"My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee."
Proverbs 3:1-2
Part 3
Yesterday:
“But let thine heart keep my commandments.”
Today:
“For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.”
There are pleasing advantages, and wisdom in keeping God’s “rules,” and living by His Word. “Obedience brings blessing…” These things will be “added to thee.” In the Old Testament economy, God’s gifts were all about living in the Land of Israel, the Temple, prosperity, and having a long life to enjoy God’s blessings.
Length of Days.
At first, we might wonder what the difference is between “length of days,” and “long life.” These seem like they might be the same thing. “Length of days” means “long days.” But what is the use of “long days” that are empty and meaningless? Here is what was said at the death of two Old Testament saints.
Isaac, son of Abraham,
“And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him” (Genesis 35:29).
David, King of Israel,
“And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor: and Solomon, his son, reigned in his stead” (1 Chronicles 29:28).
“Length of days,” is not so much about having a large number of empty days, as it does having days that are full to the brim and jam-packed with life.
“He [David] asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days forever and ever” (Psalm 21:4).[1]
Long Life.
Years of life or “years of lives.” The idea here is that the one who has a “long life,” has “a life worth living.” Not a wasted life. Not a life of shame. But a life lived for the glory of the LORD!
“Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many” (Proverbs 4:10).
“For by me [wisdom], thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased” (Proverbs 9:11).
“With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation” (Psalm 91:16).
“Even if we allow for the difference between the Old and the New Testaments, it remains true that a life conformed to God’s will tends to longevity, and that many forms of sin do shorten men’s days”[2] (Alexander MacLaren).
Peace.
Perhaps this is the best of the three things that living a life for the LORD supplies a person.
“‘Peace,’ tranquility inward and outward, the serenity of life continuing through old age until death” (Barnes).
This is something every person wants, but very few get.
It is, “…the greatest blessing, even peace, a blessing which no man is able to afford”[3] (Philo).
Peace comes from a right relationship with Jesus Christ.
“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
Quote: “All men desire peace, but very few desire those things that make for peace”[4] (Thomas à Kempis).
[1] Let me challenge you to do a personal study of this verse.
[2] Alexander MacLaren. Expositions of Holy Scriptures, the electronic version in eSword.
[3] Philo, quoted by Westcott in his study of John 14:17, in the Cambridge Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
[4] Thomas à Kempis said this in his book, The Imitation of Christ.
Downloaded: Monday, June 29, 2020.
From: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/peace?page=6.