"The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened."
Proverbs 10:27
“The fear of the LORD prolongeth days:”
There are benefits to fearing the LORD. Some are immediately apparent, others not so much. The LORD cares for the needs of those who fear Him. The LORD protects and guides the God-fearers. And in our verse for today we see that “prolonged days” are to them who fear Him.
What are these “prolonged days?” The Hebrew word translated “prolongeth” means, “to add, increase, do again.”1
The “fear of the LORD” gives us wisdom, and by that, we can live wisely and with “years increased.”
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased,” (Proverbs 9:10-11).
But it’s not just length of days that is important. It is what is packed into those days that matters. Note what we read of Abraham’s passing in Genesis.
“Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people,” (Genesis 25:8).
At 175 Abraham died. Notice the words “old and full.” “Old age,” “old man,” and “full of years.” It wasn’t that Abraham faced death kicking and screaming and doing anything he could to stay alive. No, when he faced death, he looked back on his years that were full of life and was satisfied, and he was ready to go.
Issac, David, Jehoida, and Job were all said to be “full of days,” as they died. They each lived a different number of years, but they each had days that were full of life.
Friend, what good does it do to live for many years with empty, meaningless days? Isn’t it better to live a life that makes a difference, its days packed full of life, regardless of the number of years? This is the best argument for living for the LORD, day by day.
“But the years of the wicked shall be shortened.”
What more can, or needs to be said here? It can be noted that generally evil people often die before their “threescore and ten years” have come. Just think of evil men in world history who sought to terrorize innocent peoples. King David, who saw many wicked men in his lifetime wrote these words,
“But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee,” (Psalm 55:23).
His words are important. At the end of the day, he said, “but I will trust in thee.” As long as there are evil people in the world, we need to keep on trusting the LORD.
Lord, may we have the number of years that you see fit for us, with days filled with life, as we love and serve you, our families, and others with joy.
1. Brown, Driver, Briggs. Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.