Teach us to Count our Days / Enséñanos a Contar Nuestros Días
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Introduction
Introduction
In less than 48 hours we will be starting a new year.
For many people, the new year represents a new beginning, a new opportunity, a fresh start.
For this reason, many people come up with resolutions for the new year - some of which are quickly abandoned.
The reality is that 1/1/2019 is just another day in the course of history. There’s really nothing special, mystical, or magical about switching out the calendar.
Nevertheless, the coming of a new year allows us to reflect upon the year that has past and the year that is about to begin.
We reflect upon the year that has past:
Are there things that you did not accomplish?
Are there things that you are proud of and were able to work hard to achieve?
Are there relationships that improved through the course of 2018?
Are there relationships that became strained and further apart?
We reflect upon the year that is about to begin:
Are there goals that you plan to achieve?
Are there things about your education, your job, or your personal life, or your health that you would like to improve or change?
Many things come to mind when it comes to this time of reflection.
It is normal to focus upon our health, relationships, our jobs, our finances, or even our personal goals.
However, as the people of God, we know that life consists of much more than what we see around us!
We direct our attention to the psalmist’s words in as we reflect upon the brevity of life and with the psalmist pray out to God:
Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Enséñanos a contar bien nuestros días,
para que nuestro corazón adquiera sabiduría.
Today, we consider:
The consequences of sin - death!
The brevity of life!
Count your days and be wise!
I. The consequence of sin - death!
I. The consequence of sin - death!
I. ¡La consecuencia del pecado - la muerte!
I. ¡La consecuencia del pecado - la muerte!
Moses, the author of this psalm reflects upon the life of man.
Moses, himself had lived a long life (120 years).
Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.
Dt
Moisés tenía ciento veinte años de edad cuando murió. Con todo, no se había debilitado su vista ni había perdido su vigor.
Dt.
Although he lived a long life, the day came, when he would climb Mount Hermon and depart the land of the living.
There are many who die at a young age. Some are stillborn and do not live even a day outside of the womb. Others, live a very long life - but in the end - all men die.
Moses reflects upon the shortness of life and compares it to a flower that withers away in the sun.
Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
they are like the new grass of the morning:
In the morning it springs up new,
but by evening it is dry and withered.
Arrasas a los mortales. Son como un sueño.
Nacen por la mañana, como la hierba
que al amanecer brota lozana
y por la noche ya está marchita y seca.
Why do we die? We die because of humanity’s sin. Death is the curse that came upon humanity as a consequence for sinning against a holy God.
We are consumed by your anger
and terrified by your indignation.
You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
Tu ira en verdad nos consume,
tu indignación nos aterra.
Ante ti has puesto nuestras iniquidades;
a la luz de tu presencia, nuestros pecados secretos.
-8
God cursed humanity when it sinned in Eden. We inherit that same sinful nature, and sin ourselves, and therefore will one day die.
All of humanity’s sin is present before God. None can hide their sin before an all-knowing God.
Anytime we see death - it should remind us how much our sin has offended God.
Anytime we hear of someone passing away - do not think for a moment that it is simply part of the circle of life - humanity was not meant to die.
Humanity was meant to live forever in the presence of God - but our sin, our rebellion, our desire to do our will and not God’s will - brought as a consequence sickness, depravity, a sinful nature, and eventually death itself.
We will die one day. No one is exempt from the consequences of sin. Christians also die for we have also sinned. However, a Christian’s death is very different from the death of an unbeliever.
When a Christian dies…his death brings about the purposes of God as it ushers him into the presence of the Lord.
When an unbeliever dies…his death also brings about the purposes of God as it ushers him into eternal condemnation
We all bare the marks of a dying humanity.
As we age we begin to feel the effects of a corrupt body.
Our eyesight, hearing, mobility will begin to fade.
Our appearance will change as the days go by.
…it is as if it where a runaway train that cannot be stopped!
It is not a matter of whether we will die, but rather when and how we will die.
II. The brevity of life!
II. The brevity of life!
II. ¡La brevedad de la vida!
II. ¡La brevedad de la vida!
Surely, we are all counting on a long prosperous life. It is our hope that it could be said of us, as it was said of the saints of old, that we lived a long and prosperous life.
However, in the grand scheme of things, life is short. Although we may live to 100 - it is but a mere drop in the bucket of human history.
Moses reflects on the shortness of our days:
Our days may come to seventy years,
or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
Ps 90.11
Algunos llegamos hasta los setenta años,
quizás alcancemos hasta los ochenta,
si las fuerzas nos acompañan.
Tantos años de vida, sin embargo,
sólo traen pesadas cargas y calamidades:
pronto pasan, y con ellos pasamos nosotros.
Moses recognizes that life expectancy during his time was 70-80 years.
This is relatively short. Average life expectancy for males in the United States is 77, and for females it is 82.
Moses realizes the brevity of life and how much time we spend in toil and trouble.
Most of our life will be spent working, resolving problems, figuring out how to survive, making decisions, fixing things, etc...
Most of our life will be spent trying to get ahead in life, trying to save enough for the future, etc...
…and then one day…all of a sudden we die.
Our years will come to a screeching halt and end with a sigh!
All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.
Por causa de tu ira se nos va la vida entera;
se esfuman nuestros años como un suspiro.
Do not take for granted that you will live tomorrow!
Do not think that your days upon this earth are guaranteed.
It is wise to make plans for tomorrow, for next year, for 10 years from now…but it is also wise to think that we could die today.
Let us plan as if we were to live 100 years but live as if we were to die today - apologize, love your children, work hard, do your best, whatever you do…do it with excellence.
III. Count your days and be wise!
III. Count your days and be wise!
III. ¡Cuenta tus días y sé sabio!
III. ¡Cuenta tus días y sé sabio!
The realization that we will die soon, that life is short, that our days upon the earth are not guaranteed - may leave some paralyzed and afraid.
The psalmist tackles this by exhorting us to consider our days and acquire wisdom!
Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Enséñanos a contar bien nuestros días,
para que nuestro corazón adquiera sabiduría.
We are to live with the mentality that life is short. We cannot deceive ourselves and think that we will live forever. This means:
Young children, you will continue to mature, to grow, and develop, as you become young men and women.
Young people, you will not always be young. You are growing up and will need to take on more responsibility.
Young adults, you will continue to grow in your careers, you will make many mistakes as you try to navigate how to relate to your spouse, to your children, to your parents, and extended family.
Adults, you will gradually start to see your friends and family experiences the ravages of sickness and death. You will feel the burden of trying to achieve financial security…and at times find yourself running after what appears to be an unachievable goal. But do not loose sight of the reality that you will not live forever.
Senior adults, you have been privileged by God to live a long and prosperous life. The Lord will give you strength as you prepare to meet him.
Counting our days means:
We live every day as if it could be our last.
We live knowing that our next breath is not guaranteed.
We live life to the full and take advantage of every opportunity.
However, the psalmist does not simply say that we should number our days but that we should also acquire wisdom.
Wisdom in the Bible does not refer to having an high IQ.
Wisdom does not meet being a professional and achieving academic success.
Wisdom does not even meet having street smarts!
Wisdom is summarized in the book of proverbs:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
El temor del Señor es el principio del conocimiento;
los necios desprecian la sabiduría y la disciplina.
We will acquire wisdom/knowledge as we learn to fear the Lord.
We will become wise as we worship God, as we come to know the Lord, as we come before his presence and surrender our lives to him.
How will you acquire wisdom this year? I pray that you will achieve all your goals that you are thinking of for the new year. I pray that you will be successful in all that you plan to do in the new year…but how will you acquire wisdom this year?
What are you planning to do to know more about God?
How are you planning to dedicate time to reading and understanding his word?
How are you planning to commune with God in prayer?
What areas in your life do you need to surrender to God so that he may transform through the power of his Holy Spirit and his word?