And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died (Genesis 9:29).
One Monday morning on my commute to work, I decided I would read the Bible from the beginning. I was progressing quickly through the book of Genesis. In less than 30 minutes, I was on Chapter 9 and that’s when it happened. I couldn’t get past Genesis 9:29... And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died (Genesis 9:29). 950 YEARS! Wow. I’ve had to have read Genesis 9 at least a couple of dozen times in my lifetime but for some reason, I couldn’t read anymore. 950 Years!
In this day and age, I can’t imagine living 950 years. Can you? With only a few minutes left in my commute, I quickly googled life expectancy in the USA, and wouldn’t you know it…..USA Today declared (October 2014) “Good news. We’re living longer! Life expectancy in the USA rose in 2012 to 78.8 years – a record high.” 78.8 years is the record high?! Yes, you read that correctly 78.8 years.
So back to my state of amazement. I tried really hard to imagine living 950 years but I couldn’t. I spent most of that Monday trying to imagine living that long and right before it was time for me to leave the office, the Holy Spirit provided me with greater clarity as to why that verse was so important. I have been living and prioritizing matters in my life as if one day I will cease to exist but this isn’t true. It is my belief that the Holy Spirit wanted me to know...that I know...that I know...that I know that I have eternal life and to start prioritizing my days accordingly. So, it’s time to let those words of God sink into my being.
Well, the TRULY good news is that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross has given us victory over death and granted us eternity. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).”