Proverbs 10:27

"The Fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened." Proverbs 10:27 I do not believe a literal interpretation is the best place to begin an analysis of this particular verse. If faithfulness to God was the foundation for a long life, than we should see a clear distinction in life spans between the righteous and the wicked. However, if you read the paper on any given day that is not the case. Rather than justify the actions of the world by quoting Romans that "all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God." Romans 3:23, and therefore all of our years have been cut short. I believe if we look at this verse from a different perspective we may gain a different insight. What I am referring to is when taken in context of the authors writing, some 2200 years ago, the average life was around the age of 45 years. With our modern medical miracles we have prolonged this and adapted, however, in Biblical times the law was given and contained rather specific instructions in regards to the preparation of food. If you look at these preparations they contain several medically sound principles for the prevention of contamination and spoiling of food, as well as avoiding ill prepared meat. Therefore, it can be regarded that the fear of the Lord, and consequently obedience to the law will result in a healthier lifestyle, and therefore a longer life. Follow the Bible, live longer.