based on what is in our hearts. Proverbs 4:26 tells us: “Keep your heart with all diligence: for out of it are the issues of life.” I like the NIV translation of this verse: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” I like “above all else guard your heart…” It is from what is in our hearts that we live our lives. If hatred is in our hearts, we will hate people that we want to hate and feel justified in it. If we constantly have earthly desires in our hearts, we will live to please the flesh instead of Jesus. This is why God sends the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts. We can depend on His leadership to keep us from wasting our days on frivolous things that do not last eternally. At this point, we need to pause and ask ourselves how we are doing with “numbering our days.” What do we need to stop doing that we are presently doing? What do we need to do that we are presently not doing? Who is it that we have not forgiven and robbed ourselves of the peace that forgiveness can bring into our lives? I can’t answer these questions, and others that might arise, for you. I have enough to ponder for myself. Keep in mind that this is not my advice; rather, it is advice from the word of God and we would do well to heed it. Do it! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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