The Beauty of Age -- 9/16/07

Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007

THE BEAUTY OF AGE

I want to read to you a little Proverb this morning. It probably isn’t one of the ones you have memorized. It isn’t as well known as "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding…" Nevertheless, it is a part of God’s Word. If you would like to turn to it, it is Prov. 20:29, "The glory of young men is their strength; and the beauty of old men is the grey head." If you will allow me to do so, I want to take just a bit of liberty with this verse this morning. If that is true of men, surely it is also true of women. As a matter of fact, most of us feel a bit more comfortable associating beauty with women than with men. So surely the beauty of old women is the grey head. Perhaps we should think of it as "older women," rather than "old women," since that word "old" is a very relative term.

I was about 27 years old at the time and had not been here at the church very long. Rhonda and I were riding somewhere with another couple. In the course of the conversation, the lady said, "Did you read about that man that was killed at the gravel pit?" After discussing it for a minute or two, she then said, "And he was just a young man." I quickly corrected her, "No, he was 56." It was a classic case of "foot-in-mouth disease." She was a bit indignant as she said, "Ron, I’m 56." As a matter of fact, 56 doesn’t seem old at all any more. I am very close to someone who just turned 56 this week. Like I say, "old" is a relative term. So I believe we could hear this Proverb saying that the beauty of older women is the gray head.

Now look around. Juanita, I believe you may have the most beautiful head here this morning. If gray portrays beauty, what can we say about "white"? Juanita’s beauty has eclipsed gray and moved on to beauty beyond beauty. On the 18th, Juanita will be 85 years old. She isn’t ashamed of it. I even asked her if I could mention it this morning.

Now let’s be honest. This isn’t the way most people think, is it? Most people are ashamed of gray hair. Both men and women look for ways to cover up their gray hair. Why is that? Is it not because most people in our day do not want to be perceived as old. For 17 or 18 years most people want others to see them as older, but shortly thereafter they want to be perceived as younger. Understand that this attitude does not come from God and His Word.

Listen to Prov. 16:31, "The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness." My dictionary defines "hoary" as "gray or white with age." As a person is in the way of the Lord’s righteousness, the gray and white hairs serve as a glorious crown. We live in a world that tries to turn the Lord’s truth upside down.

From time to time, I see a need for us to talk about age, about the old things, and I believe the occasion of Juanita’s 85th birthday is an appropriate occasion to do so.
I want to be honest with you and tell you from the start that this message is intended to be an aid to parents who are raising children. How children view age and antiquity will have a great influence on the kind of lives they will live. I believe that truth will become apparent as we proceed.

I. Old Age -- Respect It

Please turn to Leviticus and let’s read 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." In other words, when an older person comes into your presence, stand up as a way of showing respect. As you think about those words, let me point out three things about this verse.
First of all, notice some of the context. Leviticus is all about holiness before the Lord. Running throughout Leviticus is the theme of being set apart. Now let me read you some of the verses before and after verse 32. I am going to read this out of the New King James. Lev. 19:29-33 (NKJV)…
Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of wickedness. You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary; I am the Lord. Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them; I am the Lord your God. You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God; I am the Lord. And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him

When we first read that we should rise up before the aged person, we might get the idea that this is just an isolated command that isn’t very important. But notice the context. This little command is in the midst of some very serious things. Failing to honor the elderly keeps company with some terrible forms of wickedness, with prostitution and witchcraft, among others. Surely that ought to tell us that this is very important.

Secondly, notice the little phrase "and fear thy God." This command to show respect to the elderly is coupled ever so closely with the fear of God. I don’t believe this reference to the fear of God is just thrown in here to fill space. Surely he is saying that when we show respect to the aged, we are indeed showing that we have great reverence for the Lord Himself. If a person doesn’t respect the elderly, he doesn’t fear God. The two go together.

And finally, notice how this verse closes: "I am the LORD." Lest anyone think this bit of instruction can be thrown aside because it doesn’t fit in with our ideas, remember who is speaking. It is the LORD Himself who is saying this. The Lord must have known that we would need this clear word to remind us that this is very important.

Someone is sure to ask, "Should we take this literally? In our day, should we literally stand up when an aged person comes into our presence?" I do not have a definitive answer for that. What I do know is the Lord takes this matter very seriously. He expects us to do more than have respect in our hearts for the elderly; He commands us to show that respect outwardly. I don’t think the Lord will penalize anyone who feels he should literally rise in the presence of the aged. On the other hand, there may be other ways of effectively showing such respect.

Now if some of you are disappointed that I do not emphasize a literal adherence to this command, let me ask you a question: "Do you greet all your brothers and sisters with a holy kiss, as the apostle Paul tells us to do." It seems in our day that we prefer the "right hand of fellowship," which the same Paul mentions in Gal. 2:9.

Here is the problem we often face. We find that a certain thing doesn’t fit in with our customs, so we decide that we will simply obey the spirit of the command. But what often happens is that we end up ignoring the command altogether. It isn’t intentional, but that is what happens.
Parents, I encourage you to teach your children to show respect in very specific ways. We desperately need to hear this. Let me tell you why. It is because the attitude of the world is chipping away at this principle of respect for the elderly. And don’t get hung up on how old is elderly. If we are going to err, let us err on the side of generously considering many people as deserving of respect. If you have younger children at home, teach them to treat all adults with this kind of respect, especially those who are old enough to be their grandparents. After all, I have been told that even I have some gray hair.

Watch your children. When an adult speaks to your child, does he give the adult his undivided attention? Does he look at that adult? Does he stop what he is doing? These are signs of respect. If she just keeps on doing what she was doing and speaks a disinterested word to that adult, you can be sure that your child needs some attention in this area. I love you dearly, but I see that this is a problem with some of our children. You may say, "Well, why aren’t you talking to my children? They are downstairs." I don’t need to talk to them; I need to talk to us. We parents are the ones who will have an impact on our children. This is not something that can be done in one easy session; this is training that must take place day by day and throughout the day.

When I was growing up, a common way to show this respect was by saying, "Yes, sir," "No, sir," "Yes, maam," "No, maam." We did it with our kids. You may think that is too old fashioned. I still like it, but I don’t demand that you adopt it, as I can’t show you in scripture where those forms of address are required. But if we aren’t careful, we will abandon the outward show of respect and just hope the attitude is there. If the attitude is there, it will express itself outwardly.

Parents, our world will encourage you to be a friend to your kids. The world tries to tell us that we must bridge the generation gap by building a buddy-buddy relationship between the generations. It will tell us that enforcing standards which require an outward showing of respect will alienate the younger generation. Of course, both principle and experience tell us the exact opposite. The buddy-buddy relationship destroys respect, and respect is a part of the very fabric of godliness.

When I was in high school, I had a teacher for whom I had high respect. But then my teacher introduced me to ornithology. You didn’t know I was an ornithologist, did you? Mr. Oakley took me bird watching one Saturday. We spent the entire day identifying 42 different species of birds. Of course, our relationship was never the same after that. When I walked into Mr. Oakley’s biology class the following Monday, I walked up to the front of the class, put my arm around him, and said, "How’s it going, Leonard? I guess I’ll see you for lunch in the teacher’s lounge." No, it wasn’t like that. Though we spent the day watching birds, he was still the teacher and I was still the student. I still worked hard to please my teacher, because I respected him. I would have been afraid to get out of line, because he would have dealt with me just like any of the rest of the students.

Old age – respect it, for the glory of God!

II. Old Ways -- Hang on to them!

"Old" has value that goes beyond age. Let’s read from Matt. 11:28-30, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Don’t you love those words of Jesus, especially that part about finding rest for our souls. Sometimes our bodies need rest, but our souls long for that rest even more. So much pressure squeezing us; just give us a little rest. Jesus offers that rest. But do you know where those words come from? Did you know that Jesus took those words from the Old Testament? Let’s read it in Jer. 6:6-16…
For thus hath the LORD of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her. 7. As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: violence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually is grief and wounds. 8. Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited. 9. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets. 10. To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it. 11. Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days. 12. And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD. 13. For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. 14. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. 15. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. 16. Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

We find the same thing in Jer. 18. Though here the term is "ancient paths" instead of "old paths," the Hebrew word is exactly the same. Jer. 18:14-15…
Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken? 15. Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;

Jerusalem was an absolute mess. Even its older citizens had forsaken the Lord to do their old thing. They had gray hair, but they weren’t found in the way of righteousness. And the supposedly spiritual leaders were guilty of healing the people slightly, by saying, "Peace, peace," when there was no peace. And to top it all off, they were not the least bit ashamed for their actions and attitudes. The Lord said that they would fall, when He visited them with judgment. Nevertheless, He had one last plea for anyone would listen. Let’s read it again in verse 16, "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls…" Listen to it from the Amplified Version: "Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads, and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."

Ask for the old paths. What do you think of that? I wonder if the Lord might be speaking those same words to our religious culture today? Is not religion in our day as bankrupt as the religion of Jerusalem? Can you hear the Lord saying, "Ask for the old paths, and walk in them, and you will find rest for your souls"?

Do you remember your Old Testament history? What happened to the kingdom after Solomon died? Yes, the kingdom split in two. Instead of one nation made up of God’s people, now there were two – Judah in the south and Israel in the north. What a tragedy that God’s people were divided. Let me remind you of how it happened. Solomon’s son Rehoboam became king, when Solomon died. But the ten northern tribes, led by Jeroboam, came to him with a request. They begged him to be easier on them than his father Solomon. Rehoboam told them to come back in three days for his answer. He first went to seek counsel from the old men, those who had served his father. They told him something like this, "If you will be a servant to these people and serve them and speak kind words to them, then they will be your servants from now on." But Solomon didn’t like what the old men told him, so he went to his younger contemporaries. They told him: "Rehoboam, you tell them this: ‘If you think my father was hard on you, you ain’t seen nothing yet. My little finger will be thicker than my father’s waste. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.’" Rehoboam listened to those younger men and answered the northern tribes accordingly. When they heard his harsh answer, they rebelled and made Jeroboam their king. Rehoboam would have nothing to do with the old paths.

But wait a minute. Are the old ways always better? No, absolutely not. Let me give you an example. Many years after Rehoboam’s foolish actions, there was another descendant of David who sat on the throne of Judah. His name was Hezekiah. Hezekiah was a very godly man and began to seek the Lord with all his heart. Let’s read it from II Chron. 29:1-10…
Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. 3. He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them. 4. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, 5. And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. 6. For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs. 7. Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. 8. Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. 9. For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. 10. Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.

Hezekiah stated clearly that their fathers (and grandfathers) had forsaken the Lord. Later, Hezekiah sent out letters, telling the people they were going to celebrate the Passover. Now you have to understand that it had been many, many years since they had celebrated the Passover. Just as they had failed to keep up the temple, they had failed to obey the Lord with respect to the Passover. Hezekiah was so zealous about this that he did not restrict himself to the nation of Judah, over which he was king. He also sent letters to the northern kingdom as well. Now let’s read it in II Chron. 30:5-9…
So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written. 6. So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7. And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see. 8. Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. 9. For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.

Did you hear that? Hezekiah said very bluntly, "Don’t be like your fathers, because they sinned against the Lord. They were stiffnecked (stubborn, unyielding)."

So does that mean that he was telling them to forsake the old paths? No. What were the old paths in this passage? "Now be not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified forever; and serve the Lord your God…" (vs. 8). These are the old paths. He told them not to be like their fathers, because their fathers had clearly forsaken the old paths.

When we talk about the old paths, we’re not really talking about what I call "the old time religion." I had some relatives who had the old time religion. They loved to gather and sing the old songs, talk about the times when they used to get together at the old tabernacle. But they were not in the old paths, because there wasn’t a present fellowship with the Lord. The old paths do not consist of a sentimental review of the good ole days. The old paths are simply the ways of the Lord, which He has established from of old.
J
ust listen to a few verses which speak of the old paths…
Ps. 119:52, "I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself."
Ps. 119:152, "Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever."
Is. 25:1, "O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth."

Listen to what Paul said to Timothy in II Tim. 4:2-4…
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

We see it all around us. The tendency is to always be looking for something new and different, something that will tickle our ears. But here again we are confronted by the old paths. "The time will come when they will not endure the old paths (sound teaching)… And they shall turn away their ears from the old paths (the truth), and shall be turned unto fables."

III. The Everlasting God -- Honor and Fear Him

With a certain reservation, I recommend to you the "old God." Now I certainly do not mean that God grows old, as a man does, for that is not true. The Lord God is as fresh today as He was forty billion years ago. In that sense, He has not aged one bit. He is "the old God" in the sense that He is not some new thing. To put it another way, He has not changed. When Moses prayed, He was praying to the exact same God I pray to this very day. We read of the Lord Jesus Christ in Heb. 13:8, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever."

That is not good news for people who are looking for some new thing. The trend in our day is for man to create a new God, made in his own image. We don’t like a God who executes judgment and wrath, so we will worship a God who is pure love and nothing else. We don’t like a God who has absolute standards, so we will worship a God who gives man the freedom to set his own boundaries. Do you think that strikes fear into the heart of our God? Not at all.
Ps. 2:1-5…
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3. Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

If there is going to be a common meeting place between God and man, who will have to change? Understand that God will not change. Quoting from the Psalmist, the writer of Hebrews says… Heb. 1:10-12
And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11. They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12. And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

Listen to the Word of God…
Ps. 74:12, "For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth."
Ps. 77:11, "I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old."
Ps. 90:2, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."
Ps. 93:2, "Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting."
Is. 9:6, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
Is. 46:9, "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me."
Is. 63:16, "Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting."

Listen to how Jesus is described in the prophecy of Micah 5:2, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

Three times in the seventh chapter of Daniel we find the Lord God referred to as "the Ancient of Days." That is not a derogatory name; that is a name of honor and majesty. Before the universe was formed, the Lord God was there. After it has been burned up, He will still be there. Perhaps there is no more powerful statement about His eternal presence than the first four words of the Bible, "In the beginning, God…"

So how do we respond to the Everlasting God? Fear Him. Honor Him. Live every moment in light of the fact that He sees and knows. Make every decision in light of the fact that you will give account to Him. And always remember that this everlasting God has poured out His love upon you. That love is nowhere better described than in I John 4:8-10…
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

To embrace that love is to live in His presence, to constantly give reverence to our Creator and Redeemer. To reject that love by living as you want to live is to invite the judgment of Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 10:28).

Conclusion

So we see that respect for old age is rooted in the old paths, the very commandments of our God. And those old paths have been established by the everlasting God. No wonder we can sing…
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Hath been laid for your faith in His excellent Word.
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled.

But what about those of us who are old, who have the gray hair? What if we realize a great deal of failure in our lives, understanding that we can’t go back and recapture the days of our youth? Please allow me to remind you of a couple of precious promises. Is. 46:3-4, "Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: 4. And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you." That promise was first given to the Israelites, but it is applicable to anyone who is willing to rest in the Lord through faith and obedience. And listen to Ps. 92:12-15…
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. 14. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; 15. To show that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

By the way, the word "fat" is used here to speak of prosperity in the Lord. The Lord still has work for His children, regardless of age. But don’t forget why He will bless us. Verse 15, "To show that the Lord is upright." All things for His glory, for He deserves all glory.
And finally, may God give us grace to embrace these words from Ps. 71:16-18…
I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only. 17. O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. 18. Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have showed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.

It is not uncommon for the aged to cry out, "O God, forsake me not," but the prayer we find here now is not for the preservation of man, but for the glory of God. Why doesn’t he want God to forsake him? Because he still wants the privilege of communicating the greatness of his God to those around him. May this be our prayer, increasing in intensity as we grow older.