Day 9/12 – Brevity of Life

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Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man by Walter A Henrichsen (“Walt”)
Brevity of Life
Day Two Hundred Fifty-five

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God. Thou turnest man back to the dust, and sayest, ‘Turn back, O children of men!”‘ Psalm 90:2-3

Moses likens your life span to a dream and to grass. The end of life is like the morning when you awake only to realize you were dreaming. Like grass, not a cedar or oak, you grow for a short season and die. Moses contrasts the frailty and brevity of human life with the timelessness of God. His prayer is a reminder of the way things are.

By divine decree God returns you to dust. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth.”336 God spoke and the worlds came into existence, and by His word “turn back” we become dust. “All our days pass away under thy wrath.”337 Sin guarantees the wrath of God; it is contrary to His nature to respond otherwise. Redemption requires death. How terrible if we were locked into a body prone to fatigue, sickness, and pain without any escape. “All our days pass away; they are soon gone, and we fly away.”338 Moses, the author of Genesis, may have been thinking of the Patriarchs, many of whom lived almost a thousand years. The brevity of life is an expression of grace for those who hope in Jesus Christ.

In this we see His wrath and grace meeting perfectly. His wrath demands the justice of the cross, and His grace uses His wrath to shorten our days as He prepares us for heaven.

336 Psalm 33:6
337 Psalm 90:9
338 Psalm 90:9-10

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Proverbs 13-15 2 Corinthians 5 (New King James Version)

Proverbs 13-15
Wisdom Loves Righteousness
13
A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2
A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
3
He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.
4
The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
5
A righteous man hates lying,
But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.
6
Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
But wickedness overthrows the sinner.
7
There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.
8
The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
But the poor does not hear rebuke.
9
The light of the righteous rejoices,
But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
10
By pride comes nothing but strife,
But with the well-advised is wisdom.
11
Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.
12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
13
He who despises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
14
The law of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.
15
Good understanding [a]gains favor,
But the way of the unfaithful is hard.
16
Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly.
17
A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
But a faithful ambassador brings health.
18
Poverty and shame will come to him who [b]disdains correction,
But he who regards a rebuke will be honored.
19
A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.
20
He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
21
Evil pursues sinners,
But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.
22
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
23
Much food is in the [c]fallow ground of the poor,
And for lack of justice there is [d]waste.
24
He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him [e]promptly.
25
The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,
But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.
The Ways of Life and Death
14
The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.
2
He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.
3
In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
But the lips of the wise will preserve them.
4
Where no oxen are, the [f]trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.
5
A faithful witness does not lie,
But a false witness will utter lies.
6
A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But knowledge is easy to him who understands.
7
Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
8
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.
9
Fools mock at [g]sin,
But among the upright there is favor.
10
The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
11
The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
12
There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.
13
Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
And the end of mirth may be grief.
14
The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways,
But a good man will be satisfied [h]from above.
15
The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.
16
A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident.
17
A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated.
18
The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19
The evil will bow before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20
The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor,
But [i]the rich has many friends.
21
He who despises his neighbor sins;
But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
22
Do they not go astray who devise evil?
But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
23
In all labor there is profit,
But [j]idle chatter leads only to poverty.
24
The crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is folly.
25
A true witness [k]delivers souls,
But a deceitful witness speaks lies.
26
In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
27
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.
28
In a multitude of people is a king’s honor,
But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince.
29
He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
But he who is [l]impulsive exalts folly.
30
A sound heart is life to the body,
But envy is rottenness to the bones.
31
He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
32
The wicked is banished in his wickedness,
But the righteous has a refuge in his death.
33
Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
But what is in the heart of fools is made known.
34
Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a [m]reproach to any people.
35
The king’s favor is toward a wise servant,
But his wrath is against him who causes shame.
A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath
15
A soft answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger.
2
The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
3
The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4
A [n]wholesome tongue is a tree of life,
But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
5
A fool despises his father’s instruction,
But he who [o]receives correction is prudent.
6
In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.
7
The lips of the wise [p]disperse knowledge,
But the heart of the fool does not do so.
8
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9
The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves him who follows righteousness.
10
Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way,
And he who hates correction will die.
11
Hell[q] and [r]Destruction are before the Lord;
So how much more the hearts of the sons of men.
12
A scoffer does not love one who corrects him,
Nor will he go to the wise.
13
A merry heart makes a cheerful [s]countenance,
But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
14
The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
15
All the days of the afflicted are evil,
But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.
16
Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure with trouble.
17
Better is a dinner of [t]herbs where love is,
Than a fatted calf with hatred.
18
A wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.
19
The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.
20
A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man despises his mother.
21
Folly is joy to him who is destitute of [u]discernment,
But a man of understanding walks uprightly.
22
Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
23
A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,
And a word spoken [v]in due season, how good it is!
24
The way of life winds upward for the wise,
That he may turn away from [w]hell below.
25
The Lord will destroy the house of the proud,
But He will establish the boundary of the widow.
26
The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
But the words of the pure are pleasant.
27
He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.
28
The heart of the righteous studies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
29
The Lord is far from the wicked,
But He hears the prayer of the righteous.
30
The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
And a good report makes the bones [x]healthy.
31
The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
32
He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
33
The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And before honor is humility.
Footnotes:
• Proverbs 13:15 gives
• Proverbs 13:18 Lit. ignores
• Proverbs 13:23 uncultivated
• Proverbs 13:23 Lit. what is swept away
• Proverbs 13:24 early
• Proverbs 14:4 manger or feed trough
• Proverbs 14:9 Lit. guilt
• Proverbs 14:14 Lit. from above himself
• Proverbs 14:20 Lit. many are the lovers of the rich
• Proverbs 14:23 Lit. talk of the lips
• Proverbs 14:25 saves lives
• Proverbs 14:29 Lit. short of spirit
• Proverbs 14:34 shame or disgrace
• Proverbs 15:4 Lit. healing
• Proverbs 15:5 Lit. keeps
• Proverbs 15:7 spread
• Proverbs 15:11 Or Sheol
• Proverbs 15:11 Heb. Abaddon
• Proverbs 15:13 face
• Proverbs 15:17 Or vegetables
• Proverbs 15:21 Lit. heart
• Proverbs 15:23 Lit. in its time
• Proverbs 15:24 Or Sheol
• Proverbs 15:30 Lit. fat

2 Corinthians 5
Assurance of the Resurrection
5 For we know that if our earthly [a]house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our [b]habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as [c]a guarantee.
6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
The Judgment Seat of Christ
9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.
Be Reconciled to God
12 For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not [d]imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Footnotes:
• 2 Corinthians 5:1 Physical body
• 2 Corinthians 5:2 dwelling
• 2 Corinthians 5:5 down payment, earnest
• 2 Corinthians 5:19 reckoning