It is surely a sad fact that respect for the aged, which is taken for granted in primitive cultures, is often a subject of jesting in our modern society. This precept does not merely reflect the traditions of an unenlightened age or an underdeveloped people, for it is the word of God. That word constantly calls for respect for the elderly, and it is not without significance that leaders in the Church have, from the beginning, been called elders.
Respect for the aged and reverence for God go hand in hand: “Show respect for the elderly and revere your God,” I have heard African Christians refer to God as “the Old Man” without any sense of disrespect. One characteristic of a decadent people who do not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God is that they disobey their parents (Rom. 1:28-30).
Happy are the elderly who make obedience to this biblical precept not just a sacred duty but a spontaneous pleasure. True godliness is the secret, since we need no encouragement to revere the Christlike. Philemon requires no “twisting of the arm” to respect the requests of “Paul the aged.“
“‘You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the Lord.”
Leviticus 19:32 NASB1995
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