“FOR WE ARE SOON CUT OFF…” (PSALM 90:10)

Dear Members in Christ,

“For we are soon cut off…” (Psalm 90:10)

As we were waiting to board our flight to Kuching, I was able to find a few spare moments to tidy up some loose ends and make some calls before we take off. I was reminded of a popular song from ages ago, a song in which the balladeer sings of his sadness to leave on a flight, waxing lyrical of his leaving his beloved. Sad though it appears, for the way of all flesh is temporal and fleeting anyway. Earthly partings are sorrowful, it reminds us of the brevity of our lives. Actually, thinking about it, the idea of flight is not natural for us humans with earth bound bodies. We are able to walk and run, but flight is not built into our anatomy. But, the Bible does describe our journey or flight, well, sort of. It is a journey which every man and women will have to take at the end of our lives. The Bible says,    

“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.,” Psalm 90:10

The Hebrew word translated in the King James Bible as “fly away” is a word associated with birds, wings and feathers. There is a clear imagery, albeit poetic, in the reader’s mind of flying, winging through the air. As we await our flight, ready to strap ourselves into a padded seat together with two hundred or so other passengers, we breathe a quick prayer for safety and journey mercies and we are reminded of two important ideas taught in the Scriptures. Firstly, the brevity of life, and therefore the urgency of our labour and service for the Lord. Secondly, the inevitable end of all flesh, and therefore our focus on our heavenly heritage.  

A.  “If by reason of strength it be fourscore years…”

The words of Scripture speaks louder than any klaxon call. The Word of God has given an approximation to the longevity of mankind in saying, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten…”. According to the department of statistics¹, the projected life expectancy of the average Malaysian man is 75.3 years, and the women fare better, exceeding their male counterparts by two and a half years. For me, that’s close enough, and I am sure many a man will be glad to be on the favorable side of threescore and ten. The real message is not the longevity statistics, rather it is the brevity of life. Does not the Bible warn us in the epistle of James that says,

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” James 4:14

The analogy of our lives being like a vapour is a stark comparison. Seventy plus or even eighty or ninety years may seem to be a long time but in God’s sight (and those who are spiritually discerning), it is a passing vapour. In fact, the Greek word is “atmis”, a word which means mist, or low hanging clouds. Have you seen the mist or fog of the morning in the highland areas? If you have, you will know that no sooner is the wind driven or the sun risen, that the mist will disappear. That is the lifespan of a man, comparable to the stay of a passing cloud or a fleeting morning mist. Dearly beloved, let us treasure our time on earth to do our duty for the Lord Jesus. Time is fleeting, and while the Lord tarries, let us labour diligently, while it is yet day.

B. The inevitable and terminal end of all flesh, “for we are soon cut off…” 

The second important lesson is the inevitability of our earthly demise. Earlier in this article I mentioned that humankind (unlike the birds) was not created or designed with flight in mind. But the Bible tells in the poetic words of the psalmist that at the end of our lives “we are soon cut off”and we “fly away”. Every soul will have to undertake that last, terminal flight. It is unavoidable and it is terminal. Just like grass that is verdant only for a moment, a man’s life surely will pass away. 

“For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:” 1 Peter 1:24

Dearly beloved, mortals in ages past have harboured the absurd notion of the secret pill to long life or the mythical fountain of eternal youth. The Bible tells us as we know that death is inevitable for the wages of sin is death. Only through Jesus Christ do we have the hope of the remission of sins and everlasting life. Let us be wise to number our days, and serve our Lord faithfully while we still breathe and walk this earth. Let us lay up our treasures in heaven. May God be praised. Amen.  

Source 1. Life expectancy - Department of Statistics, Malaysia (DOSM)

In His Service,
Rev. Lim Seh Beng, Pastor