The Bible tells us, “So teach us to number our days … that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12 ESV), and Proverbs 9:10: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Numbering our days is much more than keeping track of how many days we have lived or counting our birthdays. It is the reality of life’s shortness.

On Monday, January2, 2023, I started to watch the NFL game between Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills. In the first quarter a Buffalo player, defensive back Damar Hamlin, made a tackle and got right up afterwards. He immediately fell down again. There was nothing obvious in the tackle to cause an injury. For a while after that, according to the commentator, the medical people had to give him CPR to restore his heart beat. Today the Bills are saying he suffered a cardiac arrest on the field after making a tackle. Damar is just 24 years old.

Both teams were devastated and silence reigned in the stadium. Neither team wanted to continue the game and it was suspended. They were in shock.

The Commentator made a statement something to the effect that this incident was not about football, or a player being hurt, or, to some extent, even about Damar Hamlin. It was about life and death. He said it well. His statement is extremely true.

Here was a 24-year-old man – in the prime of life and doing just what he wanted to be doing – playing Professional Football. Then he was lying on the ground having CPR to revive him and keep him alive. I am sure that while all of the players and officials were concerned for Daman, they suddenly realized that it could be them in that situation. That realization brought about by the event that just happened is sure to cause most of us to face our own humanity and face the fact that we won’t live forever, in fact, we may not live a minute longer. That is a staggering thought.

Humanly speaking, death is final. Just what is after death? We can’t comprehend or fathom it. That realization brings us to a sudden stop. It’s no wonder that those on the field were unable to continue playing.

The Bible tells us, “So teach us to number our days … that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12 ESV), and Proverbs 9:10: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Numbering our days is much more than keeping track of how many days we have lived or counting our birthdays. It is the reality of life’s shortness. As a youngster, we look at life and think, “I’ve got a long life ahead of me yet. I don’t need to think about death yet.” Actually, we have no idea of how many days we have to live. People die at different ages. Some are very young when they die Others live for many years. But what does 80 or 90 years look like when you consider the earth has been around for at least 4,000 years. What claim on life do we have for tomorrow. Even if all those at the Stadium in Cincinnati never outwardly considered the shortness of life and our lack of control over what may happen to us in just a few minutes, the knowledge of the shortness of our life span is built into us. Confrontation with death (or even near death) of ourselves or those near to us is absolutely overwhelming. It brings us face to face with the great fear that we have of dying. That is what happened last night.

We are called upon to number or consider our life span, the lack of control we have over our own life. We are told that “numbering” our days will “get us a heart of wisdom.” Wisdom tells us how to use whatever days we have in the proper way.

But what is wisdom? It is more than being knowledgeable. Many men of great knowledge lack wisdom. Some very unlearned people have great wisdom. Proverbs 9:10 tells us what the very beginning of wisdom is – the fear of the Lord. While fear includes being afraid, it is much more. The idea of fear includes holding that person as being so far beyond us that we are in utter awe of them. Such awe leads us to revere and worship that Person. And that reverence and awe leads us to desire to be like him or her. So, we seek Him/her.

Now, since God is a Spirit, and not flesh and blood as we are, He is impossible to know from our stand point. God had to make Himself known to us. He did that through His Word, the Bible that He caused to be written revealing himself to those whom He inspired to write it – and through taking on a flesh and blood body and living among us in the person of Jesus Christ.

Since we cannot know Him in any other way, God had to reveal Himself first through the Prophets and their writing. But that wasn’t all he did. He also lived and experienced all that is man – including death.

That is the “beginning of wisdom.” Once God shows himself to us and convicts us of our need of salvation, he brings us into his presence and continues to teach us and to make us more and more like Him over the course of whatever length of life He gives us.

As part of that He removes the fear of death from our lives. After all, If Jesus was raised from the dead, and he promises us that He will not let death keep us from him, what do we have to fear?

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:28-39 ESV

Perhaps God has used the events of last night to show you your need of salvation. God has promised that everyone who calls upon His name shall be saved through Christ Jesus. Find an evangelical believer or pastor and talk with them about salvation.

Also, take to heart and believe each of these verses taken from Romans . They are from God’s Word and are God’s way to Salvation – your first step in wisdom (Look up the passage in the Bible and read the verses in context All passages are quoted from the English Standard Version (ESV)):

1. Romans 3:9-12:

What then? Are we Jews[a] any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;

no one understands;

no one seeks for God.

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

no one does good,

not even one.”

2. Romans 6:23:

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

3. Romans 5:8:

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

4. Romans 10:9:

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

5. Romans 10:13:

for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

6. Romans 5:1:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

7. Romans 8:39-30:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

William A Robfogel is a retired missionary living in Sebring, Fla.