'Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old
age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered
to his people.'--GENESIS xxv. 8.
'Full of years' does not seem to me to be a mere synonym for longevity.
That would be an intolerable tautology, for we should then have the
same thing said three times over--'an old man,' 'in a good old age,'
'full of years.' There must be some other idea than that in the words.
If you notice that the expression is by no means a usual one, that it
is only applied to one or two of the Old Testament characters, and
those selected characters, I think you will see that there must be some
other significance in it than merely to point to length of days.
It may be well to note the instances. In addition to our text, we find
it employed, first, in reference to Isaac, in Genesis xxxv. 29, where
the words are repeated almost _verbatim_. That calm, contemplative
life, so unlike the active, varied career of his father, also attained
to this blessing at its close. Then we find that the stormy and
adventurous course of the great king David, with its wonderful
alternations both of moral character and of fortune, is represented as
being closed at last with this tranquil evening glory: 'He died in a
good old age, full of days, riches, and honour.' Once more we read of
the great high priest Jehoiada, whose history had been crowded with
peril, change, brave resistance, and strenuous effort, that with all
the storms behind him he died at last, 'full of days.' The only other
instance of the occurrence of the phrase is at the close of the book of
Job, the typical record of the good man suffering, and of the abundant
compensations given by a loving God. The fair picture of returning
prosperity and family joy, like the calm morning sunshine after a night
of storm and wreck, with which that wonderful book ends, has this for
its last touch, evidently intended to deepen the impression of peace
which is breathed over it all: 'So Job died, being old and full of
days.' These are all the instances of the occurrence of this phrase,
and I think we may fairly say that in all it is meant to suggest not
merely length of days, but some characteristic of the long life over
and above its mere length. We shall, I think, understand its meaning a
little better if we make a very slight and entirely warranted change,
and instead of reading '_full_ of years,' read '_satisfied_ with
years.' The men were satisfied with life; having exhausted its
possibilities, having drunk a full draught, having nothing more left to
wish for. The words point to a calm close, with all desires gratified,
with hot wishes stilled, with no desperate clinging to life, but a
willingness to let it go, because all which it could give had been
attained.
So much for one of the remarkable expressions in this verse. There is
another, 'He was gathered to his people,' of which we shall have more
to say presently. Enough for the present to note the peculiarity, and
to suggest that it seems to contain some dim hint of a future life, and
some glimmer of some of the profoundest thoughts about it.
We have two main things to consider.