OLD AGE

1. The blessings of
old age:

A. Old age has its
own special beauty & glory:

Pro.16:31                The
hoary (grey) head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way
of righteousness

Pro.20:29b              The
beauty of old men is the grey head

B. God's Word says
that the elderly should be honoured & respected:

Lev.19:32               Thou
shalt rise up [in respect] before the hoary head, & honour the face of the
old man

Job
32:4,6               Elihu
had waited till Job [& the others] had spoken, because they were elder than
he

Pro.23:22                Hearken
unto thy father...& despise not (respect) thy mother when she is old

C. The passing of
years usually brings wisdom:

Job
12:12                With
the ancient is wisdom; & in length of days understanding

Job
32:7  Days should speak, &
multitude of years...teach wisdom

1Ki.12:1-16             [King
Rehoboam's folly in not following the wise advice of the old men]

D. Long years of
trusting the Lord brings assurance:

Psa.37:25                I
have been young, & now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken

E. We shouldn't be
sad about old age:

Eccl.11:10               Remove
sorrow from thy heart...for childhood & youth are vanity

2. God's special
help in our old age:

Isa.46:4   Even to your old age I am He; &
even to hoar hairs will I carry you...& will deliver you

(See
also Psa.71:8,9,17,18)

3. Desiring long
life:

A. Before the
flood, men lived to very great ages:

(See
Gen.5:1-32; 7:11; 9:28,29.)

B. After the flood,
lifespans began to shorten:

(See
Gen.11:10-32; 25:7,8,17; 35:28; 47:8,9; Deut.34:7a; Josh.24:29.)

C. Today's average
lifespan:

Psa.90:10                The
days of our years are (seventy); & if by reason of strength they be
(eighty) years

D. Old age a
blessing for a righteous life:

2Chr.24:15              [Godly
Jehoidah lived to 130 years of age, at a time when most men only lived to be
70]

Gen.15:15               Thou
shalt go to thy fathers in peace...in good old age

Gen.25:8 Abraham...died in a good old age...full of
years

Deut.34:7               Moses
was an 120 years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force
abated

1Chr.29:28              He
died in a good old age, full of days, riches, & honour

Job
5:26  Thou shalt come to thy grave in
a full age, like as a (sheave of grain is gathered) in his season

Psa.91:14,16           He
hath set his love on Me...with long life will I satisfy him

Isa.65:22 As the days of a tree are the days of My
people, & Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands

Zech.8:3,4              There
shall yet [be] old men & old women...every man with his staff in his hand
for very age

E. How to obtain
the blessing of longevity:

Deut.5:33               Walk
in all the ways which the Lord...commanded you, that ye may live...prolong your
days

Deut.30:20             Love
the Lord thy God...obey His voice...for He is thy life, & the length of thy
days

Psa.34:12-14          What
man...desireth life, & loveth many days? Keep thy tongue from evil &
guile...do good; seek peace

Pro.3:1,2 Let thine heart keep My commandments: for
length of days, & long life...shall they add to thee

Pro.9:10,11             For
by Me (wisdom) thy days shall be multiplied, & the years of thy life shall
be increased

Pro.10:27                The
fear of the Lord prolongeth days

(See
also Pro.3:13,16a; 4:7,10; 9:10,11; 1Pet.3:10,11; Exo.20:12.)

F. Praying for more
time to live & serve the Lord:

2Ki.20:1-7               [God
revived ailing King Hezekiah & gave him 15 more years to live]

Psa.71:18                Forsake
me not; until I have shewed Thy strength unto this generation, &...to
everyone that is to come

G. Keeping up the
will to live to help others:

Phi.1:23-25             Having
a desire to depart, & to be with Christ...[but] to abide in the flesh is
more needful for you

H. God sometimes
revealed to men their time of departing:

Psa.39:4  Lord, make me to know...the measure of my
days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am

Psa.90:12                Teach
us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom

Lk.2:26    It was revealed unto him by
the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen...Christ

2Tim.4:6,7              I
am now ready...the time of my departure is at hand

2Pet.1:14                Shortly
I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me

2Ki.2:3    Knowest thou that the Lord
will take (Elijah) away today?

I. They often gave
parting instructions to their family:

Gen.49:1,33            [Dying
Jacob called his sons & gave them instructions, & when finished,
"gave up the ghost"]

(See
also Gen.50:22-26; 1Ki.2:1-3,10.)

J. The futility of
worrying that our time has come:

Gen.27:1-4              [Aged
Isaac thought he was about to die, but lived many more years & died when 180--Gen.35:28,29]

1Sam.27:1               [David
despaired:] I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul [but lived over 40 years
more]

(See
also Heb.2:15)

K. Trusting God to
keep you alive until His appointed time:

Job
7:1    Is there not an
appointed time to man upon earth?

Psa.31:15a              My
times are in Thy hand

Psa.48:14                God...is
our guide even unto death

L. Sometimes not
living to old age is a greater blessing:

Gen.5:23,24            [Enoch
lived only 1/3rd the lifespan of his day; God took him because he pleased
Him--See also Heb.11:5]

Isa.57:1   Merciful men are taken away...the
righteous is taken away from the evil to come (See also 1Ki.14:12,13)

4. God can mightily
use aged believers:

A. Promises of
fruitfulness:

Psa.92:13,14           They
shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be (fresh) &
flourishing

B. Material
ministering & good deeds:

2Sam.19:32-35       [Barzillai,
80 years old, helped support King David in his time of great need--See also
2Sam.17:27-29]

C. Spiritual
ministries:

Exo.7:7    [Moses was 80 years old when
he led the Exodus]

Joel
2:28 I will pour out My Spirit upon all
flesh; &...your old men shall dream dreams (See also Acts 2:16,17)

Dan.9:1;
10:1         [Daniel
received two of his greatest revelations between the ages of 85 and 90]

Rev.1:1,9                [The
apostle John received the Book of Revelation in exile on Patmos, in his 80's or
90's]

D. Some conditions
to being used of God:

Tit.2:2,3  Aged men be sober, (reverent), temperate,
sound in faith, in love, in patience [that they may teach]

E. The ministry of
prayer:

1Sam.12:1,2,16,19  [Samuel, aged & grey-headed, prayed
& the Lord performed a miracle to punish the errant Israelites]

Lk.2:36,37               Anna,
a prophetess...of about (84 years old), served  God with fastings & prayers night
& day

1Tim.5:5,9              [Prayer,
a special ministry for women over 60]

F. Witnessing:

Lk.2:36-38              [Anna,
84 years old, witnessed to others about Jesus]

Phlm.9-11,16          Paul
the aged [led Onesimus to receive Jesus]

Acts
28:30,31        [Paul
witnessed to all those who came to visit him]

(See
also 2Tim.1:5; 3:15--Witnessing to our children & grandchildren)

G. God can use
those who think they are too old:

Gen.18:10-14;21:1,2              [Sarah,
at 90, laughs & doubts she can have a child] (See also Gen.17:15-17;
Lk.1:36.)

H. God sometimes
doesn't really use us until we're older & wiser:

Acts
7:23-34          [Moses
tried to start his life's work at 40, but was not really ready for it until he
was 80]

I. Keep faithfully
serving Jesus till our parting day:

2Pet.1:12-15           I
think it meet, as long as I am in this (body), to stir you up [& establish
you in the truth]

J. Steadfastly
enduring adversity in old age:

Phlm.9,10               Paul
the aged, & now also a prisoner...in bonds

Rev.1:9   [John, in his 80's or 90's, exiled
to the isle of Patmos]

5. Strength in old
age:

A. God can give us
strength & health:

Deut.33:25             As
thy days, so shall thy strength be

Deut.34:7               Moses
an 120 years old...his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated

Isa.40:29 To them that have no might He increaseth
strength

Psa.103:5                [He]
satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the
eagle's

Josh.14:7,10,11      I (Caleb) am this
day (85) years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was [when I was 40]

B. Courage &
determination give strength & victory in old age:

Josh.14:10-14        [Caleb,
85 years old, declared:] Give me this mountain [inhabited by giants
in strongly-fortified cities] The Lord will be with me...I shall drive them out

C. Giving God the
credit for keeping us during a difficult life:

Josh.14:10              Behold,
the Lord hath kept me alive, these (45) years... in the
wilderness...& I am this day (85) years old

6. Cautions
regarding old age:

A. We must not
assume that age alone always makes us wiser:

Job
32:9  Great men are not always wise:
neither do the aged [always] understand judgment

(See
also Psa.119:100)

B. Without God, the
wisdom of the aged comes to nought:

Job
12:13,20           With
Him (God) is wisdom...He...taketh away the understanding of the aged

C. Caution against
becoming too set in our ways:

Eccl.4:13 Better is a...wise child than an old &
foolish king, who will no more be admonished

D. Caution against
losing conviction in old age:

1Ki.11:4  When Solomon was old, his wives turned
away his heart after other gods: & his heart was not perfect with God

E. Unwisely
comparing former glories to the present:

Eccl.7:10 Say not thou, What is the cause that the former
days were better than these? Thou dost not enquire wisely

Ezra
3:11,12            [People
rejoiced to see the new temple, but the old men, remembering old temple, wept]
(See also Hag.2:3)

7. Joy in children
& in grandchildren:

Pro.17:6  Children's children are the crown of old
men; & the glory of children are their fathers

Gen.37:3 Israel loved Joseph more than all his children,
because he was the son of his old age

Ruth
4:13-16          [Naomi's
grandchild] a nourisher of thine old age

(See
also Lk.1:5-7,13,18-20)