Death Clock
A recent round of news stories about the world’s oldest living people got me thinking about how long I would want to live. The “oldest people” all seem to be around 115. I can’t imagine wanting to be that old (and tired and frail and bed-ridden).
According to Genesis, early life spans neared 1,000 years old. When it became clear, though, that given that kind of time, humanity can accomplish great evil, God chose to set man’s days at a “hundred and twenty years.” Over the centuries, that seems to have become the upper limit for modern human life. DeathClock.com will cheerfully report how long you can expect to live, statistically speaking. They even count down the seconds while you watch.
These days, when someone dies under the age of 30, most people describe it as a tragedy. Some call God unfair for allowing it to happen. “Why didn’t this person get a full, rich life?” Such a statement reveals how little we’re all willing to settle for. Would living as a relatively healthy person with a comfortable lifestyle to the age of 80 qualify as a full, rich life? Would that be good enough?
Moses (who made it to 120) didn’t think so. He described the duration and quality of life most of us can expect: “The length of our days is seventy years -- or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10) Life on this sin-diseased planet absolutely sucks in comparison with the endless riches, meaning, and joy of heaven. Whether we die at seven or seventy, God never intended for this life to be the one that counts. That’s why He offers a way home through Jesus.
What to do until we get there? Moses suggested counting: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12) That ticking “death clock” should motivate us to start living for the life that really matters.
According to Genesis, early life spans neared 1,000 years old. When it became clear, though, that given that kind of time, humanity can accomplish great evil, God chose to set man’s days at a “hundred and twenty years.” Over the centuries, that seems to have become the upper limit for modern human life. DeathClock.com will cheerfully report how long you can expect to live, statistically speaking. They even count down the seconds while you watch.
These days, when someone dies under the age of 30, most people describe it as a tragedy. Some call God unfair for allowing it to happen. “Why didn’t this person get a full, rich life?” Such a statement reveals how little we’re all willing to settle for. Would living as a relatively healthy person with a comfortable lifestyle to the age of 80 qualify as a full, rich life? Would that be good enough?
Moses (who made it to 120) didn’t think so. He described the duration and quality of life most of us can expect: “The length of our days is seventy years -- or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10) Life on this sin-diseased planet absolutely sucks in comparison with the endless riches, meaning, and joy of heaven. Whether we die at seven or seventy, God never intended for this life to be the one that counts. That’s why He offers a way home through Jesus.
What to do until we get there? Moses suggested counting: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12) That ticking “death clock” should motivate us to start living for the life that really matters.
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