Respect Your Elders

“I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you. I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.’ But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand. It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right. Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me; let me also declare my opinion.’”

Job 32:6-10

(Elihu should have stuck with his first opinion. The verse above reflects nothing but arrogance)

I grew up in a home where the “elderly” were loved and respected. When I was about 14 my family moved to First Baptist Markham, TX where my mother started a senior adult ministry (The Pace Setters if I remember correctly). I watched my mom plan events, call on the elderly, and simply show love to those who were on the backside of life. I learned at a very young age that the wisdom of the “old” was to be respected. Even if the elderly you were talking to were difficult to deal with, or flat out wrong, you just smiled and showed respect.

Scripture is clear as to how we are to treat the elderly in our midst:

Leviticus 19:32 – You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

Job 12:12 – Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.

Proverbs 16:31 – Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

Proverbs 20:29 – The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.

1 Timothy 5:1 – Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

Without a doubt, scripture gives deference to the elderly. A fact that Elihu, the young man in the book of Job, forgot. After sitting quietly for a while, he can no longer restrain himself. Then, once he begins talking, he seemingly cannot stop. He makes a number of wrong assumptions about Job, reveals a complete lack of understanding as to how God is moving and working, and ultimately shows the foolishness of his youth. He would have been well served to have remained quiet and just listen.

Unfortunately, there are times that we, like Elihu, devalue the aged. We view them as old and out of touch. We tend to think that we know better and do not listen. I have observed this over and over in church work. I have watched as the older voices on committees are drowned out by the younger, who know better. I have watched as pastors who are approaching retirement age are forced out, because they are no longer young and hip. I have listened to more than one discussion about reaching younger people, as if the elderly do not matter to God. I have watched as the church, not the world, has forgotten that we are to honor the aged.

Certainly, I am not saying that young people do not bring anything to the table. But what I am saying is that we need to proceed with respect and honor as we deal with those who are older than us. Yes, there may be a time that someone is hurting the organization that they lead, or road blocking needed change, but even in those times respect can be shown.

Despite all of our advances, we would do well to remember the Golden Rule, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12, ESV). As my step-dad used to tell me, “You will be old one day too…if you live long enough.” How will you want to be treated when you are the old man, or old lady, at the table speaking from years of wisdom?