03 - Some General Points from the Biblical Teaching on the Subject of the Aged

(a) The aged must be shown respect

When a society shows disrespect for the aged, it is a sure sign that it is under the curse of God (Deuteronomy 28:50; 2 Chronicles 36:17; Isaiah 3:5). God has linked respect for the elderly with the respect due to his name, so high a value has he placed upon it. ‘You shall rise up before the grey-headed and honour the presence of an old man, and fear your God’ (Leviticus 19:32). When Paul appealed to Philemon, he used his age as an argument to secure his obedience (Philemon 9). David treated the aged Barzillai with gentle consideration (2 Samuel 19:31-39). It is a Christian duty to respect the aged. It is a sin to despise parents when they get old (Proverbs 23:22). Even the heathen Pharaoh respected Jacob’s age (Genesis 47:7-8).