THE HOARY HEAD

Proverbs 16:31 (KJV)

The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.

Proverbs 17:6 (KJV)

Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

There is, in the Bible, a great premium placed on the elderly.

It is a premium I fear we have lost for the most part – and we are rapidly losing that little part that remains.

With age comes:

·   Experience

·   Patience

·   Hope[1] in a word,

·   Wisdom

They say that the only thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history.

The hoary head, the senior citizen, the elderly represent history looking right into our face.

Our world tends to value:

·   Energy

·   Zeal

·   Enthusiasm

·   Excitement

·   Beauty

All of which are more easily associated with youthfulness.

Not so the Bible, or most of history.

At one time, of course, the numbers of the hoary headed (it means silver or gray hair) were much fewer than in our day.

When our country was founded, for instance, some people did live to be 70, 80 or 90, but it was far more likely that you would die around age 35.

So when you got a Benjamin Franklin or a George Washington, who lived into their 70’s, you wanted to glean every bit of usefulness you could out of them!

Benjamin Franklin was 81 years old when he sat in the Constitutional Convention.

George Washington died at 67 years of age, but at the time he was serving and Commander in Chief of the Army.[2]

The Bible says that the hoary or the gray head is a crown of glory if (and only if I might add) it is found in the way of righteousness.

The Bible represents this wonderful relationship between grandchildren and their grandparents and even says, the glory:

·   The delight

·   The riches

·   The wealth

of the children are their fathers.

I want to give you three examples from the Bible on the importance of the senior saints in your life…

I. ABRAHAM, THE PATRIARCH

Genesis 25:7-8 (KJV)

And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.

Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

Abraham was one of a line of Patriarchs.

In those days the father was thought of as about the same thing as a king.

They didn’t have large nations yet, most communities were built around the father and the family he accumulated.

Abraham only had the one promised son, one son born out of worldly sin and some other children born in his old age.

Most of his life story centers around he and his servants, not his children.

He had a lot of them (servants) – enough that when Lot was taken captive by the five kings who defeated Gomorrah, Abraham armed his servants, pursued and defeated those kings.

The patriarchy of Abraham has, scripturally speaking, never been disannulled.

When Lazarus died the Bible says he was carried to Abraham’s bosom

Luke 16:22 (KJV)

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

The rich man in hell looked into paradise and pled with Abraham for mercy

Luke 16:24 (KJV)

And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

The Bible says that we who are saved are children of Abraham by faith.

Galatians 3:6-7 (KJV)

Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

And the Bible says that in the last day that souls will come from the east and the west to sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven

Matthew 8:11 (KJV)

And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

A strong faith is based on this concept of patriarchal family.

I do not mean that great, great grandpa gets to treat his great, great grandchildren like his own little kids and rule over his children and children’s children as long as he lives.

But if he is found in the way of righteousness,

·   His influence

·   His heritage and especially

·   His spiritual teachings

ought to be honored and followed.

Teach your kids to love and honor your parents and grandparents.

And, if they are righteous people, make sure they:

·   See them,

·   Talk to them and

·   Enjoy them often

II. JACOB, THE PROPHET

Genesis 49:1 (KJV)

And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

The patriarchy of Jacob is the strongest we see in the Bible.[3]

All of Jacob’s children remained with him and under his leadership until the day of his death.

Even Joseph, having been stolen away from him and risen to such a prominent position, submitted again to Jacob when they were reunited.

After Jacob died, his final requests were honored and the twelve tribes that sprung from him never really strayed too far from one another.

To this day it is more important to the Jew that they are Jew than what tribe they belong to.

To this day they have an attachment to fellow Jews that both binds them together and separates them from all others.

So strong is the Jewish attachment to Jacob that they are corporately identified through the Bible as either Jacob, or even to this day, his other name, Israel.

So here we find Jacob, the old man, now 147,[4] when he instructs all of his children to gather together that he might prophesy what will become of their families.

I notice three things about these prophecies:

A. They did gather when he called

He was 147 years old and they still had enough respect for him to come when he asked.

I want to suggest that one way to honor your parents would be to do the same.

B. He wasn’t trying to please them

Have you noticed that sometimes your (elderly) parents get on your nerves?

·   How dare they expect that of me?

·   How dare they tell me that?

·   What? Do they think they still have some say in my life?

What is, after all, the first commandment with promise?

Exodus 20:12 (KJV)

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

C. They did not turn against him because of it

I’m telling you to give honor and respect and time and attention and even obedience to your parents.[5]

No matter how old they are or how old you are.

And if you will do that, your children will learn to do that and

You stand a chance of carrying your faith into the third and fourth generations.

Finally there is

III. PAUL, THE PRINCIPLE

1 Timothy 5:1-2 (KJV)

Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;

The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.

I am going to run out of time so I will only call your attention to this principle that the New Testament speaks of pastors of churches as “elders”.

I don’t think that is an accident.

The pastor should not be a novice (a newcomer to the Christian world).

At one time it was expected that a person serve faithfully as a member of the church, having retired from a career before he was considered mature enough to pastor a church.

When we ordain a man for the ministry there are two elements to the ordination:

·   One is the examination by a group of preachers, to verify the doctrinal position of the candidate

·   The second and more important is the call of a church for the ordination.

The call declares that the church has had sufficient opportunity to witness the candidate’s spiritual gifts and call to the ministry.

I never used to think like this but I do now – I doubt that anyone should be sent out to pastor a church who hasn’t spent many years serving under and being mentored by a seasoned pastor with twenty or thirty years under his own belt.

I’m not being dogmatic about it

·   I realize there are scriptural arguments against this position and

·   I know many good men who started without that sort of mentorship[6]

But too many men have fallen away from God or into doctrinal errors who were not observed for a sufficient enough years to really know that they were indeed ready.

Conclusion

·   I do know there are some “grouchy old geezers” who are just mean spirited all the way to the bone and

·   I remind you that this whole message is premised on the condition, “if they be found in the way of righteousness.”

 But outside of that, the Bible teaches us to honor, respect, learn from and keep in leadership as long as they are able, the hoary head.

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[1] Romans 5:3-4 (KJV)

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

[2] Requested by John Adams in case a war with France happened. He held this position until his death.

[3] Those of Aaron and of David rival it in the long term though.

[4] Genesis 47:28 (KJV)

And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.

[5] If they are found in the way of righteousness.

[6] Myself being one of them – if I can be counted as a good man.