Tag: Job

Posted in Exposition

Understanding Ezekiel 14:12-23: Judgment and Righteousness

Posted on by writtenexposition

INTRODUCTION

Ezekiel 14:12-23 records a new oracle from YHWH to Ezekiel about impending judgment upon Jerusalem. These verses highlight the severity and certainty of the punishment and show that it is inevitable because of Jerusalem’s sin and unfaithfulness.

The passage addresses a significant theoretical question that that must have been raised at the time: ‘Would YHWH really destroy Jerusalem when there are still some righteous people living in the city?’ In the oracle YHWH rejects the notion that the righteousness of a few can atone for the sins of the many and instead insists on individual personal responsibility. Even if the righteous should intercede the disaster cannot be averted. YHWH’s retributive justice cannot overlook sin just because of a connection with a righteous individual.

FAMINE

(13-14) This new oracle is introduced by the prophetic word formula ‘the word of the Lord came…to me, saying.’ As usual, YHWH addresses Ezekiel as ‘son of Adam’ and refers to a hypothetical country (‘a land’) that sins against him by trespassing grievously. Note the use of the two closely related terms ‘sin’ and ‘trespass.’ Sin is a general term encompassing all forms of disobedience against God’s will, whether intentional or unintentional. Trespass is more specific and involves deliberately violating a known law. All trespasses are sins but not all sins are trespasses. In this connection Greenberg (1983, p. 257) observes : ‘Inasmuch as the hypothetical land of vss.13-20 is not specifically that of Israel, this will be the only passage in Hebrew Scripture in which “trespass (against Yahweh)” is predicated of a non-Israelite subject.’

When a nation sins against YHWH he will ‘stretch out his hand upon it.’ This biblical image signifies divine intervention in judgment. The specific punishment mentioned here is famine. Cutting off the food supply of both human beings and animals would be a reminder of humanity’s dependence upon YHWH. Would he, however, act against a sinful nation if righteous individuals live there and (presumably) intercede on behalf of the sinful population? The remainder of the oracle deals with the limitations of personal righteousness and intercession in a situation where sin is widespread.

Although the background to this oracle is idolatry in Judah YHWH indicates that what he says has a much wider application by referring to a hypothetical country and also by holding up two non-Israelite men along with the Israelite Daniel as iconic examples of righteousness. Even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in such a country they could not avert disaster. They would only be able to save themselves because of their righteous characters, no-one else.

At that time these three men were legendary throughout the Ancient Near East for their righteousness. Through it they had also been able to save the lives of others.

Noah – because of his righteousness (Gen 6:9) the primaeval hero Noah was able to save himself, his family and the animals from the Flood (Gen 6:9-8:22).

Daniel – This likely refers to Ezekiel’s older contemporary the Daniel of the Babylonian exile who, though still a young man (possibly late twenties) at this time, had already gained a reputation for righteousness. Has he saved lives through intercession?  Some would point to Daniel 2:17-18.

Modern scholars tend to argue that this is not the Daniel of the book of Daniel but the righteous Ugaritic Daniel (Dn’il) of The Tale of Aqhat. Their arguments centre on the fact that the spelling of ‘Daniel’ in the book of Ezekiel differs from that in the book of Daniel, that Dn’il was a figure of antiquity as were Noah and Job but not the contemporary Daniel and the chronological argument that the Daniel of the book of Daniel was too young to have achieved fame at the time this oracle was given.

Arguments for Dn’il in the article by ‘Day, J. (1980). The Daniel of Ugarit and Ezekiel and the Hero of the Book of Daniel. Vetus Testamentum, 30(2), pp. 174–184′ may be read online free of charge by logging into JSTOR. ‘The Tale of Aqhat’ may be read in J. B. Pritchard’s ‘Ancient Near Eastern Texts’ at archive.org.

Job – Through intercession the righteous sufferer Job was able to save the lives of his three friends who had been wrong about the reasons for his affliction (Job 42:7-10).

That the presence of its most righteous inhabitants could not save a sinful nation underscores the seriousness of sin. Salvation is an individual affair, righteousness is non-transferable. That Noah, Job and Daniel are recognised by the Lord as examples of personal righteousness encourages us to maintain personal righteousness during times of trial and in circumstances where all around is marked by corruption.

(15-16) RAVENING ANIMALS

Here the imagery of wild beasts roaming the land attacking and killing the populace is used to describe another form of punishment. Travel throughout the country would be impossible. Society would break down and the land be uninhabitable. The repetition of the three righteous men again emphasises the fact that righteousness is non-transferable. Even their children would not be spared.

(17-18) WAR

The third scenario of judgment is war and conflict as symbolised by the sword. YHWH would subject a sinful nation to punishment by violence and invasion. Again it is stated that even if these three men were in it they could not save even their closest family members.

(19-20) BLEEDING PESTILENCE

The fourth scenario in this escalating progression of judgment is that of plague which will affect humans and animals (famine – ravening animals – war -bleeding pestilence). YHWH will pour out his fury upon the land ‘in blood.’ Pestilence and bloodshed are not two separate judgments but a hendiadys which specifies the type of plague – bleeding pestilence – i.e. the plague results in an outpouring of blood. (For a short technical discussion of this see: Tooman, W. A. (2010). On the Meaning of דבר ודם in Ezekiel (5:17, 14:19, 28:23, 38:22). Vetus Testamentum, 60(4), pp. 666–668.)

Once again swearing by his own life (‘as I live saith the Lord God’) in v.20 as in vv.16 and 18 YHWH repeats the point about the three righteous men. They could only deliver themselves by their righteousness, not their family members. The repetition reinforces YHWH’s point that no human being, however righteous, can turn back the Lord’s punishment of a sinful and unrepentant people.

(21) In this passage YHWH has so far been speaking in general terms about a hypothetical sinful country. This verse now makes it clear that that he had Judah, represented by Jerusalem, in view. The phrase ”how much more’ suggests that the punishment of Judah will be particularly severe because of its privileges. All four judgments (the sword, famine, wild beasts, plague) will be visited upon the city and the cumulative effect will be total devastation. Although directed at Judah this oracle was given in Babylon and served to remind the exiles there that their notion that things would work out well in the end for Jerusalem was false.

(22-23) These verses introduce a note of hope that despite overwhelming punishment YHWH would preserve a remnant ‘who will come forth unto you’ i.e. to Ezekiel and the exiles in Babylon. It does not seem that these few people will survive because of their personal righteousness but rather that they are examples of sinful people who experience YHWH’s mercy in the midst of judgment. When this group of exiles comes to Babylon the exiles will see how wicked they really are and be consoled that the Lord has been just in executing well-deserved judgment upon Jerusalem and Judah. God’s justice will be vindicated.

An alternative interpretation is that Ezekiel and the exiles will see the changed behaviour of the remnant. The judgment will have had a purifying effect upon them, they will have repented and been transformed, Ezekiel and the exiles will then be comforted that God’s purposes have been accomplished.

SUMMATION

Ezekiel 14:12-23 is a solemn and sobering reminder of the seriousness of sin and the certainty of God’s judgment. Even the presence of righteous men in a country cannot avert this. Everyone is responsible for his own sin. The passage emphasises the severity of God’s punishment upon Judah which will be fourfold: famine, wild animals, the sword and plague. Despite this some individuals will survive the catastrophe and eventually reach the exiles in Babylon. Their bad (or good???) behaviour will cause the exiles to acknowledge God’s justice. That there will be a remnant is a faint glimmer of hope in an otherwise gloomy forecast for Judah’s future.

Posted in Exposition

Pride and Fall: Obadiah 1-14

Posted on by writtenexposition

As noted towards the end of my previous post Understanding the Book of Obadiah: A Concise Overview the prophecy of Obadiah to Judah about Edom falls into two main sections. The first section is historical, the second eschatological.

1-14 Declaration of Judgment on Edom

15-21 Deliverance for Israel in the day of YHWH

DECLARATION OF JUDGMENT ON EDOM (1-14)

1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.

1. This verse introduces the prophecy of Obadiah with a superscription indicating that the author is a man called Obadiah. No chronological or biographical information is supplied. Obadiah means ‘servant of the Lord’ so this may either be the name of the writer or just a self-description (For a list of the other men in the Old Testament named Obadiah see Understanding the Book of Obadiah: A Concise Overview).

Obadiah claims to have received a ‘vision.’ This is a general word for divine communication but may also refer to oracles by false prophets (Jer 14:14; 23:16). Using the prophetic formula ‘thus saith the Lord God’ (Isa 7:7; Jer 7:20; Ezek 2:4) Obadiah clarifies that the source of his vision is the Lord God (Adonai YHWH, Gen 15:2; Isa 3:1; Jer 1:6; Ezek 2:4), and thus it has divine authority. Strangely he does not follow this saying with direct speech from YHWH but instead with words spoken by YHWH’s audience; ‘we’. Who the ‘we’ are is not specified, probably Obadiah means himself plus others in the nation of Israel/Judah. In the parallel passage Jeremiah says ‘I,’ meaning just himself (Jer 49: 14-16).

‘We have heard a report (cp. Isa 53:1) straight from YHWH, and [what’s more] an envoy has been sent among the nations.’ Since Obadiah and his associates heard the tidings directly from YHWH we must presume that it is YHWH who has sent out an envoy to summon the nations to war against Edom. Whether this ambassador is human or angelic is not stated. The perfect tense ‘has been sent’ means that this will surely happen. ‘Among the nations’ is used in the context of war in Jer 49:14; 50:2; 51:27; Joel 3:9. ‘Arise ye’ is a summons to battle, as in Jer 6:4, 5; 49:14, 28, 31. YHWH will cause the nations to go to war against Edom.

EDOM

In the Old Testament the ancient nation of Edom was a prominent enemy of YHWH and his covenant people Israel. Edom, meaning ‘red,’ was descended from Esau and Israel was descended from Esau’s twin brother Jacob (Gen 25:22-26). The story of this family is found in Genesis chapters 25-33. Genesis 36:1-43 gives Esau’s family record and also lists the early kings of Edom.

Saul, Israel’s first king, waged war against Edom (1 Sam 14:47-48) as did his successor David (1 Kgs 11:15-16). David successfully subdued Edom (2 Sam 8:13-14), making it a vassal state of Israel, which it remained under Solomon. When the Israelite monarchy divided after Solomon’s death Edom remained under the control of Judah. The books of Kings and Chronicles record several Edomite revolts against Judah. These were during the reigns of the Judahite kings Jehoshaphat (2 Chron 20:10-23), Jehoram (2 Kgs 8:20-22; 2 Chron 21:8) and Amaziah (2 Kgs 14:7; 2 Chron 25:1-11). According to Psa 137:7 the Edomites were also complicit in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586/7 BCE.

In the Bible Edom is often associated with Mt Seir (Num 24:18; Deut 2:4; Judg 5:4; 2 Chron 20:10; 25:11; Isa 21:11). Its exact location is unknown but must have been in or close to Edom, probably in the Negev (a desert area to the south of Judah). The traditional territory occupied by Edom lay to the southeast of Israel in what is now southern Jordan and included two important commercial and military ports on the coast of the Red Sea, Elah (modern Eilat) and Ezion-geber (1 Kgs 9:26). The capital of Edom was Bozrah (Isa 63:1) but by the time of Amaziah (2 Kgs 14:7; 2 Chron 25:11-12) the nation’s main fortification was at Sela (modern Petra) which means ‘rock.’

2 Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.
3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?
4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD. Obadiah 2-4

Verses 2-4 give the reason for Edom’s judgement – pride.

2. ‘Behold’ directs the reader’s attention to what is going to happen. YHWH declares judgment on Edom saying that that the nation will be made small. This may be an ironic play on Gen 27:1 where Esau is described as Isaac’s ‘big son.’ YHWH will make the Edomites insignificant and despised among the nations. Their forefather Esau had despised the birthright (Gen 25:34), now his progeny will be despised.

3. Edom’s pride of heart is noted. The main idea is that of presumption, overstepping acceptable bounds (cp, 1 Sam 17:28). Pride comes first in the list of seven sins that YHWH hates (Prov 6:16-19). According to Prov 16:5 ‘everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord…he shall not be unpunished.’ Isaiah maintains that the proud and lofty will be brought low (Isa 2:13-17). Down through the years people have made arrogant and foolish statements (that God himself could not sink the Titanic springs to mind) but surely Edom is a biblical example of the truth of Prov 16:18: ‘Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall’. Ironically Edom has become delusional, its proud heart has deceived it and in v.7 its allies will deceive it too.

‘Thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high’. Since they live in mountainous regions and have a virtually impregnable stronghold at ‘the rock’ i.e. Sela (Petra) the Edomites trust in their natural fortifications. Sela‘ means rock. They believe that they are invincible and therefore they ask themselves the rhetorical question ‘Who shall bring me down to the earth? As Edom sees it the answer is ‘No-one!’

4. The correct answer to the question is given in v.4. No matter how high Edom exalts itself YHWH declares that he will bring them down from that perch. Using striking imagery Obadiah compares Edom’s fortress to an eagle’s eyrie (Job 39:27-30) situated at a great height ‘among the stars’ (Job 22:12). Edom’s pride and arrogance will result in humiliation. See Mt 11:23; 23:12.

As well as at Edom (Obad 3; Jer 49:16) the Old Testament prophets levelled the charge of pride at other nations also.

Assyria – Isa 10:12; Ezek 31:3,10; Zeph 2:13,15.

Babylon – Isa 47:8

Moab – Isa 16:6; Jer 48:29

Tyre – Ezek 28:2

5 If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grape gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes?
6 How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hidden things sought up!
7 All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.
8 Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?
9 And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.
10 For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off forever

Verses 5-10 declare the extent of Edom’s judgement.

5. Obadiah’s use of powerful imagery continues as in three conditional clauses beginning with ‘if’ he compares Edom’s destruction to a night-time robbery and to the work of grape gatherers. Note the double use of ‘came’ and ‘would they not’ in the two parallel statements in v.5.

‘If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night…would they not have stolen till they had enough?’

‘If the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes?’

These rhetorical questions make the point that robbers and reapers only take what they can carry; they do not take everything, they always leave something. Edom’s destruction, however, will be total, its plunderers will leave nothing. Between the two metaphors lies a dramatic aside ‘how art thou cut off,’ this is a mock lament.

6. The mocking continues in v.6 and emphasises the thoroughness with which Esau (standing for Edom) will be plundered as its enemies search for and dig out its hidden treasures.

7. The regional powers with which Edom has allied and agreed peace treaties will betray her. Who these confederates are is not stated but YHWH will have them turn against Edom. These allies will commit three acts of treachery against Edom. They will (1) expel Edom’s ambassadors from their borders , i.e. send them back to their own country, (2) deceive and overpower Edom, reneging on bilateral agreements that have been ratified with a covenant meal (e.g. Josh 9:12-15), and (3) wound Edom’s lower parts, i.e. ambush Edom and strike a blow from which it will not recover. YHWH will execute destruction on Edom by influencing its allies to attack her.

That there was ongoing diplomatic activity among the nations in that region is clear from Jeremiah chapter 27. Envoys from Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon arrived at Jerusalem, no doubt to discuss forming an alliance against Nebuchadnezzar and his advancing forces. Jeremiah got involved and sent each of the representatives on their way back to their kings with a yoke as an object lesson, along with advice to submit to Babylonian rule.

8-10. Again taking up the topic of divine retribution foretold in vv.2-4 YHWH asks a rhetorical question, to which the expected answer is ‘Yes!’ ‘Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?’ YHWH say that he will remove wise men from Edom so that her leaders will no longer have the discernment to make good decisions. Because of this Edom’s warriors will become demoralised and the army ineffective. They will be slaughtered by opposing military forces.

‘The mount of Esau’ (also v.21) refers to Mt Seir and stands for all of Edom (Ezek 35:15). Teman (as well as Sela. see v.3) was a town in Edom and was named after one of Esau’s grandsons (Gen 36:11; 1 Chron 1:36).

‘In that day’ refers to the time when the events of v.7 take place.

Edom was famous for its wisdom (Obad 8; Jer 49:7; see also 1 Kgs 4:30). Eliphaz, one of Job’s comforters (Job 16:2) was a Temanite (Job 2:11).

Verse 10 makes it clear that Edom deserved severe punishment because it did not respect the historical kinship bond with Israel. This is emphasized by the use of ‘thy brother Jacob’ meaning Israel. Israel was descended from Jacob and Edom from Jacob’s twin brother Esau. Israel was bitter at the violence perpetrated against it by Edom; this resentment is expressed very powerfully in the book of Obadiah. Because of hostility displayed towards Israel Edom will be disgraced and will cease to exist as a nation (‘cut off forever’).

11 In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.
12 But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.
13 Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity;
14 Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress.

11. Verse 11 refers to a specific time of crisis for Judah when Edom was complicit with foreign invaders, taking sides with them as they attacked Jerusalem.

12-14. Verses 12-14 lists eight crimes which Edom perpetrated against Judah on that occasion. ‘In/on that day’ occurs nine times in vv.10-14.

  • You should not have gloated over your brother in the day of his alienation (v.12).
  • You should not have rejoiced over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin (v.12).
  • You should not have boasted in the day of distress (v.12)
  • You should not have entered the gate of my people in the day of calamity (v.13).
  • You should not have gloated over their disaster in the day of their calamity (v.13).
  • You should not have looted their wealth in the day of their calamity (v.13).
  • You should not have stood at the crossroads to cut off fugitives (v.14).
  • You should not have handed over survivors in the day of distress (v.14).

These crimes against Judah may have occurred during the Edomite rebellion c. 850 BCE in the reign of Jehoram of Judah but the dominant view among scholars, based on Psa 137:7, is that Obadiah was written soon after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 587/6 BCE and that these verses refer to Edom’s behaviour at that time.

That view takes no account of the fact that the Edomites are not mentioned in the list of nations that helped the Babylonians at that time (2 Kgs 24:1-2). It also fails to explain Jer 40:11, which indicates that people from Judah fled from the Babylonians to other territories; a number of them finding refuge in Edom.

In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him. And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servants the prophets. 2 Kings 24:1-2

Verse 14 brings to an end the oracle against Edom. The prophet now turns from the day of Judah’s calamity when Edom acted against it to another day; the Day of YHWH. On that day the situation will be reversed. Edom and the other nations will be judged and Israel will be delivered (v.17).

Posted in General

OUR DAYS ON EARTH

Posted on by writtenexposition

JOB 14:1-14

During the late 1960s and early 70s I attended an afternoon Sunday School in the old Harryville Gospel Hall, Ballymena, where we were encouraged to learn a memory verse every week. These were not usually random verses, but from a chapter of the Bible. Of all the chapters, for me, the most memorable of all was Job chapter 14. Mr. Wilson, our teacher, did not listen to us repeat the words of each verse just for the sake of it. He also explained the meaning, pressing home the truth that life is transitory; that we are not here to stay. Job chapter 14 reminds us that:


OUR DAYS ON EARTH ARE FEW


‘Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.’ (14:1)


This is a reality that we all must face. Psalm 90:10 tells us: ‘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.’ This, of course, is neither a guarantee that everyone will live to seventy, nor does it teach that one must die on his or her seventieth birthday. Many never make it to seventy and also many live beyond that age. The point is that we are all going to die. Using the ballpark figure of seventy calendar years that God has given us we can each expect to live for 25,550 days. Having turned sixty-one in April I have already (as I write this) used up 22,300 of those days. You can do the calculation for your own age or, easier still, ask Google: ‘How many days since ? (Your date of birth).’ If you have already reached the age of seventy you are on borrowed time. In that case do not despair! Psalm 90:10 adds ‘and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years’. Again this figure is a generalisation making the point that those who live longer can still be productive after the age of seventy. Psalm 92:14 says of the righteous: ‘They shall still bring forth fruit in old age.’ Nevertheless, when we consider our life in terms of the number of days this sobering fact emerges: our days are few.


OUR DAYS ON EARTH ARE FLEETING


‘He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.’ (14:2)


Life is uncertain, and it passes away quickly and unexpectedly. We can plan as much as we want but our plans may never come to fruition. At the beginning of 2020 who would have thought that by May the whole country would have been in lockdown for at least two months and thousands of our fellow-citizens gone into eternity as a result of COVID-19? Proverbs 27:1 reminds us: ‘Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.’James 4:13-14 says: ‘Go to now, ye that say, To day or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 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.’Not one of us knows what is going to happen later today. Those who will die today, like all who have died in recent weeks, will have expected to live longer. Life is:


Like a vapour (James 4:14)

Like a weaver’s shuttle (Job 7:6)

Like the wind (Job 7:7)

Like a shadow (Job 8:9)

Like a royal carrier delivering a letter (Job 9:25)

Like a swift boat or an eagle in flight (Job 9:26)

Like a flower. (Job 14:2)


OUR DAYS ON EARTH ARE FIXED


‘Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;’ (14:5)


Only God knows the number of days that each of us will spend on earth. The Psalmist (31:15a) said: ‘My times are in thy hand.’ Each of us has an allotted span of time. God knows when our souls and spirits will leave these bodies. He also knows the circumstances surrounding these departures. We do not. Yet those appointments have already been made. They are in his calendar and they are unalterable and unavoidable. Hebrews 9:27 tells us: ‘And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.’


OUR DAYS ON EARTH ARE FINAL


‘If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.’ (14:14)


We have only one life on earth. A few days! How shall we spend them? There are no reruns, no second chances, no reincarnation. No more opportunities to serve the Lord. That makes life very serious. It is sacred, too, because it is given to us by God (Acts 17:25). ‘He gives to all life and breath and all things.’ Life is a wonderful thing; a blessing from God. We must give account to him for the use we make of it. We should therefore spend it wisely. Moses wrote in Psalm 90:12: ‘So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.’Our time here is limited. The years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds that we have left are counting down. We have several options: waste them, spend them or invest them (Mt 6:19-20). Which will it be?