Respect the Aged
November 15, 2009
by Joe R. Price

God commanded the nation of Israel to respect the aged: “You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:14). And again, “You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the LORD” (Lev. 19:32). In the New Testament we are commanded to “honor widows” and to speak respectfully to older men (1 Tim. 5:1-3).
Any who willingly and thoughtlessly mistreat and dishonor the aged show contempt for God as well as a shortsighted view of life. There are godly reasons why we are to show respect for the aged.

1) By showing respect for the aged we show reverence for God. Read Leviticus 19:14, 32 again. In both verses, you “shall fear your God” forms the basis of showing respect for the old and the feeble. When one mistreats and sins against the aged (whose hearing and sight are diminished) he forgets that it reflects upon how he treats God, the Giver and Sustainer of life. On the Judgment Day the King will say what we do (or do not do) to others is how we treat Him (Matt. 25:40, 45). It is God who gives life to us all and who sustains us even to old age (Isa. 46:3-4). By cursing the deaf or hindering the blind one ignores the call of kindness; the call to treat others as we wish to be treated (Matt. 7:12). We do not love God if we do not love those who are older than us (cf. Mk. 7:6-13).

2) By showing respect for the aged we learn to be patient. Patience is sorely needed, and our time spent with the older generation is our chance to grow in it. Yes, you can walk the stairs faster than the old person who is ahead of you, who seems to struggle with each step. You think to yourself, “Get out of the way so others can go on!” Yes, your eye sight is 20-20 and can see the menu at McDonald’s quickly. You think to yourself, “Why is it taking him so long to read the menu?!” Why not rather show patience? When you must wait on the older person, do so with consideration and kindness, remember that the older person you are waiting on today was once young like you. Instead of being impatient toward the elderly, reach out and help them. Respect does that.

3) By showing respect for the aged we gain perspective. There is nothing new under the sun. You will be old one day if God continues to bless you with life. Your hearing will fail and your eyes will dim. How will you want to be treated then? Better to learn wisdom and show respect for the aged instead of pushing them aside to please yourself at their expense.  
God does not cast off His people in old age (Psa. 71:9). But, He will cast us off if we do not give honor to whom honor is due (Rom. 13:7). Do not cast off the aged; honor and respect them.

The Fool Has Said in His Heart...
November 15, 2009
by Joe R. Price

Instead of teaching that “we are what we eat”, the Bible teaches we are what we think: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7; cf. Mk. 7:18). This truth is predicated on the fact that human beings are more than flesh; we have been made in the image of God, an “inner man” or spirit that inhabits and animates the body but distinct from it (Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7; Eccl. 12:7; 2 Cor. 4:16; Jas. 2:26).

Those who reject God do not accept the dual nature of humanity. Because they refuse to retain God in their knowledge they blindly live with the deception that they are only mortal flesh. Thus deceived, they indulge themselves with pleasing the flesh and by their sins they even dishonor their bodies (Rom. 1:22-25). They exchange the truth of God for the lie that there is no God, and by elevating their (so-called) wisdom they devolve into further corruption.

It is this corruption of willful ignorance that the Psalmist David observed when he wrote, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, no, not one” (Psa. 14:1-3; 53:1-3).

The atheist foolishly trusts in his own wisdom. He asks, “Where is God”? But, even logic demands that unless the atheist is omnipresent he cannot say God does not exist, since God could be where the atheist cannot be! In truth, man cannot escape the presence of God (Psa. 139:7). Man’s logic cannot successfully “reason away” the existence and power of God.

The atheist foolishly makes a god out of himself. He worships his wisdom and logic, but his “vainglory” (pride of life) is his downfall (1 Jn. 2:15-17). “The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts” (Psa. 10:4). How foolish is the man or woman who idolizes human logic at the expense of a reasoned faith that is built upon the unambiguous evidence of the created world (Psa. 19:1-4; Rom. 1:19-21; Heb. 11:3).

The atheist foolishly says there is no sin. This false conclusion naturally follows his premise that “there is no God”. Man becomes the measure of right and wrong, and each person does what is right in his own eyes (Jug. 21:25).

Those who say there is no God have “become corrupt” (Psa. 14:3). A deliberate decision is made when rejecting the knowledge of God that relentlessly leads to more and more sin. This decline of the wise fools is described in Romans 1:21-32. Their foolish trek into sin’s darkness is exposed and warned against in Ephesians 4:17-19: “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” Rejecting God leads to moral chaos.

The atheist foolishly says there is no revelation from God. He retorts with Pilate “what is truth?” as he tries to destroy the very nature and existence of truth with his logic and reason (Jn. 18:38). Where there is truth there is necessarily personal responsibility and accountability to the One who gave it (i.e., God, Jn. 12:48-50). God’s word is ever true in contrast with the words of men (Jn. 17:17; Rom 3:4). “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks” is absurd to the atheist (Heb. 12:25). Rather than seek salvation from sin he mocks the Savior and those who obey Him. He foolishly rejects what God has spoken.

The atheist foolishly ignores the judgment of God. Mockers illogically reason that since God has not yet acted in judgment against sin He will not or cannot do so (2 Pet. 3:3-4). Furthermore, they reason that if there really is a God then He would not punish people with an eternal judgment. They willfully forget the past judgment of God in the days of Noah (2 Pet. 3:5-7). “Our God is a consuming fire” against evil (Heb. 12:29). To ignore God’s future judgment against sin stores up eternal wrath for oneself (Rom. 2:4-6). Only a fool does that.

The choice set before us is the foolishness of man’s unbelief or the wisdom of God’s truth revealed in Christ (1 Cor. 1:18-25). The foolish and sinful choices of the atheist can be corrected through faith and repentance (Acts 17:29-31).

Do not be intimidated when unbelievers profess their wisdom in the face of undeniable evidence (Rom. 1:20). By this, they show the foolishness of their unbelief (Rom. 1:21-22). God does not think like we do, therefore, human logic will not suffice in knowing divine truth (Isa. 55:8-11). Remember, we are what we think (Prov. 23:7).

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