Walking with the Wise #46: Long Life

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

For by me your days will be multiplied,

and years will be added to your life.”
—Proverbs 9:10-11

Wisdom begins with the knowledge of God. Without God, we cannot understand what wisdom is. He is the perfect standard, the highest and loftiest thought to which everything else must be judged and subjected. For without understanding what is right and true, we would never know what is wrong. There must be a perfect standard by which everything must be compared, and God is that perfect standard. When we live according to our own wisdom, we take life at our own risk, with an arbitrary set of so-called truths that change depending upon our moods.

There are practical benefits to walking with the wise. Today’s proverb says that if we live according to God’s wisdom our days will be multiplied and years will be added to our lives. Old age is often seen as God’s blessing (Genesis 25:8; Judges 8:32; 1 Chronicles 23:1; 29:28; 2 Chronicles 24:15; Job 42:17; Zechariah 8:4), while dying young is often (though not always) seen as a curse (Jeremiah 18:21) (not that every person who dies young is cursed.  There have been some great and godly people who have either died young or had children who died young.  My contention is not that every person who dies young is cursed, but that in Scripture it is frequently seen that way). If we want to live long lives, then we must live according to God’s wisdom as seen in His Word. God’s Word is intensely practical, written so that we might know who God is and how we might live properly. Those who disregard God’s laws may find themselves leaving life very quickly (Genesis 38:7, 10; Leviticus 10:1-2, 2 Samuel 6:7-8).

Whenever we live according to God’s Word we stay away from sin and that which is bad for us as well as live a course of life that He has blessed. Are you living according to God’s wisdom or your own? Are you living a blessed life or what you think is best? Only living according to God’s wisdom will enable us to live long lives that are blessed by Him. Amen.