Elder Ko Swee Chay

Number Our Days
"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalm 90:12)

Introduction
The author of Psalm 90 is Moses, as indicated in the title "A prayer of Moses the man of God". This Psalm reminds us of the eternality, power and wrath of God versus the brevity, mortality, frailty and sinfulness of man; as well as God’s mercy and grace. This Psalm is often read and preached as an earnest reminder of the brevity of life and the blessing of God when one submits to and lives under the grace and sovereign will of God. Today, we live in a world where people spend a lot of money to try to slow down aging and delay death. As children of the Most High God, we ought to think and reflect on this subject prayerfully and seriously. This will help us to spend our time and efforts on things that matter in eternity.

In this article we shall mainly focus our attention on verses 10-12 of Psalm 90: "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be four-score years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thy anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom".

So teach us
In Psalm 90:12 Moses begins by asking the Lord to teach us to "number our days". By saying "Lord, teach us", there is this recognition and confession that we do not know how to "number our days", and therefore we need God to teach us how to do it. This also implies that we have spent our days wrongly. Before we receive God’s teaching and instruction, we need to confess and ask God for forgiveness for using His gift of time foolishly, either failing to do something that was pleasing to God or doing something that rebelled against God or went against God’s will.

How does God teach us to "number our days"? God teaches us through His written Word, the Bible.
Our Lord Jesus Christ says: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth….. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." (Matt 6:19-20). Here our Lord Jesus Christ is teaching us not to waste our time and efforts to accumulate assets and possessions on earth that will surely perish, but rather to use our time and the possessions that we already have on things of spiritual value, that will count towards eternal life in heaven. Using our time to study God’s Word, to worship God, to serve Him and to do God’s work in spreading the Gospel and saving of souls, is to store up treasures in heaven and glorifying Him while we are on earth.

Paul speaks of redeeming our time in Eph 5:15-16: "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." and Col 4:5: "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time." Here Paul is teaching us that, seeing how our present days are full of evil and wickedness, we are to conduct ourselves carefully and worthy of the Lord, wisely and not foolishly; to make the best use of the remainder of our time given by God for a good end. We can redeem time by getting rid of time-wasting things and activities such as spending long hours surfing the internet, playing computer games, watching TV and movies, working (just to please the boss for increment/extra bonus/promotion), shopping, entertainment, leisure, sport, etc. We must redeem our time by ensuring that we are servants and witnesses of God on this earth. We have to tell the world about Jesus Christ. We should encourage other believers to come to church regularly and to attend church activities such as Fellowship Meetings, Bible Studies, Prayer Meeting, "to provoke one another unto love and good deeds."

Paul is reminding us that as Christians we are citizens of heaven, belonging to the household of God. Eph 2:19 "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God." Phil 3:20 "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." This world is not our home; we are strangers and travellers passing through for a season of time. All that we do and how we spend our time must align to this understanding.
So the key to learning and knowing how to "number our days" is to study and know God’s Word.

Number our days
What is the meaning of "number our days"? To answer this pertinent question we need to remember the mortality of man. Many Bible verses clearly illustrate the shortness and transience of man’s life on earth. Psalm 90:5-6 describe that man’s life is like grass: "…. in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth." In Psalm 39:5 king David said: "Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and my age is nothing before thee ….." - a mere handbreadth which is not very long at all, only a few inches! James 4:14 conveys a similar idea by comparing our life to a vapour: "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."
Over the years, at least five of my classmates and five of my colleagues have passed away, some at the older ages of 60s and 70s, some in their 30s. These were people close to me whom I spent time with in different stages of my life, but they are no longer on this earth. By the sin of disobedience committed by Adam, we are all born to die. Death is a certainty and is no respecter of persons. Truly life is short, and full of challenges and difficulties. Ps 90:10 tells us that our days on earth are 70 years for most people, and maybe 80 years for those who are strong and healthy; but there will be labour and sorrow, and we will soon be cut off. This is both sobering and depressing, but we ought to know and remember this unchangeable reality.

To "number our days" is to know the eternality, power and wrath of God and recognise our sinfulness. "LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or even thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God." (Ps 90:1-2). God is an everlasting God. He always has been there, and He always will be there in all eternity. God created the heaven and the earth out of nothing. God is not bound by time as Ps 90:4 puts it: "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." The wrath of God is mentioned three times in Psalm 90 verses 7, 9 and 11. The brevity of our lives is a direct consequence of God’s judgement on man’s rebellion and sin against God. We need to consider the consequences of God’s anger and wrath and who can stand in God’s wrath.

To "number our days" is also to recognize this hard fact that our life on earth is short, and our biblical response to this is to purpose in our heart to treasure the time God has given us, to spend it wisely every day, every hour, every minute and every second of our lives, i.e. on things and activities that bring honour and glory to God, that really matter in eternity. Sadly in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life, of setting up our families, bringing up children, pursuing careers and acquiring wealth, many have forgotten or ignored the fact that life is short and the need to live our lives wisely and fruitfully for the glory of God and for eternity. University professors and scientists spend enormous amounts of time and effort numbering the stars in the sky, calculating the distance from the earth to the sun and to the moon, but they fail to consider the shortness of their own lives. People spend many hours doing things that only satisfy their carnal thirsts and desires. Knowing that our time on earth is limited as well as the humbling experiences of people around us should make us humbly and wholeheartedly submit ourselves to the way and will of God who exists in a realm that is not bound by time and space, who is greater than time, infinite and everlasting.

To "number our days" is, thirdly, to manage ourselves and to manage and use the time God has given us wisely. God is the creator of time and only He can control time. Time is a precious gift from God that must be managed wisely. How much more time we have on this planet earth, only God knows. Someone has commented that "life is like a dollar bill, you can spend it any way you want, but you can only spend it once". Have you ever realised that time is more valuable than money? Yes, no amount of money, top-notch doctors or world-famous hospitals can help the dying patient buy even one more second on earth. No one can turn the clock back, and whatever time we failed to use or used wastefully is gone forever. We cannot go back and make up for the wasted days, weeks, months and years we already lived, but we can use the days we have left wisely. Even though we are not able to buy and change time, yet it is within our control to decide how to use the time God has given to us, making each day count for eternity. Where and how we spend our time reveal what is most important to us. We ought to ask ourselves frequently, how much of our time is devoted to our God in studying His Word, in communion with Him through prayer, in worshiping and serving Him, in doing His work? "No time" is a common lame excuse that many use. We all have 24 hours or 86,400 seconds a day – so why are some brethren able to do so much more for the Lord? The issue is not the lack of time, but rather the lack of love for God. It is a matter of priority-setting, putting self-interests and self-desires above God; it is all about managing our lives according to God’s Word and God’s will. We are to manage our time wisely for our Master. We have to give an account to God for every second that God has graciously given to us (Rom 14:8-12).

Apply our hearts unto wisdom
The wisdom spoken of in the Bible refers to spiritual wisdom; it is different from the definition found in the dictionary. Wisdom is not the endless accumulation of knowledge over time through learning or experience of life. The book of Proverbs has much precious instruction about wisdom: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Prov 1:7). "When wisdom entereth into thy heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee." (Prov 2:10-11). "For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared with it." (Prov 8:11). "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy understanding." (Prov 9:10). Wisdom is from God, and it comes from knowing God’s Word and having the knowledge of God. True wisdom is to diligently apply this knowledge and exercise discernment, in order to live a godly life pleasing and acceptable to God. In the context of "number our days" in Psalm 90:12, wisdom is to know that time is a precious gift from God, that it is short and of great importance, and therefore to use the time we have wisely, purposefully and responsibly for the glory of God.

The prayer uttered by Moses in Psalm 90:12 was a plea to God to teach us to number our days so that we may apply (bring, develop, grow and gain) a heart of wisdom; a heart which is filled with spiritual wisdom and well-tuned and aligned to heavenly things that matter in eternity. A Christian having a heart of wisdom would live an ordered life in the right and the good way according to God’s teaching and in a manner pleasing to God: "only fear the LORD, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him in truth with all your heart and with all your soul." (Josh 22:5 & 1 Sam 12:23-24).

Conclusion
The only way to learn and know how to number our days is to study and know God’s Word. To number our days is to know the eternality, power and wrath of God, as well as the brevity and sinfulness of man. Numbering our days will help us to live our lives wisely; to manage and use the time that God gives us wisely,purposefully and responsibly on things that glorify God and that count for eternity. It will also bring about a heart filled with spiritual wisdom and tuned to things of eternal value. May our prayer be that of Moses – "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Amen.