Life is So Short

We read in Psalm 90:12, "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Of all human resources, time is what we equally have, and many consider it more precious than money. Money can be replaced, but not time. 

I am reading right now the section on capital formation in Murray N. Rothbard's "Man, Economy, and State." While reading, I could not avoid thinking about the shortness of life. And so I am reminded of that verse in Psalm about the relationship between counting our days and gaining a heart of wisdom. Interpreting the verse literally or "economically," I see my life as a kind of "capital" that is limited. On average, I have only 25,550 days here on earth. Now that I am 47, I already spent 2/3 of my resources, 17, 155 days. So I only have 8,395 days remaining in my life. The question is, how shall I spend them? 

A more important question than the way to spend my life is the end of counting my days. The psalmist says, "that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Wisdom in the Bible starts in the fear of the Lord, and I think counting days is one expression of such fear leading us to gain a heart of wisdom. It is interesting here that having a heart of wisdom is considered a gain, another economic expression.

Since the day I arrived here in South Korea, I literally count each day particularly during my first year of stay. Days here are so fast. A year here to me seems like a month. What I appreciate the most in my work here as a missionary is the free time I have, which I can use in reading and writing. And I think my question has already been answered; I found a way to spend the remaining days of my life.

More Precious than Gold

Can we consider it honest if a person claims that he does not like gold? Perhaps, it is fair to say that it is a universal truth that all people like gold. In fact, with the existing volatility of global economy, some would even consider investing in gold as a way to protect your wealth. But to the majority of us who struggle to make ends meet, investing in gold is a luxury we cannot afford.

An interesting verse in Psalm 19:10 states, "They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold. . . ." The "they" in the verse refers to "the law of the LORD," "the statutes of the LORD," "the precepts of the LORD," "the commands of the LORD," "the fear of the LORD," and "the ordinances of the LORD." In short, the word of God. If it is a universal truth that all people like gold, how come we don't like the word of God, which is more precious than gold?