|
Courtesy to the Aged
There is an interesting act of courtesy
commanded by God to the Jews in Lev. 19:32: “Thou shalt rise
up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old
man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.” It is interesting
that God, in His wisdom, helps us understand the application
of such passages as “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself” (Lev. 19:18; Rom. 13:9) and “Whatsoever ye would
that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Mt.
7:12). An equivalent, but deeper passage might be 1 Tim.
5:1-2, “1: Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father;
and the younger men as brethren; 2: The elder women as
mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.” Certain
courtesies are to be shown because of the position a person
holds, not because of their worthiness of honor. God says,
“The hoary head is a crown of glory if it be found in the
way of righteousness” (Prov. 16:31). Yet, he makes no such
qualification so far as courtesy and respect being shown to
those of old age. He simply says to do it. It is hard for
the young, unless they are unusually thoughtful, to
understand the reason for respect of the old. It must be
taught and demanded by parents until the young become old
enough to understand. Here are some thoughts for us and to
teach our children about courtesy to the aged.
-
The aged should be shown courtesy
because we should esteem them better than ourselves
(Phil. 2:3-4.
-
The aged should be shown courtesy
because they have already covered ground we are just now
going over.
-
The aged should be shown courtesy
because of the wisdom about life they have likely
gained.
-
The aged should be shown courtesy
because we live upon the accomplishments of those who
have gone before us.
-
The aged should be shown courtesy
because God says so.
|