Teach Us to Number Our Days
A Message from Psalm 90 and Proverbs 1
Introduction
• Life is a series of decisions, each shaping our path.
• Like braiding a rope, loose ends exist, but they don’t have to be frazzled.
• Every day we make choices, but we need not make them alone.
• We must not waste our days on useless pursuits.
• The world is spiraling toward destruction, yet many Christians follow its course instead of Christ’s.
“For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: We spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; And if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
Psalm 90:9-12
I. The Need for Wisdom in Our Days
1. We Have a Limited Time on Earth
• God tells us our years are 70 or 80 at most.
• The real issue is not how many years we live but how we use them.
• We must number our days, not just our years—living with purpose.
• Ephesians 5:15-16 – Redeeming the time because the days are evil.
2. Wisdom Guides Our Steps
• Proverbs 4:7 – Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom.
• Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
• Wisdom is profitable to direct (Ecclesiastes 10:10).
3. The Foolish Waste Their Days
• The world chases vanity and lies (Ecclesiastes 1:2).
• Many Christians treat life as a fairy tale rather than a battlefield for truth.
• Paul said, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).
II. The Purpose of God’s Wisdom
“The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction; To perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning.”
Proverbs 1:1-5
1. Solomon’s Counsel Was From God
• God gave Solomon wisdom, but he later strayed (1 Kings 11:4).
• His downfall warns us not to neglect God’s instruction.
2. Wisdom Brings Understanding and Justice
• The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7).
• Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
3. Wisdom Must Be Heeded
• “A wise man will hear” (Proverbs 1:5).
• Many are deaf to the truth, ignoring God’s wisdom.
• Example: David and Bathsheba
• David ignored wisdom and sinned greatly.
• His sin led to murder and destruction.
• Nathan rebuked him, saying, “Thou art the man” (2 Samuel 12:7).
III. The Voices That Compete for Our Hearts
“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.”
Proverbs 1:10
1. The Call of the World vs. the Call of God
• The world entices with sin, just as Satan did with Eve (Genesis 3:1-6).
• The devil is the prince of this world (Ephesians 2:2).
• Christ is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
2. The Influence of a Wicked Society
• Many Christians compromise instead of standing firm.
• The world’s wisdom leads to destruction (1 Corinthians 3:19).
• Schools, media, and culture teach rebellion against God.
3. The Consequences of Ignoring God’s Wisdom
“Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh.”
Proverbs 1:24-26
• Those who reject wisdom suffer consequences.
• Sin’s pleasure is temporary, but its price is eternal (Hebrews 11:25).
• Those who ignore God’s call will face judgment (Proverbs 1:27-31).
IV. The Three Types of People Who Ignore Wisdom
“How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?”
Proverbs 1:22
1. The Simple – Ignorant but not necessarily rebellious.
2. The Scorner – Mockers who reject truth.
3. The Fool – Those who despise knowledge and live in rebellion.
• Example: The Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21).
• Focused on wealth, not on God.
• God called him a fool, for that night his soul was required of him.
V. The Call to Repentance and Salvation
“Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.”
Proverbs 1:23
1. God Calls to the Lost
• Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).
• He is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9).
2. God Calls the Backslider
• David repented when confronted by Nathan (Psalm 51).
• The prodigal son returned to the Father (Luke 15:11-24).
3. God Calls the Faithful to Commitment
• Will you serve the Lord with your whole heart?
• Joshua 24:15 – “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.”
• Romans 12:1 – Present your body a living sacrifice.
Conclusion: Choose Wisely!
• Who will you follow—the wisdom of God or the wisdom of the world?
• Will you be like David, falling into sin, or like David, repenting and returning?
• Today is the day of salvation! Do not delay!
“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.”
Isaiah 55:6
Call to Salvation:
• If you are lost, come to Christ today! (Romans 10:9-10).
Call to Repentance:
• If you have backslidden, return before it’s too late! (1 John 1:9).
Call to Service:
• If you are faithful, stand firm and lead others in wisdom!
Final Plea:
“Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12
Let us not waste our days, but redeem them for Christ. Amen!
The next will be a sermon on the same text:
Teach Us to Number Our Days
A Sermon from Psalm 90 and Proverbs 1
Introduction
Brethren, we stand today upon the edge of eternity! Each breath we take, each step we make, carries us closer to that final day when we shall stand before our Maker. Some walk heedlessly toward destruction, unaware of the precipice before them. Others number their days, walking in wisdom, guided by the fear of the Lord. Which one are you?
Oh, how fleeting is our time! The Word of God declares:
“For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: We spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”
Psalm 90:9-10
Seventy years! Perhaps eighty! And even those are filled with labor and sorrow, and then—gone! The body returns to dust, but the soul? Ah, my friends, the soul must meet its Creator! Tell me, dear soul, are you prepared? Have you numbered your days, or have you wasted them in folly?
We make decisions daily, weaving the rope of our lives strand by strand. Some weave with wisdom, and their rope is strong. Others let the strands remain frayed, coming undone at the slightest pull. What will it profit you to reach the end of life only to find you have lived in vain?
I. The Folly of a Life Lived Without Wisdom
Oh, how the world rushes onward, seeking new pleasures, new philosophies, new entertainments! Yet it remains ever the same: lost, blind, wandering in darkness. The Word of God warns:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 1:7
Look around! We wonder why our nation crumbles, why wickedness abounds, why our children turn from God—yet we send them to be instructed by the enemies of Christ! We place them under the tutelage of the world and expect them to walk in righteousness. Can a man take fire into his bosom and not be burned? (Proverbs 6:27).
Fools despise wisdom! They chase after the fleeting, the empty, the perishing. Have you done the same? Have you spent your years on fables, on vanities, on the wisdom of this world, which is but folly in the eyes of God? (1 Corinthians 3:19).
Solomon, the wisest of men, wrote these proverbs. He understood wisdom, yet even he, in the latter years of his life, turned to folly! The man who built the house of God filled his own house with idols. The man who taught others was himself ensnared. Let this be a warning! A man may know wisdom and yet refuse to walk in it!
II. The Call of Wisdom and the Call of the World
Listen! Do you not hear? Wisdom is calling!
“Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: In the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?”
Proverbs 1:20-22
How long? Oh, sinner, how long will you reject wisdom? How long will you walk in the way of destruction? The voice of wisdom echoes through the halls of time, pleading with men to turn from their folly before it is too late! But what of you? Will you hear? Or will you continue as the simple, loving simplicity? Will you delight in scorning? Will you despise knowledge?
The world calls too! It entices! The devil whispers, “Follow your heart, chase your desires, live for yourself.” But hear the words of Scripture:
“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.”
Proverbs 1:10
Oh, how many have fallen! How many have followed the call of sin, believing it would bring them joy, only to reap destruction! Look to David, the man after God’s own heart! He saw Bathsheba, and in that moment, the voice of wisdom cried out, “Look away!” But another voice whispered, “Take her.” And what followed? Lust! Deception! Murder!
David thought he could hide his sin, but the voice of the prophet thundered, “Thou art the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7). Will you be found out? Will your sin be uncovered in that great Day of Judgment?
Sin is never content! It entices, it draws, it devours! The very ones who followed David’s lead in sin were the ones who helped him cover it up! Oh, the lies, the corruption, the sorrow that follows when we yield to the tempter!
III. The Tragic End of Rejecting Wisdom
There comes a time when wisdom no longer calls, but condemns.
“Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh.”
Proverbs 1:24-26
Oh, what a dreadful day! When fear comes as a whirlwind, when calamity falls suddenly, when the sinner cries out to God but finds the heavens as brass! He refused wisdom in life—wisdom will refuse him in death!
How many have mocked God, living for pleasure, only to meet eternity in a moment? How many have, in their last breath, cried out for mercy, only to find their time had passed? Oh, dear soul, do not trifle with eternity!
The world laughs at judgment. The fool scoffs at warnings. But when the hour comes, when the soul slips from the body and stands before God, there will be no laughter then! The rich man in hell lifted up his eyes, but it was too late (Luke 16:23). Will you wait until it is too late?
IV. The Plea of Grace – A Call to Repentance
But listen! Even now, the voice of mercy calls!
“Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.”
Proverbs 1:23
There is hope for the repentant! There is grace for the humble! Do you hear the voice of wisdom calling you today? Do not harden your heart!
• If you are lost, Christ bids you come! He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
• If you have wandered, return! The prodigal son was met with mercy when he turned back to his father (Luke 15:20).
• If you are faithful, stand strong! The world grows darker, but the light of Christ shines ever brighter!
Joshua declared, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Joshua 24:15). I ask you, whom will you serve?
Conclusion: Time is Running Out!
Do not waste your days! Do not squander your years! Time is short, and eternity is near!
“Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12
Will you number your days? Will you walk in wisdom? Or will you perish with the fools who have despised knowledge?
Today, Christ calls you! Will you come? Will you repent? Will you surrender your life to wisdom, to truth, to Christ Himself?
The choice is yours—but the time is short! Repent, believe, and live!