The fear of the Lord adds length to life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.
Summary: This proverb addresses the question, “How long will I live?” We all seem to want more life, but the question we have to ask ourselves is, “What does God mean by ‘life’?” As always, God’s perspective is a bit different than ours.
Do you ever get the feeling that Solomon would have made a great salesman? He just doesn’t give up!
He wants us to choose wisdom over wickedness and foolishness. To do that, he tells us all the benefits of those who fear the Lord and all the shortcomings of the wicked and foolish.
The difference between Solomon and a salesman is that Solomon is not just making claims one is better than another. Solomon is explaining the difference between right and wrong.
Before we can know if we are wise or foolish, we have to know what it means to be wise and foolish. Solomon explains. We can group all the characteristics he talks about into two general categories; good and bad. The good fear the Lord and they are wise, prudent, and righteous. The bad do not fear the Lord and end up being wicked, foolish, malicious, and violent. In the end, being good or bad is a choice between life or death (Proverbs 8:35-36).
Of course, we have to consider the dual nature of life and death. Life in the flesh is only part of the story. Our spiritual nature is the bigger part. It is compatible with a play or a movie. Before you can “see” the production come to life in the theater, things have to happen “behind the scenes.” There are investors, producers, writers, directors, actors, etc.
In the same way, before our bodies move or before we open our mouths to talk, there are things that happen “behind the scenes.” Invisible forces are at work which form our thoughts. Our “heart,” too, has a physical component and an invisible one. When people say, “Follow your heart,” they don’t mean the pump in the middle of your chest. They are talking about your spiritual heart; the invisible center of your invisible being.
In today’s passage, the Hebrew word translated as “life” is not specific to our physical existence. It may be that fearing the Lord adds years to a person’s physical life. Those who are wise avoid foolish risks. But I think it would be a mistake to associate this proverb strictly with physical life.
All too often, someone who seems righteous before God in our human eyes dies young, while those who scoff at God’s Word seem to live to old age. One thing we know for certain is the fear of the Lord leads to eternal life (John 10: 27-28). Those who do not fear the Lord end up in the lake of fire, a place Scripture calls the “second death” (Revelation 20:14).
As with all of God’s Word, it is important to remember that the Bible is not a collection of words about God. It is actually a message to us from our Creator, who is sitting outside the physical realm in a place he calls heaven (Matthew 6: 9-10). When he talks about life and death, he has taken great care to explain that there is more to life than what we see. He sees our physical life and death and our spiritual condition. If we are with him, that is life. If we reject him, that is death.
To say that the “fear of the Lord adds length to life” is a bit of an understatement. To go from a few years on this planet to eternal, unending life with God is certainly adding “length.” The wicked, regardless of how many years they walk the earth, have their lives “cut short.”
Application: How important is God to your everyday life? That is a measure of your fear of the Lord.
Food for Thought: Will we have birthdays in heaven? Why or why not?
Something to remember! Thanks Jeff
Thanks, Jim! 🙂
I have no idea 😉. Time will likely be different if it exists at all. I would imagine our spiritual birthday may have precedence over our physical birthday (John 3: 3). But no one absolutely knows for sure until we are there.
Rich,
Great “birthday” reference!! It will certainly be exciting to find out.
Yes. Because there will still be days.
Thanks T!
But will there be years?? 🙂
Revelation 20:4-6
Possibly Prophetic years?
Well done, Tim!
I believe they are real years. I think the next question is whether the text is referring to years on earth or years in heaven. The text jumps around a lot. Verse 20:1 talks about the angel coming down from heaven and verse 7 seems to bring us back to earth again.
The main point for me is the level that you are engaging the text at. I am a strong believer that each of us needs to do what you are doing: Engaging the text and working to sort it out. No one can do that for you.
Paul praised the Bereans for doing what you are doing: “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)
So once again I say well done!
05-07-2022, Proverbs 12:27, Will we have birthdays in heaven? Why or why not?
God speaks of the ages of individuals in the Bible so we may begin to understand how His existence, His powers, are not limited by time, while our time in these bodies is temporary. Throughout the Old Testament we are made mindful of time having meaning in this world while our eternal God to this day, remains unchanged, Immutable.
1 Samuel 1:29; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 6:18; James 1:17
In reality, there is only one thing to celebrate and that is the eternal glory of our God. Celebrating another year of ministry, another year of answered prayers, another year of blessings from our all powerful, gracious God as we find ourselves another year closer to joining Him for all eternity, now that is something to celebrate. One day we whill be made perfect, be in His presence and He will be our full time object of praise, worship and celebration as we rush to do His will in all things.
1 Corinthians 10:31, Romans 11:36, Psalms 72:19
Ron,
In keeping with the birthday theme, I sense from your words that heaven will be like a birthday party that never ends. We are all gifted with being in the presence of God’s glory and the joy of that day never ends.
In some ways, I say yes. God tends to tell us to remember things. He tells us of the angelic celebration at a believer’s coming to faith.
In some ways, I say no. He will be our ever present light. Is there distinction between night and day? What about that He says there will be no more marriage in heaven. Something I would’ve thought would be kept.
So, we’ll see, is my answer…… We’ll see what is only for this world, what is only for the next, what is common between them.
A –
Thank you! You have given us a thoughtful answer and certainly a safe one! 🙂
As far as marriage in heaven goes, it is still there, only different. (Revelation 19: 7)