Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age,” Genesis 25 tells us, and then describes the old patriarch as “an old man and full of years.” Old Testament writers use this same quaint description several times to describe the elderly. When it came time for them to depart, Father Isaac, King David, Jehoiada the priest, and the famous sufferer Job all are said to have been “full of years.”
If you’re living life in the fast lane, do you get “full of years” sooner than those who proceed at a wiser pace? Jeremiah describes the elderly as “those weighed down with years.” That sounds negative, something to dread. While “full of years” sounds positive, a blessing to thank God for.
Meditate on this subject with us this month as Senior Editor Gene Shelburne treats us to a delightful series of devotional essays on what it means to be “full of years.”