The secret to longevity – Living a long, peaceful and prosperous life

There is a persistent thought that has lingered with me for most of the last few months, and it bothers on the topic of longevity. These thoughts have been about why some men attain success only to see them fall into lifelong shame and ridicule, but others seem to attain success over extended periods of time. They may have challenges along the way but over the span of a life time, their years are full of good success in career, family, society, health etc. Therefore, in this post, I seek to answer some questions. What does the Bible tell us about the secret to living a long, peaceful and prosperous life? Why is this particular (longevity) blessing a conditional one? Why do righteous people sometimes face an early death? Why do evil men sometimes seem to live in prosperity and success in this life while the righteous suffer? What does walking in God’s ways, keeping His statutes and commandments practically look like? I hope you learn a thing or two as you read. God bless you.

Of recent, I’ve been studying the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles. One thing that stood out to me was how the lives of evil people (men, women, kings, queens) were often cut short, typically in undesirable ways. The Bible goes into so much detail with back to back stories of these people that I can’t help but think that these stories are there as instruction to us who live in these days.

In the books of Kings and Chronicles, we learn that before David passed away, Solomon his son became King of Israel. After David died, God appeared to Solomon in a dream saying: “Ask! What shall I give you?” In 1 Kings 3:9, Solomon asked for “an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil”. I often read this and wonder how or why Solomon managed to ask specifically for wisdom or an understanding heart. I posit that his response was partly influenced by the repeated instructions that David gave him privately and in the presence of the people, as well as the prayers of David his father for wisdom for his son.

• 1 Chronicles 22:12-13: “Only may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. Then you will prosper, if you take care to fulfill the statutes and judgments with which the Lord charged Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and of good courage; do not fear nor be dismayed”
  
• 1 Chronicles 28:8: “Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, be careful to seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you forever.“

David’s example in how he brought up Solomon reveals the importance of prayer and the words we speak to our children in their youthful days, and how this could manifest in their lives when older. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” So that I keep this point balanced, it’s equally important to flag that David’s love for women and his weaknesses in this area were also adopted by his sons who took it to even more extreme levels (marrying multiple wives including from amongst unbelievers, raping their sister, sleeping with their father’s maidens in the presence of the people etc.).

Basically, Solomon asked for an understanding heart to lead/judge the people, and to be able to discern between good and evil. His request pleased God. In explaining how his request pleased God, I noticed in God’s response that it was not only because Solomon asked for wisdom as against asking for long life or riches or destruction of his enemies, but that Solomon’s request was selfless. Repeatedly, God said you did not ask for this “for yourself” or that “for yourself”. Perhaps this is why the Bible tells us in James 4:3 that: “And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure”.

So what did God do? He granted Solomon what he asked for i.e. a wise and understanding heart. But as we know with God, He typically doesn’t bless us in percentages but in folds! For example, in the miracle of the five loaves and two fish, not only did everyone eat to their full, but there were twelve baskets of food left over! In this instance with Solomon, God gave him two bonus blessings – one unconditional, and the other conditional.

The unconditional bonus blessing was that God added to wisdom, riches and honor such that there will not be anyone as wealthy as Solomon among the kings during his lifetime. Then God added one more bonus blessing but this one was conditional. God said to Solomon in 1 Kings 3:14: “If you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days”.

When I read this, I wonder why this particular blessing was conditional. Perhaps it’s because permitting a man with so much wisdom, riches and honor to live long without being faithful to God would only end up doing so much damage to him and humanity. That said, because we live in a sinful world, it’s not uncommon to see the wicked man prosper or live long but God calls us to keep our eyes focused on Him and not on the evil man, because his end will surely be destruction despite what may be happening in this life. The Bible is rife with commentaty on this dynamic of evil men, so study for yourself: Psalm 37:7; Psalm 37:1; Psalm 92:7; Job 21:7–15; Psalm 73:3–12; Jeremiah 12:1; Malachi 3:15.

I find this blessing of God-given long life repeated in multiple places in the Bible, including in Proverbs 3:2; Psalms 91:16, 2 Chr 6:16-17, 1 Kings 2:4, as well as in the lives of the Kings in the Bible. For example, when you study 2 Kings 9-15, 17, you see that King Jehu, because he was so faithful in obeying God’s instructions and cleansing the land of Israel of evil, he was the only King of ‘Israel’ (not ‘Judah’) to have sons on the throne for four generations. God pronounced this blessing on him in 2 Kings 10:30. Although his sons were all evil, God’s word stood firm and after the fourth generation, the last son in his lineage reigned for only six months on the throne, was killed in front of the people, and a stranger took over the throne.

Perhaps the most striking place in the Bible where you find God state both His conditional promise of longevity but also its antithesis, is in 2 Chronicles 7:17-22. After Solomon had dedicated the new temple with prayers, God said in no uncertain terms:

• The conditional longevity promise/blessing: ¹⁷ “As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, ¹⁸ then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man as ruler in Israel.’

• The antithesis to God’s conditional longevity promise/blessing: ¹⁹ “But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, ²⁰ then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. ²¹ “And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and this house?’ ²² Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.’ ”

Basically from all the above, we learn that the blessing of longevity that comes from obeying God’s words, having wisdom and understanding, involves not only long life, but also living a prosperous life (however that manifests in everyone’s life), and a blessing that extends beyond your own lifetime to generations that come after you (if they also continue in obedience to God).

Then God added one more bonus blessing but this one was conditional. God said to Solomon in 1 Kings 3:14: If you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days”.

In summary

We’ve been able to establish that the secret to a long, peaceful and prosperous life lies in walking in God’s ways, keeping His statutes and commandments. But practically, what does this entail? The starting point is giving one’s life to Christ, getting baptised in water, choosing to follow Him daily and letting go of our old sinful ways. It involves diligently seeking God, studying the Bible daily, keeping His words treasured in our minds. Building a life of prayer, praise and devotion to Him. Spending time in His house and with His children, friends and strangers. The Bible also speaks to many practical dynamics of life. It speaks to the company you keep, how you interact/deal with people (friends, superiors, peers, subordiates, strangers), taking care of your parents. It teaches us about money – how to make it, what to do with it, the risks of loving it and hoarding it. It warns us about the powers of sex – adultery, promiscuity, homosexuality, debauchery, sexual immorality, idol worship etc. (Romans 1:18-32). It also speaks to honesty, integrity, diligence, hardwork and excellence. It tells us about the importance of keeping the Sabbath holy i.e. Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. It speaks about eating right and well, exercise, spending time in nature like Jesus did, the value of rest and sleep, caring for your mental health like God cared for Elijah’s depression.

I could go on and on but you should get my point by now. All these things and more are ingredients of longevity. The Bible is a manual for living. Love it and you’ve chosen to love life. No matter what happens, we can always be comforted in knowing that God loves us, has chosen us by sending His most precious only son to die for us, to save us from the consequences of sin, and He will neither leave nor forsake us. It is this truth that helps us navigate the ups and downs of life with a peaceful and joyful heart posture, filling our days on this earth with the goodness of God.

This wouldn’t be a balanced post if I don’t mention that because we live in a sinful and fallen world, the righteous sometimes deal with circumstances that we may deem unfair, including early death. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 57:1-2 that: “The righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil. He shall enter into peace; they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.” I recommend watching this Bible study by Pastor Debleaire Snell discussing why bad things happen to good people. Finally, a righteous life is not necessarily a life devoid of challenges. Therefore, God’s blessings of long life often involves learning how to be joyous in the midst of our trials, ensuring that our years are filled with joy in Him and not focusing on our sorrows, teaching us endurance and how to hope in Him. God bless you.