"Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death."
(Jonathan Edwards, "Resolution 9," in Personal Writings)
Jonathan Edwards made the above resolution for his life as a young man. It seems a bit strange, but we would do well to spend at least some time thinking about our death. We live in a culture that loves to keep the party going through endless entertainment and work so that we can't think much about reality. So, here is your countercultural call to swim against the current.
One place we find biblical warrant for this practice is in Psalm 90:3-11. This section of the Psalm is a lament (a crying out to God in sorrow about some aspect of the futility of life in a fallen world). The lament in Psalm 90 is concerning the brevity and frailty of life.
Psalm 90:3-11
3You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
10 The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?
In one sense, death is not natural. There may be “natural causes” for death, but it is not part of the original created order. However, when humanity rebelled, God remained faithful to his warning and death entered the world. Life became frail. Note the analogies he uses in verses 5 and 10 to capture this reality:
- A flood that sweeps away what is in its path,
- A dream which lasts a few minutes or hours and dissipates with the opening of day,
- Grass growing quickly only to be cut down.
- Even when life is lived to a good old age it is still “like a sigh” and full of trouble (v. 9-10).
I know this sounds depressing, but it is reality. We live in a culture that likes to try to ignore this inconvenient truth (lest we have to think about God’s judgment). But Christians over the centuries made it a habit of thinking about their impending death. Why? Were they morbid? Or were they realistic and seeking to gain a proper perspective on how to maximize the life God entrusted them on earth? That is where Moses goes next in verse 12:
“So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom."
that we may get a heart of wisdom."
Several years ago, I tried to help a young man, who was not a believer, grasp something of this. Here is the gist of the conversation I had with him:
Me: “So what is it you are after in life? What is your goal in life?”
Him: “To get my certification [it was some certification I had never heard of]
Me: “Why?”
Him: “Then I can really start making money”
Me: “Ok, and then what?”
Him: “I want to get another certification” [again I hadn’t heard of it, but it would allow him to be his own boss and make a lot of money].
Me: “Ok, then what?”
Him: “Then I can have a family”
Me: “Ok, then what?”
Him: “Then I will retire”
Me: “Ok, then what?”
Him: “I wait.”
Me: “Wait for what?”
Him: “You know, the end.”
Me: “That sounds crummy. Then what?”
Him: “I don’t know, I’ve been thinking about that a lot, but I am not sure”
Me: “Well don’t you think you should figure that out?”
If you are a Christian, you have considered your end when it comes to salvation. You know your sin warrants just wrath from God and you have trusted Jesus as the one who took the punishment you deserve. If you are in Christ, you will have God as your Shepherd rather than judge as you face death.
However, Christian should still follow the path of this Psalm in lamenting and considering the brevity of life on earth. That should lead us to ponder how to live our short time on earth to glorify and enjoy God. Maybe you should set aside some time this weekend to read this Psalm and pray about how God would have you use the life he gives you.
