The Fear of the Lord Can Extend Your Life

“Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged."

--Deuteronomy 6:1-2 NKJV

Fearing the Lord your God, keeping all his statutes and his commandments all the days of your life will extend your longevity as far as your health is concerned. Why is this so? The Lord’s “statutes” (decrees) emanate from God’s nature and character: His attitude, the way He thinks, the way He sees the world, His value and belief system, what He loves and what He hates. God created and engineered us in His image, such that our physical bodies will run the best when we think according to the same way that He (whose nature is Love) thinks.

If we think or walk according to the flesh (bitterness, unforgiveness, being easily offended at others, hating one another, gossip, strife, slander, accusation, envy and jealousy, sexual immorality, impatience, selfish ambition, rage, hatred, pride, self-pity, rebellion, hatred of authority, etc.), then the effects in our physical bodies will be akin to putting bad oil or the wrong kind of gasoline or diesel into our cars. It will result in mechanical problems, breakdown, and will decrease the longevity of our vehicle. In the same way, thinking according to the way that “the accuser of the brethren” (see Revelation 12:9-11) tempts us to think will cause a breakdown in our human “engine,” whether that be to the endocrine system, digestive system, cardiovascular system, integumentary system, etc.

Practicing and rehearsing these kinds of accusing or toxic thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors ends up affecting multiple systems of the human body at once since all of those systems are interconnected, just as the entire car won’t function properly if there is a problem with the engine or the transmission. But connecting with God intimately in relationship according to the way that God defines and demonstrates love through His Word results in life to our physical, mortal bodies through the Spirit He has given us. See Romans 8:1-13.

“The fear of the Lord prolongeth [Heb. addeth] days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.”

--Proverbs 10:27 KJV [brackets added from KJV footnotes]

The fear of the Lord adds days to extend your life, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. Why is that the case? The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, to hate everything that hinders love and healthy connection with God and others, viewing ourselves and our relationships with others correctly the same way that God does (see Job 28:28, Proverbs 8:13; 16:6; 19:23; John 3:20; 7:7; Romans 12:9ff). Thinking in the same way that God thinks causes the body to remain in homeostasis, for our brains and bodies were designed and engineered to operate according to love, as we were made in God’s likeness.

Long-term fear, bitterness, self-hatred, worldly grief, unresolved guilt, hope deferred to merely the afterlife, rage, resentment, being easily offended, a broken spirit, unforgiveness, envy and jealousy, arrogance, pride, self-pity, etc., will break down our physical bodies as sawdust will damage a car engine. Sometimes, the theological opinion that healing is not for today can be rooted in or reinforced by self-hatred, that we are so bad and sinful that we don’t deserve anything good (like physical healing, freedom from sin or addiction, various blessings, etc.)

Although it is true that the wages of sin is death and that we are/were guilty as charged, the good news of the gospel is that the free gift of God is everlasting life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, when we walk not according to the flesh (see Galatians 5:19-21) but according to the Spirit of holiness (see Galatians 5:22-25), then the law of the Spirit of life (the character and nature of God that becomes evident in every area of our lives and relationships as we abide in God’s love, presence, and power) makes us free from the law of sin and death (which frequently incorporates disease), and there is no condemnation for us those who are in Christ Jesus (see Romans 8; John 15; 8:31-32).

For more information on establishing a personal relationship with God, see this post:

Would You Like to Gain Citizenship in Heaven?