You might not like being called a “hoary head,” but the Bible isn’t throwing shade at the elderly when it says this. In fact, it’s honoring them.
“The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31 KJV).
Picture this: a person waiting for their crowning moment, the pinnacle of their life. But according to the Bible, that crown doesn’t come in your youth. It comes with the gray hairs of old age. What the world might dismiss as declining years, the Bible celebrates as the crowning glory of a life rich with experience and wisdom.
But here’s the catch—it’s only a crown if it’s found in the way of righteousness. For those who believe in Christ, there’s a glorious future ahead. There’s a dignity, an honor, and a glory in growing older that your earlier years can’t compare to.
Scripture places great respect on the believer who has reached old age. Leviticus 19:32 says, “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD” (KJV).
This principle from Old Testament law still holds today because it’s rooted in the very character of God. The Bible’s teaching on this is so different from today’s world, where youth is often idolized, and those who are young and immature are elevated by social media into positions of respect.
But true praise and respect should go to the one with the hoary head. When an aging person enters the room, the Bible tells us to rise. They deserve our reverence and respect, not because of what they can do, but because of who they are and the wisdom they carry.
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