Youth is Wasted on the Young

SR Eccl 11:7-10

*What things about our youth are we grieving?

Is it the ability to just get up and go somewhere on a whim? A road trip with friends? Of is it just the ability to get up?

How about the idealism and optimism which sometimes gets replaced by a jaded heart and a cynical mind?

Maybe it’s the energy and the flexibility and strength that used to be ours.

Working with students . . . Keeps you young (Story about “bitter”?)

Supposedly George Bernard Shaw said “Youth is wasted on the Young.”

. Moses is born. Then in v. 11 “after he grew up” story of killing the Egyptian.

7 The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.

The joy is in the journey

. Moses is born. Then in v. 11 “after he grew up” story of killing the Egyptian.

V. 15

15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.

He meets some of the local girls

V. 21

Deut 27:2

21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. 22 Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom,[c] saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”

23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died

3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

1 Samuel 7 NIV

So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all. Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord. So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only. Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you.” When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah. When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him. While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” So the Philistines were subdued and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to Israel, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. Samuel continued as Israel’s leader all the days of his life. From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also held court for Israel. And he built an altar there to the Lord.

Moses whole pre burning bush life is told in one short chapter that starts with his parents. “A man from the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman.”

So, here’s the youth and child raising and working years of Moses told very quickly. Just a brief snapshot of his life. He was born, he grew up, killed an Egyptian, fled to Midian, Got married, had some kids. Then “during that long period” Pharoah dies. *How long? Who knows? Just a long time.

Then the burning bush: There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.

There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.

I won’t speculate on how old he actually was when he encountered God in the burning bush, but maybe he was feeling like his life didn’t really turn out they way he had planned. Maybe he felt like his service to God was done, that his actions in Egypt had kept God at a distance. Maybe he thought this was all there was left to do. Hang out and watch the sheep. After all he did say, “I’m just a foreigner in foreign land.” My wife’s dad is a pagan priest, and I watch his sheep. That’s what my life has become.

Pink Floyd “Time”

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain And you are young and life is long and there is time to kill today And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking Racing around to come up behind you again The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say

Have you settled in? Have you said, “this is it. This is my life now.” I’m not really expecting much going forward. Kids are raised, a long time has passed, and here I am just doing my thing.

Maybe in the “second half” of our lives, we may still have more marching orders from God. More to do, people to help liberate, people to lead, people to minister to. Our life’s purpose may still have much more. God says that he’s seen the suffering and he’s heard his people cry and he’s ready to do something about it. God’s way of doing something is often to send someone, and it doesn’t really matter how much life experience they’ve had—a very little or a whole lot.

Paul told Timothy-don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. But set an example for the believers.

In when it came time to consecrate their new child, the young parents Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple where they met a righteous and devout man named Simeon and the prophet Anna who the Bible comments on both as being very old. Despite their age, they are able to speak words of blessing and wisdom on Jesus and his parents as well as all those who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Age doesn’t matter to God. Young, old. He’ll give a job to those looking for the burning bush, looking for an opportunity to pass along godly wisdom, blessing, a sage word from someone who has gone before.

Here’s another example of young and old getting called by the Lord.

*Do we have close friends?

*How has our relationship with our kids changed?

*What’s your retirement dream?

Listening

The author wanted all this land to work on and house to fix up. It was their fantasy project.

Bottom P. 2, Top, P. 3

Is it just about getting what we want?

Author says the farming was about really wanting a redemption from things they’d neglected in the past.

9/11 memorial

*As you think about your “retirement dream” what is it you think you may really be wanting?

The farming gets old, the hubby starts to wear out. Author goes to friend who spends her time sitting around listening.

P. 8 Bottom - top P. 9. “Diadochus warned”

*Have we “refused to acknowledge” that this time in our life has come?

*Have we accepted it? (we talked last time about how our bodies are failing)

*What opportunities are we missing out on if we don’t accept it?

Surrender up our worries. *What are we worried about?

Focus on the present moment, rather than the future. *What’s happening now?

Recognize constant themes that have been running through our life. *What are your themes?

Wilderness

3 The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’”

Word of God comes in unexpected times and places (sounds like a normal night: “usual place,” lamps still burning. Just some mundane details). This wasn’t a big worship service in the temple or a special celebration calling on God. Not Mt. Sinai with clouds and thunder, smoke and trumpet blasts. Moses just out one day tending the sheep and there was God. Eli and Samuel there just on a regular night and there was God. And did you notice how old Eli is? He can barely see his eyes are so weak! Can you relate? (ordering glasses from Zenni?)

God calls the young man, but Samuel “did not know the Lord” but that didn’t stop the Lord from calling him. It takes the older and wiser man Eli to teach the younger man Samuel to learn how to recognize and respond to the voice of God.

Can you hear the voices of those who taught you about God or how to see God or maybe just taught you some wisdom about life that contained part of God’s truth?

The joy is in the journey

7 The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.

The joy is in the journey

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain And you are young and life is long and there is time to kill today And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking Racing around to come up behind you again The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say

7 The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.

You reap what you sow

With the measure you use, it will be measured to you

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.

My friends, many of us have walked in faith for many years and maybe we’re not sure what God has in store for us next but God is never done and age makes no difference to him. He will cause your life, your wisdom, your hope, and faithfulness to be a blessing to a new generation.

The New International Version Chapter 3

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.