Sermon – As Your Days

                        AS YOUR DAYS   – Deuteronomy 33:25                    

Rev. Don A. Wicks, PhD – A message given at Grace Bible Chapel, Parkhill, Ontario, Canada, Sunday, July 21, 2024          

 “…as your days, so shall your strength be.” Deuteronomy 33:25 

Scripture reading: Psalm 90

Introduction

The day this message was delivered, U.S. President Joe Biden announced he was no longer a candidate for his party’s presidential nomination. For weeks, the news media had been giving us daily reports and opinions about how old the two U.S. presidential candidates are – 78 for Mr. Trump and 81 for Mr. Biden. Most of the focus was on Pres. Biden who had a 14 second pause in the June debate between the two leaders, during which he had difficulty collecting his thoughts. Some from his own party questioned whether he should drop out, asking, ‘Is he too old?’

When I was born, life expectancy at birth in Canada was only 68; now it is 83. News reports show that there are a multitude of millionaires and billionaires who are investing money in research into extending life expectancy – especially their own. Adding to the usual suggestions for a long life – things like a heathy diet, exercise, keeping your brain working, getting enough sleep, etc. – are practices like a daily ice bath – are you ready for that?

Recently, I made a search of what the Bible says about aging, and especially about aging well. Lest those here who are younger- children, adolescents, young and middle-age adults – lest you think this message is not relevant to you, I would interject and say that the day is coming when you will be among the “older” members of the congregation.

In the Bible we read about some early in history who lived over 900 years. By the time of Moses the norm was 70-80. In Psalm 90:10, (ascribed in the title to Moses)_he_says,“The years of our life are seventy,or even by reason of strength  eighty; yet their span is but toil & trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away”

There is a certain realism to Moses’ statement – “toil and trouble”. This is echoed in Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 (as presented in the modern paraphrase, The Message)

1-2 Honor and enjoy your Creator while you’re still young / Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes, / Before your vision dims and the world blurs / And the winter years keep you close to the fire.

3-5 In old age, your body no longer serves you so well. / Muscles slacken, grip weakens, joints stiffen. / The shades are pulled down on the world. / You can’t come and go at will. Things grind to a halt. / The hum of the household fades away./ You are wakened now by bird-song. / Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past. / Even a stroll down the road has its terrors. / Your hair turns apple-blossom white, / Adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body / .Yes, you’re well on your way to eternal rest, / While your friends make plans for your funeral.

6-7 Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over. / Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends. / The body is put back in the same ground it came from. /The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it.”

Wow – except for the last line, not an uplifting passage of scripture! The point is that the years take their toll.

While that may be the case, the Bible still has a lot that is positive to say about growing older.

Assurances

What does God want us to know about aging? I’ll start by saying He is eager to give us a number of assurances.

  • Isaiah 46:4, “And I will still be carrying you while you are old. Your hair will turn grey, and I will still carry you.”

In this chapter God is speaking to His people who have been taken into captivity in Babylon. He assures them that even there He has not abandoned them. They are not alone.  Being left alone is a fear and, often, a reality of old age. We lose not only our health as Eccl. 12 says, but also people who are dear to us -deep loss of a spouse or a friend, for example. And sometimes there is the sense of being no use anymore. I recall my mother (who lived into her 98th year) – reflecting on her inability to do what she had done – and liked to do – all her life – housework, kitchen work. She thought she was no longer useful. I would assure her she was loved and that she could still pray for us – that was definitely useful.

But God is emphasizing that His presence does not depart from us – ever. Did not Jesus say, “ behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20)? God will not abandon us – will not leave us alone.

  • Philippians 1:6, “The One who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

This is the assurance of progress toward the goal, with eventual completion of what God has planned for us. C. S. Lewis said, “You are never too old to get a new goal or a new dream.” A friend of mine advises retirees to find something else to do now that you don’t have to report to work. Have a purpose. The verse in Philippians 1 indicates that continual progress toward God’s next step is something He will work on alongside us.

  • Isaiah 40:31, “But they who wait for the Lord will renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

The previous verse (Is.40:30) says that even youths faint and are weary and young men exhausted. Then comes verse 31 and the promise of renewed strength – endless supply of new strength. Stay loyal to God’s promises.

This is also the thought of the title of this message: “As your days”. That comes from Deuteronomy 33 where Moses leaves parting messages for each of the 12 tribes of Israel. This one is for Asher, a tribe that settled in Galilee, where they had abundant supplies of olive oil and other provisions & accompanying wealth. But they still needed strength for each day. Thus, “as your days” they would have strength. Spurgeon suggested these four applications:

  • We receive strength from God as we do our days – day by day, piece by piece. We receive one day at a time and receive strength for that day.
  • We receive strength from God proportionally. A day of little service or little suffering may receive little strength; but days of greater service or greater suffering will receive greater strength.
  • We receive strength from God in many ways. As our days differ, so does the strength God gives us, always suited to the day.
  • We receive strength from God as long as our days continue; it is a constant provision.

God assures us that as our days, so will be our strength.

  • II Corinthians 4:16-17, “16 Sowe do not lose   Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction ispreparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”

Here God says, “Do not lose heart.” It’s true that our physical body (“the outer self”) declines with time, butbelievers are assured that we have an inner life that is increasing in glory. The inner life is being blessed and renewed.

I had the privilege in my young adulthood of teaching an adult class at the church I attended in Winnipeg. In one series, we were studying II Corinthians and came to these verses in chapter 4. One of the class members was a woman named Bev. Her husband’s health was in decline – not because of old age, but because of a terminal illness. She would take notes and go home and read the notes and these verses to her husband, both of them finding comfort and the strength to face each precious remaining day. God says, “Do not lose heart” and they were not losing heart because they had this assurance. How much more these promises are dear to those who are closing in on the day they will meet the Lord face to face.

  • Psalm 92:12-14, “12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree_and grow like a cedar in 13  They are planted_in the house of the LORD;_they flourish in the courts of our God.14   They still bear fruit in old age;… to declare that the Lord is upright…”

The older years can still be a time of “flourishing”. If we are correctly planted in the house of the Lord, we will bear fruit, regardless of age.

One such fruit is declaring the person of God in our way of living and in our speech.

Simeon and Anna were elderly saints at the time of Jesus birth. In Luke 2 we read this, “25 Now there_was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was     Simeon,_and this man was     righteous_anddevout,_waiting for the consolation of Israel, [ i.e., he was a man planted in the house of the Lord] and the Holy Spirit was upon him 28 He took Jesus up in his arms and blessed God and said,

29  “…my eyes have seen your salvation3 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,32  a light for  revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

Similarly, Anna, 84 years old, worshipping God, spoke of the Christ Child as the redeemer.

The fruit we can bear may be words that direct subsequent generations to focus on Jesus. Various scriptures identify older followers speaking of God’s justice, holiness, power, greatness, and uprightness. That is what we are to teach the younger. We teach them about God who is just, holy, powerful, great, & upright.

Also, we are to live what we teach. Titus 2:2-3, “2 Older men are_to be soberminded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and_in steadfastness.  3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers or slaves to much wine.  They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be     self controlled, pure, working at_home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the_word of God may not be reviled.” So, we live this way and teach the next generation what God expects of them.

The fruit can also be the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)– love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control – qualities that are beautiful to see reflected in the life of an older follower of Jesus.

  • Assurance of long life and heaven: Proverbs 10:7, “The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the pathway of the wicked will be short.” Generally speaking, righteous living is beneficial to length of life.

Phil. 3:20-21, “20 But our citizenship is  in heaven,_and from it  we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will tran- form our_lowly body to be like Hisglorious body…”   

While we like the idea of a long life, and God often grants that, nonetheless, the ultimate hope is heaven and the eternal life with Jesus awaiting those who are Christ’s. That is the ultimate assurance!

So, the older we get the more we appreciate these assurances:

-of God’s presence                                                    

-of progress towards a goal/plan                           

-of strength                                                                        

-of movement forward of the inner life                 

-of fruitfulness                                              

-of long life here & eternal life awaiting

Wisdom

One thing I have not addressed so far is wisdom and its association with aging.

Job 12:12, “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.”

Job 32:4, “Many years teach wisdom.”

Proverbs 16:31, “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.”

Proverbs 20:29, “The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.”

Why is this? What’s so special about grey hair? It’s what you might expect. Grey hair indicates length of days and, hence, experience.

Oscar Wilde, “Experience is simply the name we give our  mistakes.”

Helen Keller, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”

Mark Twain, “A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn no other way.”

Well, that’s a lesson experience teaches!

The Bible points to the experience of an elderly person as having value – something for those who are younger to listen to and learn from.

Yes, younger people can learn from their elders. That is why the Bible says 

  • Children are to honour their parents (Eph 6)
  • “Honour the grey head of an old man” (Lev. 19:3)
  • “Do not despise your mother when she is old” (Prov. 20:29)

It would be self-seeking of me to go on about this; it is something for younger preachers to address! But I can say that if we who are advanced in years live obediently to the word of God, we will earn a hearing.

And experience teaches the one who lives it. Some things I know now would have served me well in my younger years – I regret that somehow I was not paying attention when I made the mistakes of youth.

Reflecting on lessons learned in life can be a good thing. We are to live today, but there is also help in “remembering the former days” – the ways God has led us:

“Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations;_ ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.” (Deut. 32:17)

This is advice for both young and old.

Go on learning what it means to follow the Lord – you’re never too old for that!