LIVING LONG

Why is the lifespan of people reducing? Our fore fathers spent longer years than we do today. In the olden days, we hardly hear of death of ages 25,30,40,50. They grow very much old before passing on.

Source: pixabay.com

Back to the memory lane, there were people who spent close to a thousand years. We have typical examples of them in the Bible. Let us check some of them out.

Genesis 5:5,8,11,14,17,20,23,27,31 KJV
And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. [8] And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died. [11] And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. [14] And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died. [17] And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died. [20] And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. [23] And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: [27] And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. [31] And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.

Another thing to be considered is that the people of old were not just old but were strong and very stronger rather than we have with much more younger generation of today.

The length of stay in the world is now reducing even from aforementioned people in the Bible. From roughly one thousand years to one hundred and twenty and even down to seventy.

Genesis 6:3 KJV
And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

Psalm 90:10 KJV
The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

Many are the reasons associated with this shortage of lifespan. One of it is the health state of the world. Nowadays, what we eat affect our life and it determines how healthy we will be which results to our longevity.

Our environment is another situation that is contributing to the short life of human. Many young and old die of malaria and diarrhoea due to how they care for their environment. What should we say about the harmful agent that pollutes our environment and having deadly impact on the body.

Going Biblically, our days are no longer as it was in the beginning viewing it from this passage.

Psalm 90:1-9 KJV
Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. [2] Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. [3] Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. [4] For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. [5] Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. [6] In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. [7] For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. [8] Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. [9] For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told .

From this passage, God has been our refuge, protection from all forms of sickness and our deliverer in the state of trouble-vs 1.
When the Lord was with us as our refuge and we are with Him, living a thousand years will be like a day to Him-vs 4.
At the moment we allow sin and human flesh to begin to rule us in place of God, then our problem started. Wrath of God now set in and we are now having depleting human system bringing down our live - vs 7-9.

In summary, the life God created in us is a life that is to live for a long time. We begin to have shortage of life when we are not conscious of the harmful substance we take in as food, when our ecosystem is having terrible impact on us and at large when we belittle God and His words.

May the Lord help us as we help ourselves to live long in the land of living.