Shoes of Iron, and Strength Sufficient: A New Year's
Promise
March 29th, 1888
by
C. H. SPURGEON
(1834-1892)
"And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with
children; let him be acceptable to his brethren,
and let him dip his foot in oil. Thy shoes shall
be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy
strength be."--Deuteronomy 33:24-25.
I once heard an old minister say that he thought the
blessing of Asher was peculiarly the blessing of
ministers; and his eyes twinkled as he added, "At any
rate, they are usually blessed with children, and it is
a great blessing for them if they are acceptable to
their brethren, and if they are so truly anointed that
they even dip their foot in oil." Well, well, I pray
that all of us who preach the gospel may enjoy this
triplet of blessings in the highest sense. If our
quiver is not full of children according to the flesh,
yet may we have many born unto God through our
ministry. May we be blessed by being made spiritual
fathers to very many, who shall be brought by us to
receive life, pardon, peace, and holiness, through our
Lord Jesus. What is the use of our life if it be not
so? To what end have we preached unless we see souls
born into the family of grace? My inmost soul longs to
see all my hearers born anew: this would be my greatest
joy, my highest blessedness. Ask for me the blessing of
Asher--"Let Asher be blessed with children"; and may
the Lord make my spiritual offspring to be as the sands
upon the sea-shore.
It is a great blessing from the Lord when our speech is
sweet to the ears of saints--when we have something to
bring forth which our brethren in Christ can accept,
and which comes to them with a peculiar preciousness
and power, so that they can receive it, and feel that
it is thoroughly acceptable to them. We do not wish to
be acceptable to the worldly wise, nor to the error-
hunters of the day; but we are very anxious to be
pleasant to the Lord's own children--our brethren in
Christ. They have a holy taste whereby they discern
spiritual meats, and we would bring forth for food that
which they will account to be nourishing and savoury.
Every minister prays to be "acceptable to his
brethren."
And what could we do without the third blessing, namely
that of unction? "Let him dip his foot in oil." Oh, for
an anointing of the Holy Spirit, not only upon the head
with which we think, but upon the foot with which we
move! We would have our daily walk and conversation
gracious and useful. We wish that, wherever we go, we
may leave behind us the print of divine grace. I was
asking concerning a preacher what kind of man he was,
and the simple, humble cottager, answered me, "Well,
sir, he is this kind of man: if he comes to see you,
you know that he has been." We must not only have oil
in the lamps of our public ministry, but oil in the
vessels of our private study. We need the holy oil
everywhere, upon every garment, even down to our
skirts. I know that there are mockers who scoff at the
very mention of unction; but I pray that to myself and
my brethren the promise may be fulfilled, "He shall dip
his foot in oil." Such a man, anointed with fresh oil,
holds an unquestioned office, enjoys an unfailing
freshness, and exercises an effectual influence.
Wherever he goes you see his footprints, for his foot
has been dipped in oil.
Well, now, if these three blessings be good for
ministers, they are equally good for all sorts of
workers. You in the school, you who visit tract
districts, you who manage mothers' meetings, and you
who in any shape or way endeavour to make Christ known,
may you have the threefold blessing! The Lord give you
many spiritual children: may you be blessed with them,
and never be without additions to their number! The
Lord make you acceptable to those among whom you
labour; and the Lord grant you always to go forth in
his strength, anointed with his Spirit!
That is the first part of our text, and I am not going
to say any more about it, as the second part is that to
which I shall call your especial attention. May the
Holy Spirit make the promise exceeding sweet to you,
and grant you a full understanding of it.
"Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so
shall thy strength be."
There are two things in the text--shoes and strength.
We will talk about these two, hoping to possess them
both.
I. "THY SHOES SHALL BE IRON AND BRASS." That is a very
great promise, and I fear that I shall not be able to
bring out all its meaning in one discourse.
I find that the passage has several translations; and,
though I think that which we have now before us is by
far the best, yet I cannot help mentioning the others,
for I think they are instructive. These interpretations
may serve me as divisions in opening up the meaning. I
take it as a rule that the Lord's promises are true in
every sense which they will fairly bear. A generous man
will allow the widest interpretation of his words, and
so will the infinitely gracious God.
This promise meant that Asher should have treasures
under his feet--that there should, in fact, be mines of
iron and copper within the boundaries of the tribe.
Metals enrich nations, and help their advancement in
many ways. Tribes that possess minerals are thereby
made rich, what ever metals those may be; but such
useful metals as iron and copper would prove of the
utmost service to the people of that time, if they knew
how to use them. Is there any spiritual promise at all
in this! Asher is made rich and iron and copper lying
beneath his feet. Are saints ever made rich with
treasures under their feet? Undoubtedly they are. The
Word of God has mines in it. Even the surface of it is
rich, and it brings forth food for us; but it is with
Scripture as Job saith it is with the earth: "As for
the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is
turned up as it were fire. The stones of it are the
place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold." There
are treasures upon the surface of the Word which we may
pick up very readily: even the casual reader will find
himself able to understand the simplicities and
elements of the gospel of God; but the Word of God
yields most to the digger. He that can study hard, and
press into the inner meaning--he is the man that shall
be enriched with riches current in heavenly places.
Every Bible student here will know that God has put
under his feet great treasures of precious teaching,
and he will by meditation sink shafts into the deep
places of revelation. I wish we gave more time to our
Bibles. We waste too much time upon the pretentious,
poverty-stricken literature of the age; and some, even
Christian people, are more taken up with works of
fiction than they are with this great Book of
everlasting fact. We should prosper much more in
heavenly husbandry if we would "dig deep while
sluggards sleep." Remember that God has given to us to
have treasures under our feet; but do not so despise
his gifts as to leave the mines of revelation
unexplored.
You will find these treasures, not only in the Word of
God, but everywhere in the providence of God, if you
will consider the ways of the Lord, and believe that
God is everywhere at work, He that looks for a
providence will not be long without seeing one. All
events are full of teaching to the man that has but
grace and wit to interpret them. "Whoso is wise, and
will observe these things, even they shall understand
the lovingkindness of the Lord." There shall be
treasures under your feet if your feet keep to the ways
of truth. A rich land is the country along which
believers travel to their rest: its stones are iron,
and out of its bowels thou mayest dig brass. "Who is
wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent,
and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are
right."
The Revised Version has it, "Thy bars shall be iron and
brass;" and certainly the original text bears that
meaning. "Thy bars shall be iron and brass:" there
shall be protection around him. The city gates shall be
kept fast against the enemy, so as to preserve the
citizens. The slaughtering foe shall not be able to
intrude, because, instead of the common wooden bar,
which might be sufficient in more peaceful times, there
shall be given bars of metal, not easily cut in sunder
or removed. Herein I see a spiritual blessing for us
also. What a mercy it is, when God strengthens our
gates and secures the bars thereof, so that, when the
enemy comes, he is not able to enter or to molest us!
Peace from all assaults, safety under all alarms,
shutting in from all attacks--this is a priceless boon.
Happy people who have God for their protector! Blessed
are they who rest in the sure promises and faithfulness
of God, for they may laugh their enemies to scorn. O
brethren, how safe are they whose trust is in the
living God and in his covenant and promise! Personally
I know what this means. I have rested as calmly in the
centre of the battle as ever I have reposed in the
deepest calm: with all against me I am as quiet in soul
as when everyone called himself my friend. It is true--
"Thy bars shall be iron and brass."
Still, I like the Old Version best, and the original
certainly bears it, "Thy shoes shall be iron and
brass." The Revised Version puts this in the margin He
shall have protection for his feet. The chief objection
that has been raised to this is that it would be a very
unusual thing for shoes to be made of iron and brass.
Such a thing is not heard of anywhere else in
Scripture, neither is it according to Oriental custom.
For that reason I judge that the interpretation is the
more likely to be correct, since the protection which
God gives to his people is unusual. No other feet shall
wear so singular a covering; but those who are made
strong in the Lord shall be able to wear shoes of iron,
and the Lord shall give them sandals of brass. As Og,
the King of Bashan, was of the race of the giants, and
"his bedstead was a bedstead of iron," so shall the
Lord's champions wear shoes of iron. Theirs are no
common equipments, for they are no common people. God's
people are a peculiar people, and everything about them
is peculiar. Even if the poetry of the passage would
not bear to run upon all fours, there is no reason why
it should, since it only relates to shoes. We may be
quite content to take the notion of iron and brazen
shoes with all its strangeness, and even let the
strangeness be a commendation of it. You have peculiar
difficulties, you are a peculiar people, you traverse a
peculiar road, you have a peculiar God to trust in, and
you may, therefore, find peculiar consolation in a
peculiar promise: "Thy shoes shall be iron and brass."
With shoes of iron and of brass,
O'er burning marl thy feet shall pass,
Tread dragons down, from fear set free;
For as thy day thy strength shall be.
But what does this mean--"thy shoes shall be iron and
brass"? Are there not several meanings? Does it not
mean that our feet, tender and unprotected by nature,
shall receive protection--protection from God? Our
feebleness and necessity shall call upon God's grace
and skill,and he will provide for us, and give to us
exactly what we, by reason of our feebleness, so much
need.
We want to have shoes of iron and brass, first, to
travel with. We are pilgrims. We journey along a road
which has not been smoothed by a steam-roller, but
remains rough and rugged as the path to an Alpine
summit. We push on through a wilderness where there is
no way. Sometimes we traverse a dreary road, comparable
too a burning sand. At other times sharp trials afflict
us as if they cut our feet with flints. Our journey is
a maze, a labyrinth: the Lord leads us up and down in
the wilderness, and sometimes we seem further from
Canaan than ever. Seldom does our march take us through
gardens: often it leads us through deserts. We are
always travelling, never long in one stay. Sometimes
the fiery cloudy pillar rests for a little, but it is
only for a little. "Forward!" is our watchword. We have
no abiding city here. We pitch our tent by the wells
and palms of Elim, but we strike it in the morning,
when the silver bugle sounds, "Up, and away!" and so we
march to Marah, or to the place of the fiery serpents.
Ever onward; ever forward; ever moving! This is our
lot. Be it so. Our equipment betokens it: we have
appropriate shoes for this perpetual journey. We are
not shod with the skins of beasts, but with metals
which will endure all wear and tear. Is it not written,
"Thy shoes shall be iron and brass"? However long the
way, these shoes will last to the end.
Perhaps I address some friend whose way is especially
rough. You seem to be more tried than anybody else. You
reckon yourself to be more familiar with sorrow than
anyone you know: affliction has marked you for its own.
I pray you take home this promise to yourself by faith:
the Lord saith to thee, "Thy shoes shall be iron and
brass." This special route of yours, which is beset
with so many difficulties--your God has prepared you
for it. You are shod as none but the Lord's chosen are
shod. If your way is singular, so are your shoes. You
shall be able to traverse this thorny road--to journey
along it with profit to yourself,and with glory to God.
For your travelling days you are well fitted, for your
shoes are iron and brass.
"If the sorrows of thy case
Seem peculiar still to thee,
God has promised needful grace,
'As thy days, thy strength shall be.'"
Shoes of iron remind us of military array--they are
meant to fight with. Brethren, we are soldiers as well
as pilgrims. These shoes are meant for trampling upon
enemies. All sorts of deadly things lie in our way, and
it is by the help of these shoes that the promise is
made good. "Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder;
the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under
feet." Are we not often too much like the young man
Jether, who was bidden by his father to slay Zebah and
Zalmunna, but he was afraid. We tremble to put our foot
upon the neck of the enemy; we fancy that if we should
attempt it, we should be guilty of presumption. Let us
have done with this false humility, for thus we
dishonour the Lord's promise: "Thy shoes shall be iron
and brass." Better far to say, "Through thee will we
push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread
them under that rise up against us." Thus we may say
without fear, for assuredly "The Lord shall bruise
Satan under our feet shortly."
"O my soul, thou has trodden down strength," said the
holy woman of old, when the adversaries of Israel had
been routed. Thus can our exultant spirits also take up
the chant. I also can say, "O my soul, thou has trodden
down strength." Yes, believer, with thy foot thou has
crushed thy foe, even as thy Lord, who came on purpose
that he might break with his foot, even with his
bruised heel, the head of our serpent adversary. Be not
afraid, therefore, in the day of conflict, to push
onward against the foe. Do not be afraid to seize the
victory which Christ has already secured for thee. "Thy
shoes shall be iron and brass" thou shalt trample down
thy foe, and march unharmed to victory.
What a blessing it is when we get self under our feet!
We shall have good use for iron shoes if we keep him
there. What a mercy it is when you get a sinful habit
under your feet! You will need have shoes of brass to
keep it there. What a mercy it is when some temptation
that you have long struggled with at last falls to the
ground, and you can set your foot upon it! You need to
have both of your shoes strengthened with iron, and
hardened with brass, that you may bruise this spiritual
enemy, and crush out its life. Feet shod with sound
metal of integrity and firmness will be none too strong
in this evil world, where so many, like serpents, are
ready to bite at our heels. Only so shod shall we win
the victory.
See, the Lord promises that we shall have shoes
suitable alike for travelling and for trampling upon
enemies!
Next, we have fit shoes for climbing. One interpreter
thinks that the sole of the shoe was to be studded with
iron or copper nails. Certainly, those who climb would
not like to go with the smooth soles which suit us in
our parlours and drawing-rooms. There are many
instances where a rough tip of iron, or a strong nail
in the heel of the shoe, has checked the slipping
mountaineer when gliding over a shelving rock,and there
he has stayed on the very brink of death. Our spiritual
life is an upward climb, with constant danger of a
fall. It is a great mercy to have shoes of iron and
brass in our spiritual climbings, that should our feet
be almost gone, we may find foothold before we are
utterly cast down. We ought to climb: the higher our
spiritual life the better. It is written of the
believer, "He shall dwell on high." We ought not to be
satisfied till we reach the highest places of
knowledge, experience, and practice. High doctrine is
glorious doctrine, high experience is blessed
experience, high holiness is heavenly living. Many
souls always keep in the plains: the simple elements
are enough for them; and, thank God, they are enough
for salvation and for comfort. But if you want the
richest delight and the highest degree of grace, climb
the hills and roam among the mysteries of God, the
sublimer revelations of his divine will. Especially
climb into the doctrines of grace: be not afraid of
electing love, of special redemption, of the covenant,
and all that is contained in it. Be not afraid to climb
high, for if thy feet be dipped in the oil of grace,
they shall also be so shod that they shall not slip.
Trust in God, and you shall be as Mount Zion, which can
never be removed. Your shoes shall be iron and brass,
for lofty thought and clear knowledge, if you commit
your mind to the instruction of the Lord. Receiving
nothing except as you find it in the Word, but in a
childlike spirit receiving everything that you find
there, you shall stand upon your high places. Your feet
shall be like hinds' feet, and your place of abode
shall be above the mists and clouds of earth's wretched
atmosphere of doubt.
Rise, also, to the highest graces and the noblest
virtues. As is the food we feed on, such should our
actions be. Let us love, for God is love, and as dear
children we must be imitators of him in all gentleness,
tenderness, and forgiveness. Climb to the heights of
self-denial, the summits of consecration. Be as near
heaven as is possible for those who dwell on earth.
Have you not the shoes to climb with? Wherefore tarry
down below?
I will not press this longer upon you, for I hope that
your hearts aspire to climb up where your Lord reveals
himself in clearer light; but, lest you should be at
all afraid of the climbing as the aged man is afraid of
that which is high, I would arouse you to a holy
bravery, since God has not given you shoes of iron and
brass merely to trip over the plains. He means you to
climb; your equipments prove it. Will you be as the
children of Ephraim, who, being armed, and carrying
bows, turned back in the day of battle? Will you be
shod with iron, and melt like wax under a little heat
of opposition?
Once more. These shoes are for travelling, for
trampling, for climbing; they are also made of iron and
brass for perseverance. You would not need such shoes
for a little bit of a run--for a trip up the street and
back again. Since the Lord has shod you in this
fashion, it is a warning to you that the way is long
and weary, and the end is not by-and-by. The Lord has
furnished you with shoes that will not wear out. "Old
shoes and clouted" were good enough for Gibeonites, but
they are not fit for Israelites. The Lord does not mean
that you should be arrayed as beggars, or become lame
through worn-out shoes. The sacred canticle, in one of
its verses, saith, "How beautiful are thy feet with
shoes, O prince's daughter!" The princes of the
heavenly household shall be shod according to their
rank and this shall be the case at the end of their
journey as surely as at the beginning. Whether Israel
traversed sand or rock, the camp never halted because
the people had become lame; for the Lord had said "Thy
shoes shall be iron and brass." It is a good pair of
shoes that lasts a man for forty years; yet there are
some of us who can testify that God's grace has
furnished us with spiritual shoes of that kind. I can
speak of nearly that length of time since I knew the
Lord, and I bear my unhesitating witness that I have
found the grace of God all-sufficient, and his promises
most sure and steadfast.
If we are allowed to live till we touch the borders of
a century, or if we even fulfill our hundred years,
these shoes would never be too old. These are the sort
of shoes that Enoch wore; and was it not for more than
three hundred years that he walked with God? He was
always walking, but his shoes of iron and brass were
never worn out. It matters not, dear friend, how severe
may be your trials and troubles, or how long may be
your pilgrimage through this wilderness, God, who gives
these extraordinary shoes, such as no other has ever
fashioned, and such as men are not accustomed to wear,
has in this provided you against the utmost of
endurance, the extremity of suffering. "Thy shoes shall
be iron and brass"--does not this symbol signify the
best, the strongest, the most lasting, and the most
fitting provision for a pilgrimage of trial? Thy shoes
shall last as long as thou shalt last. Thou shalt find
them as good as new when thou art about to lie down on
thy last bed, to be gathered to thy fathers. "Thy shoes
shall be iron and brass."
I may be addressing some here that are very low in
spirit: they fear that they shall not hold on their
way, they are ready to halt, yea, ready to lie down in
despair. I trust the way will hold you on when you can
hardly hold on your way. May you hear the ring of your
iron sandals, and be ashamed of cowardice. They should
be iron men to whom God has given iron shoes. I would
encourage you to go forward in the way, for you are, by
God's grace, made fit for travelling. You are not bare-
footed, nor badly shod. You ought to go forward
bravely, after your heavenly Father has put such shoes
as these upon your feet. You are shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace, and you may trip
lightly on your way; and again I say, though that way
should be a very long one, you need not think that your
provision for the way will fail you. Even to hoar hairs
the Lord will be with you. He has made, and he will
bear; even he will carry you. Your last days shall be
better than your first days. Yea, you shall go from
strength to strength through his abounding and faithful
love.
I find great difficulty in speaking tonight, because of
some failure of my voice; but the divine promise is so
sweet that even when poorly uttered it has a music all
its own. For fear my voice should quite fail me, I will
hasten on to say a few words upon the second point. We
have examined the shoes, now let us consider the
strength.
II. "AS THY DAYS,SO SHALL THY STRENGTH BE."
This provision is meant to meet weakness. The words
carry a tacit hint to us that we have no strength of
our own, but have need of strength from above. Our
proud hearts need such a hint; for often we poor
creatures begin to rely upon ourselves. Although we are
weak as water, we get the notion that our own wit, or
our own experience, may now suffice us, though once
they might not have done so. But our best powers will
not suffice us now, any more than in our youth. If we
begin to rest in ourselves it will not be long before
we find out our folly. The Lord will not let his people
depend upon themselves: they may make the attempt, but,
as sure as they are his people, he will empty them from
vessel to vessel, and make them know that their
fullness dwells in Christ, and not in themselves.
Remember that, if you have a sense of weakness, you
have only a sense of the truth. You are as weak as you
think you are; you certainly do not exaggerate your own
helplessness. The Saviour has said "Without me, ye can
do nothing"; and that is the full extent of what you
can do. The Lord promises you strength, which he would
have no need to promise you if you had it naturally
apart from him. But he promises to give it, and therein
he assures you that you need it. Come down from your
self-esteem: stoop from the notion of your own natural
ability: divest yourself of the foolish idea that you
can do anything in and of yourself, and come down to
the strong for strength, and ask your Lord to fulfill
this promise in your experience, "As thy days, so shall
thy strength be."
The strength which is here promised is to abide through
days. "As thy days, so shall thy strength be." Not for
today only, but for tomorrow, and for every day as
every day shall come. The longest and the shortest day,
the brightest and the darkest day, the wedding and the
funeral day, shall each have its strength measured out,
till there shall be no more days. The Lord will portion
out to his saints their support even as their days
follow each other.
"Days of trial, days of grief,
In succession thou may'st see;
This is still thy sweet relief,
'As thy day, thy strength shall be.'"
This strength is to be given daily We shall never have
two days' grace at a time.
"Day by day the manna fell:
Oh, to learn this lesson well,
'Day by day' the promise reads:
Daily strength for daily needs!"
If I get strength enough to get through this sermon, I
shall be satisfied for the present. I do not want
strength to get through next Sabbath morning's sermon
till that Sabbath morning comes. If I can weather the
present storm, I shall not just now require the
strength to outlive the storms of all the year 1889.
What should I do with this reserve force if I had it?
Where would you store away your extra grace? You would
put it in the lumber-room of your pride, where it would
breed worms, and become an offence. A storage of what
you call "grace" would turn into self-sufficiency. "As
thy days, so shall thy strength be": this secures you a
day's burden and a day's help, a day's sorrow and a
day's comfort. After all, what more do we want? If a
man has a meal, let him give thanks for it: he does not
want two meals at once. If a man has enough for the
day, he certainly is not yet in want for tomorrow. He
cannot eat tomorrow's food today; or, if he did, it
would injure his health, and be no comfort to him. Let
us narrow our vision as to the necessities of daily
life, not looking so far ahead as to compress into
today more evil than naturally belongs to it; for
"Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Our
strength is to be given to us daily.
And then the text seems to say clearly that it will be
given to us proportionately, "As thy days, so shall thy
strength be." A day of little service, little strength;
a day of little suffering, little strength; but in a
tremendous day--a day that needs thee to play the
Samson--thou shalt have Samson's strength. A day of
deep waters in which thou shalt need to swim, shall be
a day in which thou shalt ride the billows like a sea-
bird. Do you not think that this might almost tempt us
to wish for days of great trial, in order that we might
receive great grace? If we are always to go smoothly,
and to receive but little grace in consequence, we
shall never rise to the great things of the divine
life. We shall be dwarfs, and none shall say, "There
were giants in those days." We may not wish to be
always children, with boyish tasks and childish duties;
it is right we should grow, and that in consequence we
should shoulder burdens from which youthful backs are
exempt. Who would wish to be always a little child?
Great grace will be sent to us to meet our great
necessities. And is not that a most desirable thing? I
remember that for a long season the Lord was very
gracious to me in the matter of funds for the extensive
works which I have been called upon to originate and
superintend,and I felt very grateful for the ease which
I enjoyed; yet it crossed my mind that I was learning
less of God than in more trying seasons, and I
trembled. Years gone by there were considerable
necessities which did not appear to be met at once, and
I went with them to God in prayer, and I trusted him,
and he supplied my needs in such a wonderful way that I
seemed to have the closest intercourse with him. I
could most plainly see his hand stretched out to help
me. I could see him working for me as gloriously as if
he wrought miracles. These were glorious days with me!
I cannot tell you what holy wonder often filled my soul
when the Lord interposed on behalf of the Orphanage or
the College. The record reads so charmingly that
unbelievers would never accept it as true. Then God
made me by grace like one who steps from the summit of
one mountain to another: I stepped across the valleys,
leaving the deep places far below. So in my easy
seasons I thought to myself, "Everything comes in
regularly and abundantly. I am like a little child
walking along a smooth lawn. This is but a common,
ordinary state of affairs, in which even a man of no
faith could pursue his way. I do not see so much of
God, though assuredly I ought to see him as clearly now
as ever." I did not wish for necessities, but I
remembered how the Lord glorified himself in them, and
therefore I half desired them. The regular blessing day
by day, almost without need of special prayer, does not
constrain you to look to God so vividly as when you
gaze down into the deep, dark abyss of want, and feel,
"If he does not help me now, I shall soon be in dire
distress." This forces forth the living prayer."Then
they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved
them out of their distresses." Our great necessities
bring God so very near to us,so manifest to our
consciousness, that they are an unspeakable blessing.
So I did not ask to have a time of need; I hope that I
shall never be so foolish as that; but when I found a
time of need hurrying up, as I soon did, I felt a
special delight in it--I took pleasure in my
necessities. My heart cried,"Now I shall see my Lord;
now I shall see him again. Now I shall get a hold of
that great arm, and hang upon it, and I shall see how
the Lord will deliver me in time of need." I did thus
lay hold upon my Lord again, and I found him still God
All- sufficient, for which I bless his name. In
proportion as he sends the trial he sends the help. Be
not, therefore, afraid of great trial: on the contrary,
look for it, and when it comes, say to yourselves, "Now
for great grace. Now for a special manifestation of the
faithfulness of God."
Mark, again, that strength will be given to us in all
forms. "As thy days, so shall thy strength be." Our
days vary, our trials change; our service varies, too.
Our lives are far from being monotonous: they are
musical with many notes and tones. Our present state is
like chequered work: or, say, as a mosaic of many
colours. But the strength that God gives varies with
the occasion. He can bestow physical strength, and
mental strength, and moral strength, and spiritual
strength. He gives strength just where the strength is
needed, and of that peculiar kind which the trial
demands. We have no need to fear because we feel weak
in a certain direction: if we need strength in that
special quarter, the strength will come there. "But if
I am tried," says one, "in a certain way, I shall
fail." No, you will not. "As your days, so shall your
strength be." "I am horrified," says one, "at the
thought of having to pass through the ordeal of a
surgical operation." Do not be horrified at it; for
though at the present moment you may be quite unfit for
the trial, you will be quite ready for it when it
comes. Have you never been in great danger and found
yourself cool and calm beyond anything you could have
expected? It has been so with me, and I have learned
from my experience, not to measure what I shall be, in
a trying hour, by what I happen to be just now. The
Lord will take care to fit us for our future, and, as
our days, so shall our strength be.
I find that some persons read this passage thus--when
our days grow many, and we come to the end, yet our
strength shall be equal to what it was in the days of
our youth. We shall, according to this, find our
strength continuing as our days continue. It is a
cheering meaning, certainly. The children of God do
find that, spiritually, their strength is renewed day
by day. The outer man decayeth, that is nature: but the
inward man is renewed day by day, that is grace. As thy
days are, so shall thy strength continue to be. "Even
the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men
shall utterly fail: but they that wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength." Though days come one after
another, so shall strength come with them; there shall
be such a continuity of perpetual renewal that the
heart shall be strong even to the end of life, and the
old man shall know no inward decay.
An hour or so ago, I stood by what will certainly be
the death-bed of one of our best friends, and I was
cheered and comforted when I heard him so blessedly
speaking both of the present with its pain, and of the
future with its near descent into the vale of death. He
said, "I have no doubt as to my eternal bliss. I have
had no doubt--no, not a shadow of doubt--of my interest
in Christ through my long illness. In fact, I have felt
a perfect rest of mind about it all. And," he added,
"this is nothing more than ought to be, with us who
listen to the glorious gospel, for we live on good
spiritual meat. Sound doctrine should make us strong in
the Lord. I have not been a hearer of yours for thirty
years, and heard of covenant love and faithfulness, to
die with a trembling hope. I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I
have committed unto him." Thus, dear friends, shall we
also be supported, for the brother of whom I speak is a
simple-minded man, who makes no pretensions to
learning, but is one of our own selves. It will be a
great privilege to find that when death's days come--
the days of sickness, and decline, and weakness, yet
still our strength remains the same. It will be
glorious to go from strength to strength, and even in
the day of utter physical prostration to find the
spirit leaping for joy, in anticipation of the time
when it shall be free from the cumbering clay, and
shall stretch its wings and fly aloft to yonder world
of joy. Yes, as our days our strength shall be.
Come, child of God, be peaceful, be happy in the
prospect of the future. Do more, be joyous, and show
your joy. You are out of harm's reach, for Christ has
you in his hand. You shall never be staggered nor
overcome, for the Lord is your strength and your song,
and he has become your salvation. This text is a royal
banquet for you. Here are fat things full of marrow.
Eat abundantly, O beloved. Feel your spirit renewed by
the Holy Spirit. Be prepared for whatever is yet to
come; for such a word as this, not from me, but from
the Lord himself, may gird up your loins for another
march towards Canaan; "Thy shoes shall be iron and
brass, and as thy days, so shall thy strength be."
I am sorry, very sorry, for those among you who have no
portion and lot in such a promise as this. Whatever you
may have in this world, you are very poor in losing
such a promise as this. You are shoeless, or if you
have some wooden sabot, it will soon be worn out. You
will never be able to travel to heaven in any shoes
that mortal men can make for you. You need to go to the
great Father, who alone can say, "Put a ring on his
hand, and shoes on his feet." I am sorry for you in
your present condition, for you have no strength but
your own, and that is a poor piece of weakness. You are
troubled even now: what will you do in the swellings of
Jordan? The common footmen of daily life have wearied
you: what will you do when you have to contend with
horses? O souls, what will you do when you are ushered
into the presence of the dread mysteries of another
world? O sirs, you are without strength; but is not
that a grand verse, "When we were yet without strength,
in due time Christ died for the ungodly"? Ungodly as
you are, clutch at such a word as that. "Without
strength" as you are, yet lay hold upon the Lord's
strength. It is for those who have no strength that
Christ came into the world. It is for the ungodly that
he laid down his life. Come, and trust him. Let him
become your strength and your righteousness from this
time forth; and my he manifest himself to you in a
special and gracious way; and unto his name shall be
praise, for ever and ever. Amen.
LETTER FROM MR. SPURGEON
BELOVED READERS,--To you, one and all, may the
New Year be fruitful of blessings. I wish you
the text of this sermon as a benediction, so far
as it is applicable to you. Specially may your
feet be shod with the iron and brass which are
promised you, and this will be better than the
glass slippers of fortune, or the silver sandals
of wealth. For myself, I beg your kind
remembrance when you have the ear of "the King."
I need restored strength, for I am well, but
weak; and for another year of service I need
that the right hand of the Lord may be laid upon
me, and that he should say to me, "Be strong:
fear not." He that has supplied might to our
feebleness for so many years will not fail us
now. Week by week the loaf will be set before
you in this sermon, and we shall together bless
the Lord of the feast.
With all the good wishes of the season, in
sincerity and truth,
I am, your weekly visitor,
C. H. SPURGEON.
Mentone, Jan 1st, 1889.
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