Saturday, June 12, 2021

Reflection - Number Our Days - Counting The Days

Source (book): "Teach Us to Number Our Days", Chapter 10, "Counting The Days", Page 55.
By David Roper, Pastor, and regular and popular writer for Our Daily Bread.


That flesh is but the [hour] glasse, which holds the dust
PHOTO: That flesh is but the [hour] glasse, which holds the dust
That measures all our time.
- George Herbert

Psalm 90 is "A Prayer of Mosses," the wistful reflections and petitions of an old man. Here Mosses, as Flannery O'Connor once pointed out, is in the most significant position life offers us: He is facing death.

Mosses begins by pondering the vast difference between God and His creatures. He is eternal; we are not. He is "from everlasting to everlasting." We are ephemeral (short-lived), swept away "in the sleep of death." We spring up like grass in the morning and by evening we are withered and dry, a little mound of dust.

"Why do we have to die?" I ask myself. God has put eternity in our hearts; we were made for immortality! Why does death sweep us away?

The answer comes as a complete surprise: Death is not our lot; it is our sentence. We are "consumed by [God's] anger." We are mortal because we are sinful. "The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23)

To use Moses' words, we are "hurried away" (Psalm 90:7) by God's indignation, which is why, I suppose, we keep looking at our watches. The "span" of our days passes quickly; tempus fugit (time flies), we say. No, "we fly away." (Psalm 90:10)

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten as a dream
Dies at the op'ning day.

So, I say to myself, it's a good thing to ponder the brevity (shortness) of life now and then, and to number my days, as Moses suggests. Three-score and ten years are allotted, or four-score if I'm unduly strong. But in the end the grave gets us all.

I have to say, we don't think much about dying these days. In earlier times folks were more comfortable with the idea. Churches were surrounded by cemeteries and filled with sepulchers (tombs) - somber reminders that one's body would one day lie under a slab. The village parson, George Herbert, said he frequented graveyards to "take acquaintance of this heap of dust." Today, we want cemeteries to be out of town or out of sight, out of mind, as far away as possible.

So, what will take away our fear of death? It is a promise of a "morning" that rends (splits) the skies, when we rise from "the sleep of death" that has swept us away. (Psalm 90:14, 90:5) This is the promise of the resurrection - a prospect that is a spring of invincible joy, a current of mirth (cheer) under all our troubles. We can, as Moses insists, "be glad all our days."

So for the rest of our days on earth, we pray with Moses: "May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish [make permanent] the work of our hands for us." And may God direct us to do those things that have eternal significance: prayer, love, purity, wisdom, and quiet proclamation.

We pass through this world and on, like a swallow through a loft, but our influence can be eternal. We may not live long, but we can "live deep," as a friend of mine says. Then, when I have served God's purposes in my generation, I can fly away. (Acts 13:36)

There was a needlepoint plaque that hung on a wall in the home which I grew up. (Thank you, Mother.) It meant very little to me then; it meant a good deal to me now:

Only one life, 'twill soon be past;
Only what's done for Christ will last.
And when I am dying, how glad I will be,
That the lamp of my life has blazed out for Thee.
That flesh is but the [hour] glasse, which holds the dust
That measures all our time.
- George Herbert


That flesh is but the [hour] glasse, which holds the dust
PHOTO: That flesh is but the [hour] glasse, which holds the dust
That measures all our time. - George Herbert
Picture posted by Slideplayer
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWcW3i0WYGpXg07AfkRODP-pfF05wLi21TRqolaklN5Z8I_bfyIz9xLddDT4oq83-VTUGdvjjD21Av3SHwxHXorXezR4BTzCFh8RHb8O6ukd_nJOHS_9nStlHSUa_SV2i6VdPvn82j4s/s540/img0_1.jpg
https://player.slideplayer.com/24/7569738/data/images/img0.jpg
https://slideplayer.com/slide/7569738/


Psalm 90 is "A Prayer of Mosses," the wistful reflections and petitions of an old man. Here Mosses, as Flannery O'Connor once pointed out, is in the most significant position life offers us: He is facing death.

Mosses begins by pondering the vast difference between God and His creatures. He is eternal; we are not. He is "from everlasting to everlasting." We are ephemeral (short-lived), swept away "in the sleep of death." We spring up like grass in the morning and by evening we are withered and dry, a little mound of dust.


Psalm 90 is 'A Prayer of Mosses'
PHOTO: Psalm 90 is "A Prayer of Mosses," the wistful reflections and petitions of an old man. Here Mosses, is in the most significant position life offers us: He is facing death.
Picture posted by Alfredo Serra, infobae.com on 03 March 2018
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwKHnF18ZcBkAkRdMoYpLeEQw5Kgv-fNNq__ofNQ4_k2LRdeoOVJjOVNzkw9nuh8i-5XQcR5jJfHWrd68__5TRAEZ-9ss-C6AMgax87iGAi5GJ1Ysh7avyzgqRO-6R7Eb8x3zBTqzgv0/s1024/victor-hugo-2.png
https://www.infobae.com/new-resizer/miFZP-pxGjpYIdGJ9tFyRv8kLMM=/768x1024/filters:format(jpg):quality(85)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-wordpress-client-uploads/infobae-wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/01165652/victor-hugo-2.jpg
https://www.infobae.com/america/cultura-america/2018/03/03/la-tragica-vida-privada-de-victor-hugo-muertes-tempranas-amor-dolor-y-desdichas-de-la-gran-pluma-francesa/


"Why do we have to die?" I ask myself. God has put eternity in our hearts; we were made for immortality! Why does death sweep us away?

The answer comes as a complete surprise: Death is not our lot; it is our sentence. We are "consumed by [God's] anger." We are mortal because we are sinful. "The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) [51]

To use Moses' words, we are "hurried away" (Psalm 90:7) [52] by God's indignation, which is why, I suppose, we keep looking at our watches. The "span" of our days passes quickly; tempus fugit (time flies), we say. No, "we fly away." (Psalm 90:10) [53]


Why do we have to die?
PHOTO: "Why do we have to die?" I ask myself. God has put eternity in our hearts; we were made for immortality! Why does death sweep us away?
The answer comes as a complete surprise: Death is not our lot; it is our sentence. We are "consumed by [God's] anger." We are mortal because we are sinful. "The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23)
Picture posted by SlidePlayer
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIU3K7TLsvv7vMsLpPIuU1bxZ4CA6UsVhN4j08zE8kBMY2muTDlowluHq_Qwp0U2EYIrphjmwZI7OzU6UtVJL567N8KMkq995uHfnQ4wBjQhp0vm-4XpA3mJ8Oa_W_lX3iwCcFtjGR4w/s960/slide_1.jpg
https://slideplayer.com/4303963/14/images/slide_1.jpg
https://slideplayer.com/slide/4303963/


Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten as a dream
Dies at the op'ning day. [54]

So, I say to myself, it's a good thing to ponder the brevity (shortness) of life now and then, and to number my days, as Moses suggests. Three-score and ten years are allotted, or four-score if I'm unduly strong. But in the end the grave gets us all.


It's a good thing to ponder the brevity of life now and then, and to number our days, as Moses suggests
PHOTO: It's a good thing to ponder the brevity of life now and then, and to number our days, as Moses suggests. Three-score and ten years are allotted, or four-score if I'm unduly strong. But in the end the grave gets us all.
Picture posted byPastor Travis Gilbert, Bible Baptist on 01 April 2020
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzYg-shGVBZHUMkJDgpMgR3q9akDhEKXaCNamBCQaVi70zx_wmuiLaDpj8uWAUIXogsq2rydJWkgy-7XiN4Lo7ivF5b09-cI000-OttfZuU0dBEh-bzjZh8KgNOzll3MXY9PSQQfEujU/s1280/Lifes-brevity.jpg
https://www.biblebaptist.org/hp_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Lifes-brevity.jpg
https://www.biblebaptist.org/making-the-most-of-it/


I have to say, we don't think much about dying these days. In earlier times folks were more comfortable with the idea. Churches were surrounded by cemeteries and filled with sepulchers (tombs) - somber reminders that one's body would one day lie under a slab. The village parson, George Herbert, said he frequented graveyards to "take acquaintance of this heap of dust." [55] Today, we want cemeteries to be out of town or out of sight, out of mind, as far away as possible.

So, what will take away our fear of death? It is a promise of a "morning" that rends (splits) the skies, when we rise from "the sleep of death" that has swept us away. (Psalm 90:14, 90:5) [56] This is the promise of the resurrection - a prospect that is a spring of invincible joy, a current of mirth (cheer) under all our troubles. We can, as Moses insists, "be glad all our days."


What will take away our fear of death?
PHOTO: What will take away our fear of death?
The promise of the resurrection - a prospect that is a spring of invincible joy, a current of mirth (cheer) under all our troubles. We can, as Moses insists, "be glad all our days."
Picture posted by Christian Cliparts
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmMAQgkx5hXuJrKanhhyHsQUErprEoPQKY57OicYUXtbPnjLGytc8FYtKI46PE6PToRrat7jaAyZaVZCiKoeIMdaaJKBVldh92Yh6Q8eQ8HWvmVcdkyomFn9f3SyGe-Q4EIzioZYqHZs/s2048/w17007.jpg
http://www.christiancliparts.net/clips/images/w17007.jpg
http://www.christiancliparts.net/viewillust.php?id=w17007


So for the rest of our days on earth, we pray with Moses: "May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish [make permanent] the work of our hands for us." And may God direct us to do those things that have eternal significance: prayer, love, purity, wisdom, and quiet proclamation.

We pass through this world and on, like a swallow through a loft, but our influence can be eternal. We may not live long, but we can "live deep," as a friend of mine says. Then, when I have served God's purposes in my generation, I can fly away. (Acts 13:36) [57]


So for the rest of our days on earth, we pray with Moses
PHOTO: So for the rest of our days on earth, we pray with Moses: "May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish [make permanent] the work of our hands for us." And may God direct us to do those things that have eternal significance: prayer, love, purity, wisdom, and quiet proclamation.
Painting by Ernst Klimt (1864, Wien Penzing - 1892, Wien) - Two girls praying (1887)
Picture posted by imkinsky on 19 June 2018 at 6:00 pm
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cpvWGMQkY8LdfAPL1ofhtKOe541pXsJ_yRedsZNY0tzGr-2nxe-5uHNZW46Ok-aFck-wLJ5MzvdT4dcCjYRMGWh7Tha5s-VKCLBy56uQjmWqL6hYhr988AbFwi-G-fjnGzgKbdf5JZQ/s2048/74964.jpg
https://img.imkinsky.com/74964.jpg
https://imkinsky.com/en/auction-results/123/628/7/52936


There was a needlepoint plaque that hung on a wall in the home which I grew up. (Thank you, Mother.) It meant very little to me then; it meant a good deal to me now:

Only one life, 'twill soon be past;
Only what's done for Christ will last.
And when I am dying, how glad I will be,
That the lamp of my life has blazed out for Thee.


Only one life, 'twill soon be past;
 

 Dear Lord
Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn from Mosses in Psalm 90, the vast difference between God and His creatures. He is eternal; we are not. He is ‘from everlasting to everlasting.’ We are ephemeral, swept away ‘n the sleep of death.’ We spring up like grass in the morning and by evening we are withered and dry, a little mound of dust.

Lord, we learn that death sweep us away because we sinned and it is our sentence. We are mortal because we are sinful. We are ‘hurried away’ by God's indignation. The ‘span’ of our days passes quickly. ‘We fly away.’

We pray for Your help to ponder the brevity of life, and to number our days, as Moses suggests. We are allotted the numbers of years but in the end the grave gets us all. In our days, we want cemeteries to be out of town or out of sight, out of mind, as far away as possible.

Lord, thank You for taking away our fear of death by Your promise of resurrection - a prospect that is a spring of invincible joy, a current of mirth under all our troubles. We can, as Moses insists, ‘be glad all our days.’

So for the rest of our days on earth, we pray with Moses: ‘May the favour of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish [make permanent] the work of our hands for us.’ And may God direct us to do those things that have eternal significance: prayer, love, purity, wisdom, and quiet proclamation.

Lord, may we pass through this world and on, like a swallow through a loft, but our influence be eternal. We may not live long, but may we ‘live deep.’ Then, when we have served God's purposes in our generation, we can fly away.

Our one life will soon be past. Help us to do the will of Christ, which will last. And when we are dying, we can be glad that the lamp of our life has blazed out for You.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Picture posted by elenamazur, Shutterstock
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Reflection - Number Our Days - Counting The Days
Source (book): "Teach Us to Number Our Days", Chapter 10, "Counting The Days", Page 55.
By David Roper, Pastor, and regular and popular writer for Our Daily Bread.

"Faithful to the end", A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon

'Faithful to the end', A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon<br>
Reflection - Faithful to the end (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html


"Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html


"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

'Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-i.html


"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

'Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-iv.html 


"Songs of Christmas", The Stories and Significance of 20 Well-Loved Carols, © 2018 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-songs-of-christmas-links.html
 

"Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, © 2019 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part.html
 

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part_9.html



Reference
[1] From "Teach Us to Number Our Days", Copyright © 2008 by David Roper, ISBN 978-981-11-7184-0, Chapter 10, "Counting The Days", Page 55-58.

[51] Romans 6:23

[52] The Hebrew verb, bahal, in 90:7 can have this connotation. See Harris, Archer, and Waltke,Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago, Moody Press, 1980).

[53] The Hebrew word translated "span" in verse 10 (NIV) is literally "pride" and refers to the prime of life.

[54] Isaac Watts, "O God, Our Help in Ages Past."

[55] George Herbert, "The Temple."

[56] Compare Psalm 90:14 with 90:5.

[57] See Acts 13:36.


Links
Other Books - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/10/reflection-books-links.html


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