Today's readings from the One Year Chronological Reading Plan are Leviticus 17:1-19:37.
If you're interested in reading any commentaries on these passages, Chapter 17 is discussed in the Preciousness of Blood, Chapter 18 is discussed in The Obligation of Being Owned and The Boundaries of Godly Sexuality, and Chapter 19 is discussed in How to Spell "Holy".
I am going with the SOAP approach today.
Scripture
Leviticus 19:32 Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.
Observation
The Lord commanded the Israelites to honour the elderly.
Application
Our society does not place a lot of value on "unproductive" life. Life that is inconvenient or unproductive is considered unimportant. Abortion and euthanasia are the obvious results of this incredibly sinful worldview. Disrespect for the elderly is perhaps not quite as obvious, but it's certainly not hard to find. All life is created by God, God has made each individual in His image and that is what makes it valuable. The elderly have so much to teach us, if we will only take the time to listen. And quite frankly, we're all going to be old at some point (unless we die young). The Golden Rule applies here quite well - we need to treat the elderly the way we will want to be treated when we are the elderly.
Prayer
Lord, I especially pray at this time that we would, as individuals, as communities, as a nation, begin to view the elderly with the respect that You expect from us. They are not useless, they have not passed their expiration date, they do not need to be treated with disrespect or worse, contempt. They have valuable wisdom gained from life experience to share with us. And they are worthy simply because You say they are worthy. They are worthy because You created them. They are worthy because You created them in Your image. Lord, thank you for the precious gift of life. Thank you that you have formed each one of us in our mother's wombs. Thank you for creating us in Your image. Lord, help us to see each individual - no matter their age, race, gender, social status, or any other label - as your image bearers. Help us to see each other through Your eyes of love. Give us the compassion and empathy we need to treat each other with the respect and love that is deserving to each and every person. Amen.
Tomorrow's readings: Leviticus 20:1-22:33.
6 comments:
Respect for others of ANY age seems to be a bit of a foreign concept in general these days. I'm always amazed how incredibly rude and thoughtless people can be ~ and THAT happens with almost any age these days, too. Little kids mouthing off to teachers (something I would never have even thought of doing, let alone daring to try it!), grown men refusing to open doors or give up their seats for little old ladies, a group of teenagers refusing to walk single file on the sidewalk to let others pass....
Respect for life at any stage is definitely something I want to stress to my girls and make sure they learn through my example.
Well said, both of you.
You're totally right Tammi. People also don't give up their seats for hugely pregnant women either. I was almost 9 months pregnant with Jacob (and I was HUGE), and we were waiting for a seat at The Keg on New Years - I waited over 45 mins before someone offered me their seat, and it was a man over the age of 60. I almost felt bad taking it from him, but I was just about to collapse by that point. I had been just about to ask someone to give up their seat when he volunteered.
No, respect in general, is no long a common courtesy any more.
Often true, but not always. I was almost 9 months pregnant with John and went to Superstore one day to stock up on groceries so that I wouldn't have to do much shopping for a while. I reached the checkout just before closing time. The check-out person helped me bag my groceries, since I was the last person in her line (she probably just wanted to get out of there, but still). When I went outside and started loading the groceries into my trunk, someone who was sitting in the parking lot waiting for his wife/girlfriend to get off work came over and helped me. Courtesy still happens... just not as often as it used to/should.
If I could, I'd like to request prayer once more for my sister. She was re-admitted to the hospital this morning with bleeding and cramping. I believe she is 24 weeks along now. Thanks in advance. We appreciate every moment of prayer on behalf of her and the baby.
You're right Miriam, it does still happen, just not as often as it should.
Definitely praying for your sister.
Praying for your sister Miriam.
Post a Comment