Put Your House in Order

"This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die" (Isaiah 38:1; 2 Kings 20:1).

This verse in context is part of a hard to explain passage in which God seems to change His mind. I say, "seems to," because we know from other Scripture passages that "God is not a man that He should change His mind" (Numbers 23:19). I'd be glad to discuss that and other passges that might seem a challenge to explain, but for today, I want to take this verse out of context and consider it in light of 2 Samuel 17:23, which says, "When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order and then hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father's tomb."

"Put your house in order." What does this mean?

To put your house in order means to do estate planning. It's that simple. That's what it meant 3000 years ago, and that's what it means today. It means to settle your debts - or perhaps in our culture, to make arrangements for your debts to be settled once your gone. For us to put our house in order means to have a will, a living will, and a power of attorney if necessary. It means for us to have life insurance for our dependents. I would say it even means leaving detailed instructions for your spouse, children, parents, and/or estate executor to follow regarding all financial accounts and responsibilities that pertain to you.

"Put your house in order." Why should we do it?

Job 14:5 says, "Man's days are determined; [God has] decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed." This is a general statement of the lifespan of mankind. No one lives past 120 years anymore. But God's knowledge of His creation goes beyond generalities. He knows us intimately. Psalm 139:16 says, "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Though we may pray with David, "Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days" (Psalm 39:4a); the likelihood is that we will not be told the specifics. Rather, we ought to pray also the second half of that verse, "Let me know how fleeting is my life," as that gets us in the right mindset to put our house in order. The end of Psalm 139, v23-24, says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

"No man knows when his hour will come" (Ecclesiastes 9:12). But the Lord has ordained our days before even one of them came to be. Ahithopel, an evil man, put his house in order before hanging himself; how much more ought we, as servants of the Lord Jesus, do the same before our death. So put your house in order, because you are going to die. Let Psalm 90:12 be our prayer: "Lord...Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."