| “Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.” |
| —Leviticus 19:32 |
I confess to you that I had to suppress a bit of a chuckle when I came across the designated Scripture verse for today. I almost chuckled because I have recently become aware of how much of an “Old Geezer” I have become. To vibrant young people—and by young people, I mean anyone under the age of, say, 60 years old—I appear quite ancient, and more so, physically infirm.
This verse appears in a chapter of the Book of Leviticus that the editors of the particular version of the Bible that I use have entitled “Various Laws.” These were instructions that God gave to His chosen people, the Jews of Israel, to ensure their safety, well-being, and obedience. The laws largely helped these special ones to remain in contact with the God who had lovingly chosen them to represent Him on the earth.
Under the New Covenant—put into place upon the birth, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of God’s precious, one and only Son, Jesus—the Laws of the Old Testament became fulfilled in Christ. We Gentiles were grafted into the line of David. We are also ones whom God has chosen to belong to Himself since before the creation of the world. So, these rules from Leviticus have become fulfilled in us through Christ. However, this does not, in any way, diminish the wisdom contained in these words, including today’s verse found in Leviticus 19:32:
Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.
The one element that I have found universally lacking throughout much of my life is embodied in the word “respect.” In some odd way, I am like the character played by the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who often declared, “I don’t get no respect!” Not that I actually believe I am due any respect. I have plenty of reasons why people most likely will not feel respect for me. Nevertheless, it is interesting to see how readily we Geezers are set aside by younger and more vital individuals. We don’t matter—we don’t matter at all. And, I am not so much angered or disappointed by this, as I am amused by it.
When I walk down the street and some young buck struts by looking at me as if to say, “You pathetic and weak old man. Why don’t you just go away somewhere and die?” I chuckle to myself because that youngster has no idea of who I am, or through God’s love and grace what I have accomplished throughout the course of my life. Then, I begin to ask myself how I treated older people when I was a younger man. Did I show them the respect that this verse of Scripture indicates they deserve? Or, did I do the very same thing that is now being done to me?
As we begin a new day, let’s remember to show respect to those older than we are old. In fact, we should heed the instructions that the Apostle Paul gave to his “son in the faith” Timothy, as recorded in 1 Timothy 5:1:
Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
As believers in the power of God through Christ, the way we treat each other gives an amazingly sharp testimony to those in the world who are watching us. Let’s remember to extend kindness and respect to everyone—but especially those who are from the household of faith. (Galatians 6:10)
Based on a blog originally posted on Monday, October 16, 2017
