“As thy days, so shall thy strength be” (Deuteronomy 33.25.)
Introduction. Beloved, it seems a sad thing that every day must die and be followed by a night. But if it were not for nights, we would never have considered the work of God’s fingers: the moon and the stars. Likewise, our sin and ruined condition has been made the means of revealing the excellences of God’s character. Without trouble, we never could have had the promise, As thy days, so shall thy strength be. We do not love the nights, but we do love the stars; we do not love weakness, but we do bless God for the promise that upholds us in our weakness.
(1) Self-weakness Hinted at in the Text. A self-sufficient man can no more understand this promise than a coal-miner can understand Greek. A sense of weakness is what is needed. Have you never been overcome with horror at your weakness to fulfill a duty to God? I have learned my own weakness right here in the pulpit. But we prove our weakness more visibly by suffering. Women suffer well. Ah! people of God, it is one thing to look at the doctor’s knife, quite another to feel it. Another thing which proves our weakness is progress. Just try and live a life of sacrifice like Henry Martyn did, and you will soon find your own weakness. Pray to love the Lord more, and he may answer by making you feel the hidden evils of your heart, and it will be as though you love him less than you did before you prayed! Temptation too, will prove your weakness. A strong tree that resisted many frosts one day gets stretched upon the ground by a howling wind. I have seen many professing Christians break just like that by the wind of temptation. You think you’re strong enough to resist this or that sin? Satan knows you better than you do. He can find out your Achilles heel, just as the Philistines found out Samson’s.
(2) The Great Promise. “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” God’s promise is well guaranteed. If God can feed the burning furnace of the sun, he can supply your strength. Do not think for a moment that the Creator has out-promised himself. But his promise is a limited one. What! Yes, it does not say, as thy desires are, but as thy days are. To have more strength than you need might be like having more manna than you can eat. And so it breeds worms and begins to stink. And it does not say, as thy fears are. Some people must have a factory out behind the house where they manufacture fears. Maybe you are sick and are praying for grace to die smoothly. But why should God give dying grace now if he intends for you to live awhile? When your cup gets empty, then God will fill it. God does not give extra strength just for you to put into storage. Next, it does not say, as thy weeks or months shall be. Why should you get Monday’s grace on Sunday? Get a week’s grace all at once, and maybe the devil will get a good deal of it. As in Job’s case, your strength will grow as your troubles grow. The bed of grace is never shorter than a man can stretch himself upon it. If you were called to be as brave as Luther was, even so your strength would be. And this promise of God adjusts to circumstances that fly at us. As thy days: and so there is given a shield for an arrow. Finally, this promise is long enough that it will outlive you. You shall, after death, have strength to bear even the brightness of the Most High!
(3) The Lesson Drawn. Christians, whether young or bashful, why do you fear? Your days shall never be more troublesome than your strength shall be full of deliverance.
Selection from Conclusion. “And as for you that have not God to be yours…your days shall become heavier, but your strength shall become lighter…all your hopes shall die, and your fears shall live.”
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