Ask For The Old Paths
1. Old And New
To celebrate the New Year our devotionals were titled, "A New Day". I was thinking about the old year and how things are so quickly forgotten. Some of the new things we received as Christmas gifts may already seem "old" to us. I was praying for a new direction to go with our devotions, and since we have looked at the "new" things in the Bible many times during the beginning of several new years, I tried to remember some of the "old" things we find in the scriptures. We have the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is filled with people who lived to be very old, like Methuselah who lived to be 969 years old. The New Testament teaches us that in Christ old things are passed away, and all things become new. Of all the verses I remembered about "old" things, Jeremiah 6:16 stood out in my mind. "Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein." Let's ask for the old paths and walk in the good way, and find rest for our souls.
2. The Tried And True Old Paths
Many years ago there was a dirt path that went from our house, around the wheat house, by the old well, and up to the front porch of my grandma's house where she threw homemade biscuits and corn bread to my Dad's beagles. The dogs went back and forth, day after day, time after time, and their paws wore down the grass and made a sure path. Grandma has been gone a long time and the dogs an even longer time, so the grass grew up in the path and there is no longer any sign that it was even there. There used to be a gospel trail where preachers, singers, and church goers gave out the gospel message in churches, in tent meetings, and even on street corners. More people walked in the good way, but times have changed. The world is losing much of the Christian influence as the older generation goes on to heaven and there are less and less of the younger generation choosing the old paths and the gospel way. God sent out a warning to Jerusalem in Jeremiah 6:16. "Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein." Many in America today are rebelling against God and against the good way, and I believe that this old message is true for us today. Let's ask for the old paths and walk in the good way!
3. As Old As It Gets
To begin these devotionals let's look back to the oldest references of time that we can find. I like to begin my Bible reading in January with the beginning. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." (Genesis 1:1) God created day and night and that was the first day. This was the beginning of time. But the Word of God shows us that we can actually go back beyond the beginning of time. Our minds can't grasp it, but God is from everlasting to everlasting. "Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting." (Psalm 93:2) "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." (Psalms 90:2) God always has been, and He always will be, for ever and ever. "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:8)
4. The Old Testament
As I read through the book of Leviticus I am so grateful that I did not live during the time of the Old Testament. There are chapters and chapters of laws and commandments, and the sacrifices that had to be offered to pay for their offences. Even sins that were committed in ignorance had to be paid for with sacrifices. "And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity." (Leviticus 5:17) No one could keep every letter of the law, and being guilty of the least offense made the person guilty.
After all the years of sacrificial offerings, in the fullness of time, the spotless Lamb of God came and gave Himself to pay for our sin. We are living in the time of the New Testament, a better testament, with salvation full and free. "By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament... But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises." (Hebrews 7:22 and 8:6) Jesus left His heavenly home and came to earth to give His life on the cross to pay for our sin. We no longer have to take a lamb as an offering with us to church. All we have to do is believe in our heart and ask the Lord to save us. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
5. Don't Change The Old Rules
Micah and Maggie came to visit and they brought a Disney Sorry Game. They asked if we knew how to play and we said that we knew how to play Sorry, but had not played the Disney version. Michael and I sat down on the floor to play with them and on one of my first plays I drew a blue card that I think was a 12. Micah told me that because I was blue I could advance my player home with this card. This was a new rule. As we continued to play we discovered several new rules. I was playing Sorry when I was a young girl and I knew the rules... but this version had added and changed several rules to the game. You know what! I don't like new rules. If I play a game that I have played for years, I want the old rules.
As I read the news stories I am amazed at how many "rules" people are trying to change. But, I want to tell you something. God's rules never change. Yesterday we talked about how the Old Testament is filled with laws and commandments. And just because some of our politicians think they can change the laws of our land, God's laws never change. God is still God and sin is still sin. Our Bible is our rule book for life, and it will do us good to read it and listen to what God is saying to us. His rules don't change.
"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." (Isaiah 40:8)
"For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." (Psalm 119:89)
"Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away." (Luke 21:33)
6. Respect For The Older Generation
As I meditate on these devotionals God often leads me to verses that I can use in our specific topics. I am still in Leviticus and I came to this verse, "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19:32) People used to be taught to have respect for the older generation. Children who don't have respect for their parents or grandparents, will not have respect for their teachers or any other person in authority. As time passes I go farther and farther into the "older generation" classification. And though I don't know how I can help others have more respect for the elderly, I do know a verse that we can claim. "Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come." (Psalm 71:18) We know that God won't forsake us when we are old because He has promised, "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:20) Let us also promise our God that we won't forsake Him or stray from the paths of righteousness. We need to stay faithful and let the younger generation see the strength and power of Jesus Christ in our lives.
7. Old Clothes And Old Shoes
When I was young I liked new things. But now that I am older, I like my old things. When I get an old pair of shoes that's really comfortable I hate to see them wear out. I don't enjoy going shopping for expensive things like washers and dryers or refrigerators. They're nice to have, but I don't like the payments. God is so good to me in providing my needs, and the more thankful I am, the more content I am. I want to look at the Children of Israel as they left Egypt. "And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children." (Exodus 12:37) That's a lot of shoes! Verse 39 tells us that they were thrust out of Egypt and didn't even have time to prepare food to take with them. How would they survive in the wilderness? God provided. He fed them with manna for forty years. As Moses neared the end of his life he reminded them how God had provided for them in the wilderness. "And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot." (Deuteronomy 29:5) God kept their clothes and shoes from wearing out. There are times when I feel like God has blessed me in that way. I have some old things that I thought would have worn out by now, but I am happy and thankful that God has let me use them all these years. God is able to provide new things when we really need them, but I am so thankful that He is also able to extend our use of some old things, too!
8. Old Things Are Passed Away
When I plant my vegetable garden I sow flowers in the rows to attract the bees. I have noticed that the blossoms draw more butterflies than honey bees. I enjoy watching the different types of butterflies flutter from stem to stem. When I see butterflies I think of II Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." These beautiful insects were once caterpillars, and maybe they ate more of the garden than I want to admit, but I see God's plan of creation in their short lives. They spin their cocoon and emerge as a beautiful butterfly. All of their old life is left behind and they take their wings and fly with a new beginning. I like to think of Christians in that way. Some Bible verses compare mankind as being a worm. "How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?" (Job 25:6) "But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people" (Psalm 22:6) When we trust Jesus to save us He takes our filthy rags and clothes us in His righteousness. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6) "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." (Isaiah 61:10) I will stand before God one day and Jesus my Lord will be there with me and He will tell the Father that He paid my sin debt. Oh, what a day that will be!
9. Methuselah, The Oldest Man
Have you ever heard of Methuselah? If you have it could have been because he was the son of Enoch, "And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." (Genesis 5:21-24) Or, you may have read that Methuselah lived the longest recorded life on earth.
"25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died." (Genesis 5:25-27)
I don't know how they kept up with birthdays back then, but Methuselah lived almost a thousand years. That would be a lot of candles. We are given a few hints about the lives of some of the first people as in Genesis 4:20-22. "Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle... And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ... Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron:" But, in his 969 years, we don't know anything of interest about Methuselah, except that he died the year of the flood. (And we don't know if he died before the flood, or in the flood.) I hope that after I have gone on to heaven people will remember that I was a faithful Christian. I want my children and grandchildren to be able to say that I lived for the Lord. I think that the life we live is more important that the number of years we live. Today I want to encourage you to think about the legacy you will leave behind. Make these years count for the Lord.
10. Abraham And Sarah, A Baby In Their Old Age
I am beginning to feel changes in my body as I start growing older. My eye sight is not as good as it used to be and my hearing is also getting worse. I don't have the energy to do the things I have always enjoyed, such as working in the yard and garden. The one thing that I do enjoy about getting older, is my grandchildren. I enjoy spending time with them, cooking with them, holding them, and talking with them. One day last week my daughter called and said that she was sick and asked if we could watch her three children. Michael and I went and got them and Elsa and Jedidiah were happy to come to PawPaw and MeMaw's house. We kept some of our children's old toys so there are plenty of things for them to do while they are here. The baby is three months old and I don't have a swing or special seat for her, so Michael and I just took turns holding her most of the day. She is a sweet, happy baby and such a joy! I was glad that I didn't have anything that had to be done that day, because the three of them, kept the two of us, busy. I kept thinking how good it was that we had our five children when we were young. Our lives moved at such a fast pace back then with church, school, and little league ball games. We have come to really enjoy the slow pace and quiet lives we have now.
It would be hard to have a child at our age. I can't even imagine how it must have been for Abraham and Sarah. They had been waiting on God's promise of a child for many years, and when Abraham was 100 years old, God was going to give them a son. They laughed. "Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?" (Genesis 17:17) They laughed at the thought that God could give them a son, but I believe that their laughter turned to joy as God fulfilled His Word. Isaac was born, "And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me." (Genesis 21:6) We can be sure that God will keep His word. When Sarah laughed God said, "Is any thing too hard for the LORD?" (Genesis 18:14) We don't know how things will change in our lives as we grow old, but we can be sure that God is still in control and there is nothing too hard for our Lord!
11. Isaac Was Old And His Senses Failed Him
Isaac and Rebekah had two sons and the Bible tells us that Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob. When Isaac was old and blind he called for Esau and asked him to go hunting and bring him some venison and he would bless him before he died. Rebekah heard him and she sent Jacob to get two kids from the goats and she would fix it for her husband and Jacob could get the blessing. Jacob is known in the Bible as a cheater, but look at the trick his mother played on Isaac.
"And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man: My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob." (Genesis 27:11-17)
Jacob took the meat to his father and told him that he was Esau. When Isaac asked how he found the venison so quickly he replied, "Because the LORD thy God brought it to me." (verse 20) Isaac wanted to feel if he was really Esau.
"And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed: Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee." (Genesis 27:22-29)
In school we learned that we have five senses; sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste. Isaac was old and each of these senses failed him except for his hearing. He knew the voice was Jacob's. God's Word tells us, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 11:15) Don't be fooled by the your senses as you get older. Keep listening to the Word of the Lord and let Him be your guide.
12. Jacob In His Old Age
As I typed the story about Isaac and how Jacob tricked him, the Lord showed me something Jacob said that was really important in his life. In Genesis 27:20 he said, "Because the LORD thy God brought it to me." He knew that Isaac, his father, served the God of Abraham, his grandfather, but he did not call him "my God", instead he said "thy God". After Esau found out that his brother tricked him out of his blessing he said that he would kill him. Rebekah had Isaac send him away to her brother's house to "tarry with him a few days". (Genesis 27:44) Rebekah never saw him again. Jacob fled and one night at Bethel he dreamed that there was a ladder with angels going up and down to heaven. "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:" (Genesis 28:20-21) After Jacob served Laban twenty years he went back to Bethel on his way back home. Let's go forward to when Jacob was an old man, carried to Egypt by Joseph.
"7 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
8 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?
9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage." (Genesis 47:7-9)
There are many times in the Bible where we read of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We also know that Jacob had twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel. But in looking back over his life Jacob said that his years had been few and evil and he had not attained unto the days of the years of his fathers. Abraham lived to be 175 and Isaac died at 180 years of age, so maybe Jacob was talking about his age, but I think he could have been talking about more than just age. I believe that he looked back on his life with regrets. Jacob lived seventeen years in Egypt but I don't think he ever felt at home there. He made Joseph promise to carry him back to the land of Canaan to be buried with Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah. As we finish these thoughts I want to say, make sure God is your God, and not just the God of your parents or grandparents. Also, walk daily with the Lord so you don't look back on your life with regrets.
13. Keep On Keeping On
When God told Moses to number the Children of Israel in the first chapter of Numbers, the Levites were not included because God had chosen them to take care of the things of the Tabernacle. Later, in chapter 4 the Levites were numbered, "From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation." (Numbers 4:23) They were divided by families and given specific jobs in moving the Tabernacle, the curtains, the tables, the boards, etc., some to be carried and some could be moved on wagons. I want us to look closely at Numbers 8:24-26.
"24 This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation:
25 And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more:
26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge."
They were chosen to work from the time they were 25 years old until they were 50. These are our strongest years, in mind and body. We can do our best work during these years. But that doesn't mean that we are to stop at 50. Verse 25 tells us that their manual labor stopped when they reached 50, but verse 26 tells us that they were still to "minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation". We may reach an age where we can no longer do manual labor for the church and the work of the Lord, but that doesn't mean that we need to quit serving God. We can still pray for others, read the Bible, tell people about the Lord, and serve God by serving others. Keep on keeping on, and stay faithful to the work of the Lord.
14. Did Moses Grow Old?
We have been looking at some of the people in the Bible and the changes they faced as they grew old. The Bible tells us that Moses was 120 when he died, but I wonder if his body ever grew old. Look at Deuteronomy 34:7. "And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated." His eyesight and physical strength would have been the common signs of aging, so if these did not change, I don't know that he experienced any changes of old age. I don't think he had a secret fountain of youth on the mountain, but he did have a closeness with God that no other person has had. "And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle." (Exodus 33:11) Time after time God called Moses to come up to the mountain to talk with Him and the Bible tells us that God spoke with Moses face to face. I believe this close relationship with God kept Moses young. People today spend a lot of money on creams in hopes of clearing their wrinkles, and even have surgeries to make them look younger, but they really can't erase the years. I don't think being close to God will take away my gray hair, but He can renew my spirit and strength, and even my mind, through the renewing of the Holy Ghost.
"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)
"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:1-2)
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;" (Titus 3:5)
15. Joshua Chose To Serve The Lord
As we continue walking through the Old Testament with the elderly we come to the book of Joshua. We saw Joshua yesterday as a servant of Moses who "departed not out of the tabernacle." (Exodus 33:11) We first meet Joshua in Exodus 17 as he fought against Amalek. (You may remember that Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses and God gave them victory.) In Exodus 24:13 Joshua is called the minister of Moses as he went up into the mount of God. Joshua saw the anger of Moses as he threw down the Ten Commandments when there was sin in the camp. He and Caleb were the only two spies of the twelve that wanted to go in and claim the Promised Land as God had told them to do. Before Moses died he asked God to set a man to take his place, "And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;" (Numbers 27:18) Joshua led the people over the Jordan River, as God held back the water, just like He did for Moses when they crossed the Red Sea. Joshua led the Children of Israel into the land of milk and honey and when he was giving them his final charge he said, "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15) Joshua lived to be 110 years old and he stayed faithful to the Lord all those years. "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." This is a wonderful verse to post in your house, and I have seen it displayed in many beautiful forms. Joshua began serving the Lord at a young age, leading the army, being a minister and servant to Moses, and staying in the Tabernacle. He went on to lead the multitude of followers into the Promised Land and after all those years of service he was still able to say, "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Keep serving the Lord! You may be young, old, or somewhere in the middle, but choose to serve the Lord and stay faithful to Him.
16. Caleb Overcame Giants To Claim His Mountain
Caleb was the only spy with Joshua who wanted to go into the Promised Land so God promised to give him that mountain. "But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it." (Numbers 14:24) After those long years of waiting and wandering in the wilderness, Caleb was eighty five years old, but he still had great enthusiasm to claim his mountain! The Anakims that lived there were giants, but Caleb had faith that God would give him that mountain.
"6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.
7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.
8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
9 And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God.
10 And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.
11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.
12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.
13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.
14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel." (Joshua 14:6-14)
17. Wasted Lives
It is so amazing to read through the Bible. God is real and the Bible is His Word and He shows me little things from the scriptures as I read. I have read these verses many times, but God points out little words that I had not even noticed before. We are talking about people in the Bible that grew old and I come to Deuteronomy 2:14. "And the space in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them." Joshua and Caleb were the only two spies that wanted to go in and claim the Promised Land, but the other spies discouraged the hearts of the people and they had to wander in the wilderness for forty years. This verse in Deuteronomy tells us that "all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host." We are not talking about a few hundred men. Numbers 2:32 tells us that the men that were able to go to war from 20 years old and upward numbered to be 603,550. And Numbers 26:64-65 tells us that not a man was left of them except for Joshua and Caleb. This number only includes men, but we know that there were also women in that generation. Those were men chosen to fight the battles for the Lord, and they chose not to fight for what God had promised to them. Their lives were wasted, in the wilderness.
My Sunday School lesson was on using the gifts that God has given us. Let's not waste our lives on things that don't matter. But, let us present our bodies to the Lord and live for God, and fight the battles for the Lord against evil. I know that I don't want to get old and realize that I have wasted my life.
"1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness." (Romans 12:1 & 5-8)
18. Eli, A Sad Ending To A Long Life
As we come to the book of I Samuel we find the story of Eli the priest, who had a very sad end to his long life. We are told that he was old and heavy. Eli's sons forcibly took the best parts of the sacrifices, with the fat, for themselves to eat and this caused the people to hate bringing their offerings and sacrifices. Eli was also blind. The worst part of this man's old age was that even though he was the priest, he had not brought up his sons in the way of the Lord, and they were very wicked. I Samuel 2:12 tells us that his two sons "knew not the LORD." One night the Lord spoke to little Samuel about the judgment to fall. "For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not." (I Samuel 2:13)
The Philistines fought against Israel and slew about 4,000 men. So the Israelites sent for the two sons of Eli to bring the ark of the covenant to the battle thinking that God would be with them and give them victory. But the Philistines took the ark of the covenant, and killed 30,000 of the Israelites.
"12 And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.
13 And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.
14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.
15 Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.
16 And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son?
17 And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.
18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years." (I Samuel 4:12-18)
19. Daniel, A Long Lifetime Of Serving God
I like the story of Daniel. Here was a young boy, a child of royalty, of Judah. He may have experienced the horror of seeing his family killed, and may have watched as the walls of Jerusalem were broken down. He was carried away to a foreign land and chosen to be schooled in Babylon. "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself." (Daniel 1:8) Through all these trials he purposed in his heart that he would serve God. Because God gave Daniel the interpretation of the King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, he promoted him. "The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon." (Daniel 2:47-48) When we come to the sixth chapter we read the story of Daniel being thrown into a den of lions for praying to God. "Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt." (Daniel 6:22) Although many famous paintings show Daniel as a young man, he was actually an old man when he was thrown to the lions. He lived under the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, then Belshazzar, his son was king. Daniel also lived under the reigns of Darius the Mede and King Cyrus of Persia. Although we can't tell exactly how old Daniel was when Darius was king, we can conclude that he was an old man because of the history of these kings on their thrones. And more importantly, he was a faithful servant to God from his youth to his old age. Daniel was a great prophet and God gave him many visions of the future and end of time. Chapter 10 tells how Daniel was in mourning about a vision for three weeks, and an angel appeared to him.
"11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days." (Daniel 10:11-14)
Even Jesus spoke of Daniel's prophecies in Matthew 24:15. "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)"
20. Sickness And Trials In Our Old Age
I want to look at two examples of sickness and our old age. The first is Job, the Old Testament man who lost his wealth, his children and his health. Job stayed faithful to God, even through his devastation proclaiming in Job 19:25, "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:," God blessed Job and gave him twice what he had before and he lived another 144 years. Sometimes we have pain and suffering that is not relieved during our life here on earth.
We are turning to the New Testament for our next example. Philemon 1:9 lets us know that the Apostle Paul lived to be an old man. "Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ." He lived a life of suffering and persecution.
"23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?
30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities." (II Corinthians 11:23-30)
Paul had a "thorn in the flesh" that he asked God three times to take from him, but God didn't ease this pain.
"7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (II Corinthians 12:7-10)
Even through all his pain, he faithfully served the Lord until he finished his course.
"6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." (II Timothy 4:6-8)
21. The Crown Of Old Age
My father-in-law died a year ago at the age of 87, and in talking about all these examples of old people in the Bible I have been reminded how he often said, "Getting old ain't as fun as I thought it would be." We have seen from these Bible stories, as we also do in real life, old age can bring many physical and mental difficulties as our body and mind grow old. But, growing old is not all bad. There is a verse in the Bible that speaks of the crown of old men. Can you guess what the blessing of growing old is? "Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers." (Proverbs 17:6) As I get older I can truly say that my grandchildren are one of my greatest joys. The Bible also makes it clear that as parents and grandparents we have a responsibility to teach the things of God to our children and to our grandchildren.
"9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;
10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children." (Deuteronomy 4:9-10)
We have a wonderful example of this in II Timothy 1:5. "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also." This grandmother and mother were faithful to teach young Timothy about God. Our children and grandchildren have so many things that might take their interests away from the Lord, but God gives us instructions on how to teach them of Him. We need to constantly walk a Christian walk before them, and talk a Christian talk with them, teaching them to love the Lord by the example of our lives and the words of our mouths.
"5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." (Deuteronomy 6:5-9)
22. The Days Of Old
We began these devotions, "Ask For The Old Paths", looking at old things in the Bible, and the old ways that we need to follow. Then we talked about the older people found in the pages of our scriptures, and the examples of how growing old can affect our lives. I was looking for the perfect verses to complete these devotional thoughts and I came across Deuteronomy 32:7. "Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee." I also found two verses in Psalms which mention the days of old. "I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times." (Psalm 77:5) "I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands." (Psalm 143:5) I hope and pray that these simple devotions have helped you remember the days of old, days when God was there for His children with His Almighty power and love. The world is changing and sin abounds. But my God never changes. He sees all and He knows all and He is still in control with His unmatched strength and power. When life gets you down, remember how the Lord lifted you up in love and mercy when he saved you, and know that He is still there. When you feel old and alone, keep in mind that we have this promise, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5) If you think you are the only person who has ever faced the temptations and problems you are facing, remember I Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." We have the Word of God to teach us all about the days of old, and even more amazing is that we can serve the same God who reigned in those days of old. And He shall reign forever and ever! "The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD." (Psalm 146:10)
