Job 14:5
“Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.
We live in a society that is bent on living longer and staying healthy to do so. We are extremely bent on outliving our fathers. We believe that we can beat death and we can extend our lives to the max. And, if we can't beat death, we are going to die trying. Job has, for the past chapters, had his situation analyzed and evaluated by three of his closets friends. In their defense, they didn't know the real situation ... the behind the scene issues (a lesson for all of us who try to counsel others and explain their situation). Now Job appeals directly to God and he puts in context his creation, his journey on earth and his certain death. Job had no aspirations to live forever. He understood God's plan for man and the effect of sin on life. Death was a certainty. We should eat healthy and we should exercise faithfully. We should plan as though we will never die, but we should live as though it could happen today ... and we could meet God face to face. We hear people repeatedly that they "beat death," after they survive heart attacks, car accidents or mishaps. The real issue is that our days are "determined." God has set the boundaries of our "months." He has set of us our "limits." We need to come to grips with this truth. We don't live longer or shorter based upon our determinations. It is true, even in light of this passage, that God can place in our hearts a desire to eat better and excercise more. God than uses those habits, He instilled, to extend our life to His designed limits. God allows some to act foolishly and doesn't intervene and that causes them to live carelessly, making their lives shorter. God has determined our limits. That is a truth we can live with and must live with.
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