Limiting Life As A Mercy.

[Ellen Brown]

Gen. 6:3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

At age 72, life seems so strange and surreal to me that I am completely dismayed. I'm wishing that it was over at 50 years.

The Biblical Idea that Methuselah lived 869 years is unimaginable. Perhaps, the limiting of life was an act of mercy?

 

[sooda]

Gen. 6:3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

At age 72, life seems so strange and surreal to me that I am completely dismayed. I'm wishing that it was over at 50 years.

The Biblical Idea that Methuselah lived 869 years is unimaginable. Perhaps, the limiting of life was an act of mercy?

Is this a DIR?

 

[Terry Sampson]

Is this a DIR?

No. It's a discussion-only Forum.

 

[Road Less Traveled]

I’m personally ready to check out when the time comes, not fearful of it, even though I am 36.

If I get older, and terminal, or in a fight with redundant pain and suffering... I’d love to end it sooner. The last thing I’d want to be is a burden on anyone else, or just sitting or lying there helpless and withering away in agony.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Gen. 6:3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

At age 72, life seems so strange and surreal to me that I am completely dismayed. I'm wishing that it was over at 50 years.

The Biblical Idea that Methuselah lived 869 years is unimaginable. Perhaps, the limiting of life was an act of mercy?

I notice that 120 is 12 x 10, and there are 12 tribes. I cannot conclude what it means, but the similarity is probably not arbitrary.

It reminds me of a suspicious passage which speaks about a nation (Amorites) going through a process of ruination and self destruction, and this may generalize to all nations. All nations, so far, do indeed seem to go through a process of corruption and self destruction. Genesis 15:16 says its not yet time for the Amorite nation to end but that its end is on the way. Just before that it talks about how Egypt will be judged, so its in the context of the judgment of nations. It is a bit of hop to consider whether it might relate to the 120 years. We tend to presume that the 120 years is about the age of an individual, but I am going to be a little flexible about it since I can't be sure what its talking about just yet.

This brings me back to the passage you bring up in the OP "My spirit will not strive with man forever..." From the NT we obtain this phrase "...for where the spirit of the LORD is there is liberty..." (2 Corinthians 3:17) which indicates there may be a connection here between the LORD striving and the nations and the number 120 years. My passage selection may feel a little random to some people, but I'm looking for the answer to the same question that you are "Why 120 years? Why give up at that number? What is its significance to me a non Jew?" Maybe this is about the degradation of nations, their internal time tables and how much lenience they get when they start to go rotten.

 

[Ellen Brown]

I notice that 120 is 12 x 10, and there are 12 tribes. I cannot conclude what it means, but the similarity is probably not arbitrary.

It reminds me of a suspicious passage which speaks about a nation (Amorites) going through a process of ruination and self destruction, and this may generalize to all nations. All nations, so far, do indeed seem to go through a process of corruption and self destruction. Genesis 15:16 says its not yet time for the Amorite nation to end but that its end is on the way. Just before that it talks about how Egypt will be judged, so its in the context of the judgment of nations. It is a bit of hop to consider whether it might relate to the 120 years. We tend to presume that the 120 years is about the age of an individual, but I am going to be a little flexible about it since I can't be sure what its talking about just yet.

This brings me back to the passage you bring up in the OP "My spirit will not strive with man forever..." From the NT we obtain this phrase "...for where the spirit of the LORD is there is liberty..." (2 Corinthians 3:17) which indicates there may be a connection here between the LORD striving and the nations and the number 120 years. My passage selection may feel a little random to some people, but I'm looking for the answer to the same question that you are "Why 120 years? Why give up at that number? What is its significance to me a non Jew?" Maybe this is about the degradation of nations, their internal time tables and how much lenience they get when they start to go rotten.

I hadn't placed much importance in the word "strive". I just assume that any interpretation of old scripture can be relatively inexact. Is it significant that almost none of us make it to 120 years? I think the average is less than 90 years? My main point was that I am seeing the reduction in lifespan as an act of mercy, not punishment. I think that 800 plus years would be torture.

 

[sooda]

I hadn't placed much importance in the word "strive". I just assume that any interpretation of old scripture can be relatively inexact. Is it significant that almost none of us make it to 120 years? I think the average is less than 90 years? My main point was that I am seeing the reduction in lifespan as an act of mercy, not punishment. I think that 800 plus years would be torture.

No one lived 800 years. Their lifespans were much like ours with a higher rate of infant mortality.

 

[Brickjectivity]

I hadn't placed much importance in the word "strive". I just assume that any interpretation of old scripture can be relatively inexact. Is it significant that almost none of us make it to 120 years? I think the average is less than 90 years? My main point was that I am seeing the reduction in lifespan as an act of mercy, not punishment. I think that 800 plus years would be torture.

I notice that there is this passage about the 120 year limit, yet there are several people after that in the story who live far beyond 120, such Abraham's father, grandfather and so on.

 

[sooda]

I notice that there is this passage about the 120 year limit, yet there are several people after that in the story who live far beyond 120, such Abraham's father, grandfather and so on.

Nearly all historians say Abraham was not a real, historical person, and that much of the biblical account of the patriarchs could not have happened. For example, he could not have left Ur of the Chaldees around 2000 BCE when the Chaldeans only migrated out of Arabia around 800 BCE, and he could not have met the Philistine king , when the Philistines were a sea people who only arrived in the Levant around 1200 BCE. And we can rely on Abraham not having lived to 175 years, an age people would not dream of living even with the aid of modern medical facilities.

Once again, nearly all historians say there was no Exodus from Egypt as portrayed in the Bible. With no biblical Exodus, there was no biblical Moses.

So, where did the Israelites come from? The consensus of historians is that they were rural Canaanites who left the region of the rich coastal cities, to settle peacefully in the hitherto sparsely populated hinterland. They were not descended from a nation of slaves in Egypt, and they were not descended from the Hebrew patriarchs. Abraham and Moses were from a mythical past.

 

[Brickjectivity]

No one lived 800 years. Their lifespans were much like ours with a higher rate of infant mortality.

Hmm. It probably depends on if we are on Earth or in sacred space. The text is read aloud in the synogogue and temple.

Nearly all historians say Abraham was not a real, historical person, and that much of the biblical account of the patriarchs could not have happened. For example, he could not have left Ur of the Chaldees around 2000 BCE when the Chaldeans only migrated out of Arabia around 800 BCE, and he could not have met the Philistine king , when the Philistines were a sea people who only arrived in the Levant around 1200 BCE. And we can rely on Abraham not having lived to 175 years, an age people would not dream of living even with the aid of modern medical facilities.

Once again, nearly all historians say there was no Exodus from Egypt as portrayed in the Bible. With no biblical Exodus, there was no biblical Moses.

So, where did the Israelites come from? The consensus of historians is that they were rural Canaanites who left the region of the rich coastal cities, to settle peacefully in the hitherto sparsely populated hinterland. They were not descended from a nation of slaves in Egypt, and they were not descended from the Hebrew patriarchs. Abraham and Moses were from a mythical past.

True, but History is secular. I am starting to get the sense that these events are heavenly events not things that happen in our own timestream and our own rational world. Perhaps this is not meant to be read as a description of our world but as a transformation of it, sort of like in topology where you map one shape onto another point for point. Imagine taking every point on your hand and numbering it, then mapping all of those points to your foot or some other part like your nose.

 

[Ellen Brown]

No one lived 800 years. Their lifespans were much like ours with a higher rate of infant mortality.

Methusalah lived 969 years according to scripture. Then God limited it to 120. If as some day the time was in tenths of years, that would throw things off.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Having recently come to enjoy and appreciate life, I'm in no hurry or rush for it to end, and have no desires for it either. Used to be I wished I could have just died during my birth instead of being saved, but I haven't thought about that or wished it in some time now.

 

[Ellen Brown]

I notice that there is this passage about the 120 year limit, yet there are several people after that in the story who live far beyond 120, such Abraham's father, grandfather and so on.

Go figure.

 

[syo]

Perhaps, the limiting of life was an act of mercy?

In my religion (a pagan one) when we die we reborn anew. Our old bodies, that were damaged by entropy, are reused in mother nature, and life goes on.

 

[Goodman John]

In my view- a Cathar point of view- we each have a soul within us, a divine 'spark' placed in us at conception. During our lifetime it is up to us to recognize the divine within and purify ourselves and strengthen our faith in God so that upon our death our soul may escape this wretched physical world and return to God in the spiritual realm. If our souls are not sufficiently prepared, or have been corrupted by Satan, upon our death our soul returns to a 'holding place'- similar to what the Jews refer to as the Guf (or for you Indiana Jones fans, what I call the Well of Souls)- to await placement in a new body. And thus the cycle of knowledge, purification and strengthening of faith begins anew. (Sneak preview: when the number of 'saved' souls equals the number remaining on earth and in the Well, the physical realm ceases to exist- Satan is returned to God to await his pleasure, and the unsaved souls are destroyed or otherwise utterly cut off from God. So it's in our best interest to get 'r done as soon as we can so we don't miss that last bus to Paradise.)

For me, I know I have a lot of work to do on myself before my soul is strong enough to leave for good; in any case, though, it is my goal to reach a state where my soul can leave this physical Hell. Whatever part of me goes with my soul would, I'm sure, rather be with God than have to do this all over again.