How does Barzillai's perspective on life compare to Psalm 90:10? Setting the Scene Barzillai, an elderly Gileadite who had supplied King David during Absalom’s revolt (2 Samuel 17:27-29), meets David at the Jordan to escort him home. Scripture highlights his age and attitude: • 2 Samuel 19:35 – “I am now eighty years old,” answered Barzillai. “Can I discern what is good or bad? Can Your servant taste what he eats or drinks? Can I still hear the voice of male and female singers? Why should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king?” Psalm 90:10 in Focus “ The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty if we are strong— yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10) Parallels between Barzillai and Psalm 90:10 • Same lifespan marker – Psalm sets eighty as the upper range for human strength; Barzillai is precisely eighty. • Consciousness of decline – Barzillai lists failing senses and usefulness; Psalm describes the years as “labor and sorrow.” • Transience embraced – Barzillai declines royal favor to “die in my own city near the grave of my father and mother” (2 Samuel 19:37). – Psalm speaks of life that “quickly pass[es], and we fly away.” Contrasts worth noting • Personal humility vs. communal lament – Barzillai personalizes the limitations; Psalm voices a collective human experience. • Gratitude amid brevity – Barzillai still chooses to bless David with his son Kimham (2 Samuel 19:37-40); Psalm 90 moves toward a plea for God’s compassion (v. 12-17). • Acceptance vs. petition – Barzillai accepts the end of his journey; Psalm 90 acknowledges brevity yet asks God to “establish the work of our hands” (v. 17). Lessons for Today • Recognize the God-given boundaries of life (Job 14:5). • Approach old age with realistic humility, not bitterness (Ecclesiastes 12:1-7). • Use remaining strength to bless others, as Barzillai advanced Kimham’s future (cf. 1 Kings 2:7). • Number our days to gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12), remembering that even eighty strong years pass swiftly, but faithfulness leaves a lasting legacy (Proverbs 16:31; 2 Timothy 4:7-8). |
    |