(1 Sam. 25:29-33) Just as a person wraps up something valuable to protect and preserve it, so David’s life as an individual was in the hands of the living God, and He would preserve David’s life from his enemies, as long as David did not try to bring his salvation by his own hand, but waited on Jehovah. But the soul of David’s enemies God would throw away.

LIFE-SPAN

A long duration of existence or “length of days” is a satisfying gift from Jehovah the Source of life. (Ps. 91:16; 36:9) He originally purposed that man should enjoy a never-ending life-span. However, Adam forfeited the opportunity to “live to time indefinite” because of disobedience, and as a result our days are “like a shadow.” (Gen. 2:9, 17; 3:22; 1 Chron. 29:15) Between these two extremes the Bible records life-spans far greater than those of humans today. Some of the pre-Flood patriarchs listed in the following chart possessed life-spans approaching a thousand years, the longest being that of Methuselah, who lived for 969 years.—Gen. 5:27.

Some have theorized that the year in those times was just a month long. But there is no Scriptural basis for this view. Had the years been thirty-day months, this would mean that Enosh would have become a father before he was eight years old, and others, such as Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared and Enoch, before they were six years of age. (Gen. 5:12, 15, 18, 21) A comparison of Genesis 7:11 with Genesis 8:3, 4 shows that one hundred and fifty days of the total of a year and ten days that Noah and his family were in the ark amounted to five months. The fact that the Bible also mentions the tenth month, and, subsequently, one forty-day and two seven-day time periods, as passing during this year indicates it to have been a twelve-month year (of thirty days to a month).—Gen. 8:5, 6, 10, 12-14.

It is only reasonable that the generations closer to man’s original perfection would enjoy greater longevity than those farther removed from it, more time being required for their bodies to age and eventually die. After the Flood, the life-span of man dropped suddenly. Then a more gradual decline appears to have set in and, by the time of Moses, seventy years was considered to be the average life-span. (Ps. 90:10) Despite improved economic, medical and sanitary conditions, today the life-span is still about the same.

Whereas man continues to be “short-lived” and is likened to “a mist appearing for a little while and then disappearing” (Job 14:1; Jas. 4:14), the Bible holds forth promise of extended life expectancy. Said Jehovah through Isaiah: “Like the days of a tree will the days of my people be.” (Isa. 65:22) Concerning one variety of trees, the sequoia trees, it has been noted that, were it not for lightning, fire and storm, some of them might live for 10,000 years.

Even the present life-span of man can be lengthened somewhat through obedience to God’s laws and commandments, for this results in “length of days and years of life.” Also, those possessing practical wisdom from God are blessed with “length of days,” pleasantness and peace. Such wisdom is fittingly called a “tree of life.” (Prov. 3:1, 2, 13, 16-18) Godly wisdom will place one in the “path of righteousness.” (Prov. 12:28) And a person who “would love life and see good days” is admonished to “turn away from what is bad and do what is good.”—1 Pet. 3:10, 11; Ps. 34:12-14; 37:27.

Jesus Christ taught his disciples not to be unduly concerned about material things and asked: “Who of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his life span?” However, Christ showed that by “seeking first the kingdom and [God’s] righteousness” they would receive the needed material things. (Matt. 6:25, 27, 33; Luke 12:25, 26, 31) By placing spiritual matters first in life and by continually taking in knowledge of Jehovah God and his Son Christ Jesus, they would be in a favorable position to receive an unending future life-span, “everlasting life.”—John 17:3.

[Chart on page 1066]

Life-Spans of the Patriarchs

NAME GENESIS LIFE-SPAN

Adam 5:5 930

Seth 5:8 912

Enosh 5:11 905

Kenan 5:14 910

Mahalalel 5:17 895

Jared 5:20 962

Enoch 5:23 365

Methuselah 5:27 969

Lamech 5:31 777

Noah 9:29 950

Shem 11:10, 11 600

Arpachshad 11:12, 13 438

Shelah 11:14, 15 433

Eber 11:16, 17 464

Peleg 11:18, 19 239

Reu 11:20, 21 239

Serug 11:22, 23 230

Nahor 11:24, 25 148

Terah 11:32 205

Abraham 25:7 175

LIGAMENTS

Various modern Bible translations render the basic Greek word synʹde·smos at Colossians 2:19 as “ligaments” (ED; NE; NW; RS), while others translate it either as “sinews” (Fn; Mo), “uniting bands” (Ro) or merely “bands.” (AS; AV) Synʹde·smos means “that which binds together, bond of union, fastening” and is used with reference to sinews or ligaments. (A Greek-English Lexicon, by Liddell & Scott, 9th ed., Reprinted 1948, p. 1701) This same Greek term is employed in the expressions “bond of unrighteousness” (Acts 8:23), “uniting bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3) and “perfect bond of union.”—Col. 3:14.

In warning against the “mock humility” of one merely professing Christianity, Paul said: “He is not holding fast to the head, to the one from whom all the body, being supplied and harmoniously joined together by means of its joints and ligaments [syn·deʹsmon], goes on growing with the growth that God gives.” (Col. 2:18, 19) Here the anointed Christian congregation is likened to a body having a head. The interdependence of its members is shown by saying that it is “harmoniously joined together by means of its joints and ligaments,” Paul thus using “ligaments” metaphorically in connection with the spiritual body of Christ, having Jesus as its head. (Compare 1 Corinthians 12:12-30; John 15:4-10.) In the literal human body every member has a part to play toward its smooth operation and growth, both in receiving nutriment and direction and in passing such on to other members of the body. Circumstances are similar in the case of the congregational body of Christ.

LIGHT

That which emanates from a light-giving body such as a lamp (Jer. 25:10) or the sun; the opposite of darkness, literally and figuratively. (Isa. 5:20; John 11:10, 11) It is generally believed that light, although apparently traveling in waves, is corpuscular in its nature. To this day, however, man still cannot give a complete answer to the question propounded over three millenniums ago by the Creator of light: “Where, now, is the way by which the light distributes itself?”—Job 38:24.

Light from the sun is a combination of colors, with each color having a different wavelength. The color of an object is determined by the particular portion of the light reflected by its surface. Thus light furnishes the many hues that delight the eye of man.