Isaiah 57:1-2 (from yesterday’s post) begs the question “Who says how long we are to live?” Psalm 90:10 says the following: “The years of our life are seventy or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.” So, if scripture says we should live 70, maybe 80 years, why do people die prematurely? Because of sin, our lives are filled with “toil and trouble”. Life is not perfect. It is riddled with sin … both ours and that of others. The thought brought up in Isaiah that God takes some “before their time” is so they might not have to endure the evilness that surrounds them any longer. As with all seemingly unanswerable situations, God has his reasons. We aren’t asked to understand, only to trust God and have faith in him and his word.
Ephesians 6:2-3 says the following: “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” This is from Deuteronomy 5:16 … “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Paul was quoting the Old Testament. So, it adds a personal criterion for achieving a long life, but these scriptures don’t say how long “long life” is.
Since God, Christ & the Holy Spirit were together at the beginning of time, they put the DNA into Adam & Eve when they were created. It’s the same with each one of us. They know what makes everyone of us ‘tick’. They know when we’ll be born and to whom. They know the future from the past and when each person that is so inclined will become ‘born again’. They also know when and how they will pass on from this life. Nothing surprises them, so it will be no surprise to God when a baby dies, or a young parent meets death thru disease or car accident.
We don’t know what is coming. When we leave the house each day, we, frankly, don’t know if we will make it back home again that night. But God knows. We also don’t realize when angels provide protection for us as we go about our business each day. Sin is the reason why tragedy strikes so unexpectantly. There are times when we make our own decisions regarding life choices and they lead to death. That wouldn’t be God’s fault for it falls under the category of “free will”. Do as you please but bear the consequences … which do not always happen to good.
We may never understand the ‘why’ of it, but we can know that when we mourn, God mourns and when we’re grief stricken, the Holy Spirit is there to bring comfort. I will continue to dig into this topic and post my findings from time to time. God is good, despite the continued disobedience of his creation.
Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
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