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DAVID'S EMAIL BIBLE STUDY:
A. BACKGROUND
...looking at older people from the Bible, we have drawn lessons for living life to the fullest as long as we can. Caleb, for example, was known for being "wholehearted" in all he did, and ended up a great, exemplary leader for Israel even at age 85. An old saying parallels that: "do what you do, do well." Enoch lived his whole life "walking with God," an intimacy that carried him along through everything. Simeon and Anna lived their lives expectantly, hopefully, trusting that God would be faithful to them. Think of the great older people in your life. We know what made them old, but what made them great to you?
B.
TODAY... What do we owe older folks? And what do we get from them? "You shall rise up before the gray headed, and honor the aged (Leviticus 19:32)... Honor your mother and father that your day, may be long and that it may go well with you (Deuteronomy 5:16)... Do not cast me off in old age. Do not forsake me when my strength fails (Psalm 71:9)... Wisdom is with the aged, with long life is understanding (Job 12:12)... Age should speak. Increased years teach (Job 32:7)."
C. SUMMARY: In brief, we should HONOR older people, and get WISDOM from them. A favorite story explains it all. I used to go to the Congo (Zaire) for Habitat for Humanity, visiting remote villages. To make important decisions the drums invited the villagers to a nighttime meeting, held around a bonfire. Seating around the bonfire was according to age. The oldest sat near the fire, the youngest far away almost to the forest. The other age groups in between. The reason? The decisions would be made at the bonfire. The elderly not only had seats of honor, but their wisdom would carry the day.
D.
KEY POINTS:
1. HONOR. It is said of beauty "I can't define it, but I know what it is when I see it." Honor is equally elusive as a definition. The Bible tells us to honor our parents in particular and the elderly in general. When Israel was about to become a nation God gave them his Top 10 List for being a good society. Treating the elderly honorably was 1 or the 10. Notice, it doesn't say obey! It says honor. Ask yourself: when you reach some ripe old age, what would make you feel honored? How do you want to be treated? Our in person Bible studies emphasized kindness, listening, respect, take care of, see that needs are met, give preference to, put yourself in their shoes. At a Long Island cemetery I saw an ancient saying that I can only paraphrase, that you can really judge a nation by the way it treats its dead. I would bring it a little closer to home and make it, "how it treats its elderly.
2. Nitty Gritty. In the abstract honoring our elderly is easy. Tip our hats; give up our seat on the train; 10% discount. But when the Bible tells us "do not forsake them, or cast them off, or despise them, "that gets to the heart. America, and most of the western world, has a growing elderly population, and people are living longer. Are they a national treasure or burden? But the real issue is personal. Caring for our elderly (or being cared for) is a privilege, an honor, and tough. Planning, talking, researching can help the doing. It is always better to be ahead of decisions, proactive, rather than reacting from behind.
3. UPSIDE. The Bible sees older people as a TREASURE, a national resource, an advantage. All that experience, that wisdom, that knowledge, that perspective at our fingertips - wow! Let's harness that in church, community, nation, and family. Try it. The next time you are thinking through an issue invite the elders in your circle to offer insight. There's no downside to listening.
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