Length of Days

Index
(Proverbs 3:2)

"For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee." Proverbs 3:2

Frustrated by the fading sense of diligence in his teenage son, my father drove me to work many years ago and imparted words of wisdom that I would never forget. "If you ever get to the end of your day, look back, and realize that you haven't accomplished anything, then something needs to change." In other words, an unprofitable day was not a day worth counting (albeit there are days when we just need to rest and recoup). At that time in my life, the walk was just a series of dragging adolescent footsteps. Whether or not he knew it, my father kick started the wheels of my heart and my mind to live a life worthy of the call (Ephesians 4:1).

The most difficult question facing this text is whether or not "length of days" and "long life" and "peace" are gifts of God that we ought to consider implicit to the age of Solomon or if they are applicable to the present day. Can it be said that obedience to the words, laws and commandments of the ever-wise Solomon will provide such rewards? Furthermore, can there even be rewards in this life we live during the age of grace? If your immediate reaction to the last question is hesitant, I fear you might be living an isolated and lonely faith.

For many, the words "length of days" and "long life" are one and the same. But look at them again. To have a day of length is to have a day that is full of hours. To have a life of length is to have a life that is full of days. Speaking in terms of measurement, many days add to up to a person's fuller life and thus, the two go hand-in-hand. Yet, before a life can be full, the days must first have purpose or they will end as worthless. In other words, from the moment you rise to the moment you lay down for the night, your mind and heart ought to be at work to the glory of He who created you (Romans 13:12). Be it the age of Adam, the age of Noah, or the age of Thomas Aquinas, you were given life, breath, and existence by the mercy of our Heavenly Father. By the words of wisdom, your days will have purpose. By the words of wisdom, your years will have substance. By the words of wisdom, your life will have peace.

Alas, some pause to ask themselves whether such a message still reigns true. The Apostle Paul teaches that the honor of one's father and mother is essential "that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth" (Ephesians 6:3). Adherence to the wisdom of those who give us our roots is a key to unlocking the peace that the Lord Jesus Christ gave to sustain us in this life (II Corinthians 13:11, II Thessalonians 3:16). Contemplating his own mortality, Paul declared this most powerful affirmation of his condition: "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). Therefore, because He lives and because He lives in us, let us seize the day for His glory by remembering and keeping His Word. Let your days in Christ be full, your life in Christ be worthy, and your peace in Christ be ever more joyous.