Under God, the old have a revered place since it is through them that God’s Word is seen and heard. Leviticus 19: 32 says, “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.” Gray hair on an old person indicates they’ve weathered the earthly temptations and have withstood the tests of their faith that God has laid out for them, so in the school of life they’ve graduated with honors. They didn’t give in to foolishness that shortens the lives of others. They didn’t jump the gun so that a gun is used on them. They weren’t haughty, causing disdain from others. And if in their lives they were any of these things, they were fortunate enough to have learned from their errors and can now teach others to avoid the pitfalls that they themselves may have gone through. Job 12:12 says, “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.”
If there is any doubt as to the degree of reverence that should be given to the old, Proverbs 30:17 says “The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures.” So, what to make of a person who works in the corridors of power, no less, who mocks the counsel of one who is older than they are? Does it say anywhere in the Bible that an old person should be ignored because they are ‘dying anyway?’ Under God, knowledge and wisdom do not die with the person in possession of such, because under God it is passed on to others. Deuteronomy 32:7 says, “Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.” In that sense, 1 Timothy 5:1 says “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father…” What kind of encouragement is one giving to one older than them when they say, in effect, ‘Why should I listen to you? You’re dying anyway!’
If the following isn’t a proverb, then perhaps it should be: Foolishness rests with the young. For the young haven’t learned anything yet, and it is only when the young do learn that they cease to be foolish, and in so doing, cease to be young in the ways of the world. An older person has outgrown and overcome the foolishness of their youth, and so, such a person has wise instruction.
Under God, “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life,” as stated in Proverbs 16:31. So, under God, if you who strive for righteousness consider an older person; your first query should be, ‘What have they done, to lead a righteous life?’ Then, having gone past that, your next query would be, ‘What can I learn from such a person?’ For it would be foolishness indeed to shun the counsel of an older person, who’s been there and done that, and who’s seen and experienced what you have yet to see and experience. 1 Peter 5:5 says, “…you who are younger, be subject to the elders.”
The old have a revered place with God. Isaiah 46:4 says, “Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you…”
If there is any doubt as to the degree of reverence that should be given to the old, Proverbs 30:17 says “The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures.” So, what to make of a person who works in the corridors of power, no less, who mocks the counsel of one who is older than they are? Does it say anywhere in the Bible that an old person should be ignored because they are ‘dying anyway?’ Under God, knowledge and wisdom do not die with the person in possession of such, because under God it is passed on to others. Deuteronomy 32:7 says, “Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.” In that sense, 1 Timothy 5:1 says “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father…” What kind of encouragement is one giving to one older than them when they say, in effect, ‘Why should I listen to you? You’re dying anyway!’
If the following isn’t a proverb, then perhaps it should be: Foolishness rests with the young. For the young haven’t learned anything yet, and it is only when the young do learn that they cease to be foolish, and in so doing, cease to be young in the ways of the world. An older person has outgrown and overcome the foolishness of their youth, and so, such a person has wise instruction.
Under God, “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life,” as stated in Proverbs 16:31. So, under God, if you who strive for righteousness consider an older person; your first query should be, ‘What have they done, to lead a righteous life?’ Then, having gone past that, your next query would be, ‘What can I learn from such a person?’ For it would be foolishness indeed to shun the counsel of an older person, who’s been there and done that, and who’s seen and experienced what you have yet to see and experience. 1 Peter 5:5 says, “…you who are younger, be subject to the elders.”
The old have a revered place with God. Isaiah 46:4 says, “Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you…”
