A Special Section for Seniors
Old Age
What.Saith.the.Scripture?
"Now also when I am old and greyheaded,
O God,
forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation,
and thy power to every one that is to come."
Psalms 71:18
Copyright © 1998 by Diane S. Dew
The population of Americans over 65 will grow from 34 million to 53 million by 2020, according to Census Bureau forecasts. The over-85 population will nearly double to 7.million.
Currently 2 million Americans live in nursing homes. Fifty million Americans
alive now are expected to spend their
last days in a nursing home.
The Greying
of
America
.DIANE DEW
Every day in America, 10,000 people turn 50 years of age. One out of every five people are now over 65. And many of these individuals live alone.
In fact, Census Bureau statistics indicate that of the 23.6 million people in the United States currently living alone, 38 percent are elderly.
If today's church is to meet the needs of society's changing demographics, it must develop a sensitivity to the special needs of the elderly.
For example, take the issue of transportation. Poor eyesight and ill health may impair seniors' driving ability, making accessibility to church services impossible or unsafe, particularly in inclement weather, when sidewalks are slippery.
Church and community food pantries should be willing to adapt to the special needs of the elderly and accommodate their inability to participate in programs requiring transportation for pickup of goods.
While medical science has succeeded in extending the average life expectancy of Americans, it has been confronted with the challenge to compromise on ethics. In the greying of America, issues once viewed as black and white, life and death, right and wrong, now have become "grey," or nonabsolute. Thus, the issue of euthanasia has boldly been thrust into the foray of social debate -- whether termed "mercy-killing" or murder, the immutability of Scripture unmistakably declares God's Word unalterable in respect toward the sanctity of life.
Meanwhile, the dominion of darkness does not sit idly by. Knowing "his time is short," Satan has made it his mission, more than ever, as the enemy of our souls, to "kill and destroy." As he conspired to legalize infanticide via abortion, he seeks today to slay the elderly as well, by corrupting our courts with the evil of euthanasia.
Copyright © 1998 by Diane S. Dew
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Nearly one in five seniors take medication for chronic pain, according to a 1997 survey of The National Council on the Aging (NCOA). What does the Bible say about...
PAIN & SUFFERING
A Study in the Scriptures
HEALTH
Heart Disease
Cancer
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SOCIAL
Loneliness:
A Study in Scripture
SPIRITUAL & EMOTIONAL
ENTERTAINMENT
MISCELLANEOUS
FINANCIAL
Trusting God with Finances
Social Security
Medicare
LEGAL
Senior Law
Photo
courtesy of
Courage Country Antiques
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.Census Bureau statistics indicate that of
the 23.6 million people in the United States currently living alone,
38.percent are elderly.
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Euthanasia Worldwide
Illegal in Australia, Belgium, Britain, China, France, Italy, assisted suicide is permitted in the Netherlands and, in Oregon, U.S.A. In Michigan, (where Dr. Jack Kevorkian has admitted assisting in over 100 deaths), the issue will be voted on Nov. 3. Columbia allows assisted suicide for consenting terminally ill patients. It is illegal in Germany, except in Hesse state, where it can be allowed for coma patients when approved by a guardianship court. Source: Associated press story 7/27/98
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Senior Trivia:
One-fourth of U.S. seniors own personal computers, according to a recent study by the Commerce Department.
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For a printed copy of this and other studies in this series,
at cost, write:
Diane Dew
PO Box 340945
Milwaukee, WI 53234 .
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"And I will restore to you the years that the locust
hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm..."
Joel 2:25
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Elderly suffer from depression, study shows
According to a mortality study released by the national Center for Health Statistics, more than 25% of the nation's elderly live alone, and many feel trapped in loneliness and poverty.
Of 802 Americans aged 60 or older, only 1 percent admitted temptations to commit suicide, the study showed. But the elderly have the highest suicide rate of all age groups: 20.1 per 100,000.
The elderly often mask their suicide attempts by starving themselves or not taking medicine, the Gallup poll found. And their self-inflicted deaths often go unreported.
The church ignores senior citizens, unless it needs their time
or money, according to the National Interfaith Coalition on Aging. While
churches will gladly accept financial donations or volunteer work from the
elderly, they said, they rarely accept their advice.
From the National & International Religion Report. By
permission....
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Doctors ignore guidelines
on euthanasia
Doctors often ignore guidelines for euthanasia and assisted suicide, even to the point of not consulting the patient, according to results of a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Aug. 12, 1998.
Of 355 cancer specialists surveyed, 10.7 percent reported a case of either euthanasia or assisted suicide.
The study identified three safeguards proposed by supporters of euthanasia and assisted suicide for terminally ill patients: the patient must 1) initiate and repeat the request; 2) be evaluated by another physician; and 3) be in extreme pain.
Only 34.2 percent of doctors reporting a case reported that they adhered to all three guidelines. In 15.3 percent of the reports, patients were not involved in the decision; it was their families who asked to end the patients' lives.
The study also indicated doctors instructed their nurses to administer the lethal dose of medication, rather than doing it themselves.
The study also indicated many doctors sensed regret for their participation in euthanasia and assisted suicide, and 39.5 percent feared prosecution.
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Depression linked to cancer in elderly
Being chronically depressed for 6 years or more nearly doubles the risk of developing cancer for seniors, according to a report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute Dec. 16, 1998.
Why chronically depressed people appear to have a higher risk of cancer is unknown, but one possibility is that depressed individuals have changes in central nervous system activity that interfere with the immune system, says Dr. Richard J. Havlik, of the National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Md. Other possible explanations include genetic predisposition, smoking, use of antidepressants, alcohol abuse and overeating.
But these findings apply only to elderly people, says Dr. Robert Croyle, of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md.
"It may be that the mechanisms responsible for the relationship between depression and cancer are part of a more complex aging process, producing age-specific vulnerability to disease," Croyle says. "Thus, it would be premature to conclude that adults might reduce their risk of cancer through the treatment of depression."
Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1998; 90:1856-1857, 1888-1893.
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The population of Americans over 65 will grow from 34 million to 53 million by 2020, according to Census Bureau forecasts. The over-85 population will nearly double to 7 million.
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More Senior Links
I. Scripture promises many blessings to the aged.
A. Honor and respect.
Leviticus 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."
Job 32:4, 6 "Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he....And Elihu ... said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion."
1 Chronicles 29:28 "a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour"
Proverbs 23:22 "Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old."
B. Wisdom.
Job 12:12 "With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding."
Job 32:7 "I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom."
1 Kings 12:6 "And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men... and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?"
1 Kings 12:8, 13, 14 "But he forsook the counsel of the old men... and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him... And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him; and spake to them after the counsel of the young men..."
C. Strength.
I Samuel 46:4 "And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you... even I will carry, and will deliver you."
Psalms 71:9 "Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth."
Psalms 71:17 "O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works."
Psalms 71:18 "Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come."
Deuteronomy 33:25 "...as thy days, so shall thy strength be."
Isaiah 40:29 "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."
Psalms 103:5 "[He] satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's."
Joshua 14:7 "Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadeshbarnea to spy out the land ..."
Joshua 14:10 "And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these 45 years ... and now, lo, I am this day 85 years old. As yet I am as strong this day ...as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in..."
D. Grandchildren.
Proverbs 17:6 "Children's children are the crown of old men..."
Ruth 4:13-16 "...And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman ... And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age ..."
II. Long life.
Genesis 6:3 "And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be 120 years."
A. Before the flood.
1. People typically lived to over 900 years old.
Genesis 5:5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 31
2. They also bore children in old age.
Genesis 5:3 Adam, at 130 years; Genesis 5:6 Seth, at 105 years; Genesis
5:9 Enos, at 90 years; Genesis 5:12 Cainan, at 70 years; Genesis 5:15 Mahalaleel,
at 65 years; Genesis 5:18 Jared, at 162 years; Genesis 5:21 Enoch, at 65
years
Genesis 5:25 Methuselah, at 187 years; Genesis 5:28, 29 Lamech, at 182 years;
Genesis 5:32 Noah, at 500
B. After the flood.
1. People did not live as long (200-400 years), but still much longer than today. Genesis 11:10-32.
Abraham lived 175 years (Genesis 25:7, 8). Isaac lived to be 180 (Genesis 35:28). Jacob lived to 130 years of age (Genesis 47:8, 9). Moses was 120 (Deuteronomy 34:7). Joshua lived to be 110. Joshua 24:29
2. Today people usually live 70 to 80 years.
Psalms 90:10 "The days of our years are 70 years; and if by reason of strength they be 80 years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."
3. God can still provide a child even in our old age.
Genesis 17 and 18 "...Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. .."
Genesis 37:3 "Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age ..."
Luke 1:5-20, 36"... Zacharias ... [and] Elisabeth ... had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.... she hath also conceived a son in her old age..."
C. God blesses the righteous with long life.
1. Many experience good health right until the time of their departure.
2 Chronicles 24:15 But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; 130 years old was he when he died.
Genesis 15:15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
Genesis 25:8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years...
Deuteronomy 34:7 And Moses was 120 years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
1 Chronicles 29:28 And he died in a good old age, full of days...
Job 5:26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.
Psalms 91:14, 16 Because he hath set his love upon me ... because he hath known my name.... With long life will I satisfy him...
Isaiah 65:22 ... for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
Zechariah 8:3, 4 ... There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets ... every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
2. God's promise of a long life is conditional upon obedience to his commandments.
Exodus 20:12 "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land ...."
Deuteronomy 5:33 "Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days ..."
Deuteronomy 30:20 "That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days ..."
1 Kings 3:14 "And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments ... I will lengthen thy days. "
Psalms 34:12-13 "What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile."
Psalms 91:16 "With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation."
Proverbs 3:1, 2 "My son, ... keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee."
Proverbs 9:10, 11 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased."
Proverbs 10:27 "The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened."
Proverbs 3:1, 2, 16 "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments ... For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee ..."
Proverbs 3:13 "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding."
Proverbs 4:7 "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding."
Proverbs 4:10 "Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many."
Proverbs 9:10, 11 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased."
1 Peter 3:10, 11 "For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil ... Let him eschew evil, and do good..."
3. God at times has extended the length of one's life in response to prayer.
2 Kings 20:1-7 (cp. Isaiah 38:2-5) "In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah ... said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah ... I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord. And I will add unto thy days 15 years.... And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered."
Psalms 21:4 "He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever."
James 5:15 "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."
III. We should not worry about dying.
Genesis 27:1-4 "And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death... my soul may bless thee before I die."
Genesis 35:28, 29 "And the days of Isaac were 180 years.. And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him."
1 Samuel 27:1 "And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand."
Hebrews 2:15 "And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
A. God has a plan regarding how long we will live. Death is a part of life.
Job 7:1 "Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?"
Psalms 31:15 "My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me."
Psalms 48:14 "For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death."
B. Sometimes God lets us know our time to die is soon.
Psalms 39:4 "Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am."
Psalms 90:12 "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."
Luke 2:26 "And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ."
2 Timothy 4:6,7 "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."
2 Peter 1:14 "Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me."
2 Kings 2:3 "And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace."
C. A shorter life is sometimes better, depending on God's plan. But it must be God's doing.
1. Enoch walked so close to God, that one day he just crossed over into eternity.
Genesis 5:23, 24 "And all the days of Enoch were 365 years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him."
Hebrews 11:5 "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."
2. Sometimes God removes the righteous so he can punish the wicked.
Isaiah 57:1 "... the righteous is taken away from the evil to come."
1 Kings 14:12, 13 "Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die. And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam."
D. Remaining alive on earth, rather than passing into the next life, can be a place of difficult struggle and surrender, if our desire "to be with Christ" is very instense.
Philippians 1:23-25 "For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith."
E. The dying traditionally have given parting instructions or blessings or prophecy to family members.
Genesis 49:1, 33 "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. And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people."
Genesis 50:22-25 "And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation: the children ... were brought up upon Joseph's knees. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence."
1 Kings 2:1-10 "Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; and keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways... that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:... So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David."
IV. The elderly are valuable and serve a unique and useful purpose in the kingdom.
Psalms 92:14 "They shall still bring forth fruit in old age ..."
A. A source of wisdom, attained by experience.
Job 12:12 "With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding."
Job 32:7 "I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom."
1 Kings 12:6 "And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?"
1 Kings 12:8, 13, 14 "But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him... And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him; and spake to them after the counsel of the young men ..."
B. Ministry.
(God sometimes doesn't use us until we are old).
Exodus 7:7 "And Moses was 80 years old, and Aaron 83 years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh."
Joel 2:28 (cp. Acts 2:17-18, etc.) "... I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your ... old men shall dream dreams...."
Acts 7:23-34 "And when he was full 40 years old ... Then fled Moses ... and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons. And when 40 years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. ... and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, Saying, ... now come, I will send thee..."
Titus 2:2, 3 "That the aged ... women likewise, that they be ... teachers of good things."
C. Prayer and intercession.
Genesis 18 "And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do...? the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now... but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. ...and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? ... And he said, I will not destroy it ...."
1 Samuel 12:1, 2, 16, 19 "And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you ... and I am old and grayheaded...And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord ..."
Luke 2:36, 37 "And there was one Anna, a prophetess... she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about 84 years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day."
1 Timothy 5:5 "Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day."
D. Witnessing and testifying to the faithfulness of God.
Luke 2:36-38 "And there was one Anna, a prophetess... of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of 84 years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem."
Acts 28:30 "And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him."
2 Timothy 1:5 "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also."
2 Timothy 3:15 "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
E. Exhortation. (A lifetime of experiences can be a great testimony of God's faithfulness.)
Psalms 37:25 "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."
2 Peter 1:12-15 "Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things... as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance."
Philemon 1:9 "Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ."
F. Worship.
Psalms 148:12,13 "Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven."
Joel 2:15, 16 "Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts."
G. Practical assistance
(despite physical impairments: hearing loss, etc.).
2 Samuel 19:32, 33-35; cp. 17:27-29 "Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even 80 years old: and he had provided the king of sustenance ... for he was a very great man. And the king said unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me, and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem. And Barzillai said unto the king, How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem? I am this day 80 years old: and can I discern between good and evil? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? ..."
H. An Example of Holy Living.
Titus 2:2, 3 "That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things."
V. Exhortations directed specifically to the elderly.
Titus 2:2, 3 "That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things."
A. Age alone doesn't always make us wiser.
Only those who know God have true wisdom.
Job 32:9 "Great men are not always wise..."
Psalms 119:100 "I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts."
Proverbs 16:31 "The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness."
Job 12:13 "With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding."
Job 12:20 "He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged."
B. The elderly can be stubborn regarding change.
Ecclesiastes 4:13 "Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished."
Ecclesiastes 7:10 "Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this."
Haggai 2:3 "Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?"
Ezra 3:11, 12 "And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord... And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy."
C. Even the elderly must guard their relationship with God.
1 Kings 11:4 ".... when Solomon was old ...his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord ..."
VI. Every form of murder – from abortion and infanticide to euthanasia – is forbidden by God.
"Thou shalt not kill." (Exodus 20:13)
A. The value of life exceeds every possession.
Job 2:4 "And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life."
Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"
B. God is the author of life.
Genesis 2:7 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
Acts 17:28 "For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."
C. God supplies every breath we take.
Joshua 14:10 "And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these 45 years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses...and now, lo, I am this day 45 years old."
Psalms 36:6 "... O Lord, thou preservest man and beast."
Psalms 66:9 "[He] holdeth our soul in life...."
D. God determines the length of an individual's life.
Job 12:10 "In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind."
Daniel 5:23 "... the God in whose hand thy breath is ..."
E. Scripture provides only a couple acceptable instances of laying down one's life:
1. If necessary, for Christ. Matthew 10:39; Luke 14:26; Acts 20:24.
2. If necessary, for the brethren. Romans 16:4; 1 John 3:16.
3. Never for oneself, never to relieve pain, never for financial reasons.
F. We are to care for our bodies as the temple of God, and protect the life he gave us. Our lives are not our own.
Matthew 10:23 "But when they persecute you in this city, flee ..."
Acts 27:34 "Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health.."
1 Corinthians 3:16 "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
1 Corinthians 6:19 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"
VII. Who is responsible to provide for the elderly?
A. The church.
1 Timothy 5:5 Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.
1 Timothy 5:9 Let not a widow be taken into the number under 60 years old, having been the wife of one man.
B. The Family.
Exodus 20:12 "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land ...."
Ruth 4:13-16 "...And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman ... And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age ..."
Proverbs 23:22 "Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old."
C. God Himself.
Genesis 48:15 "And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day."
VIII. Our outlook on aging influences how we feel about ourselves, as well as our usefulness toward God.
A. Old age can be beautiful.
Proverbs 16:31 "The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness."
Proverbs 20:29 "The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head."
B. Old age is described in Scripture
as good: "good old age."
2 Chronicles 24:15 "old, and ... full of days ..."
Genesis 15:15 "a good old age"
Genesis 25:8 " a good old age, an old man, and full of
years"
1 Chronicles 29:28 "a good old age, full of days"
Job 5:26 "a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in his
season"
Job 42:17 "old and full of days"
C. Growing old should not discourage us.
Ecclesiastes 11:10 "Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity."
1. Life can be troublesome anyway.
Job 5:7 "Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward."
Job 14:1 "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. "
a. It full of uncertainties (James 4:13-15)
b. It can seem empty at times (Ecclesiastes 6:12; Psalms 89:47)
2. It is only temporary.
Job 7:1 "Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling? "
Job 14:1 "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. "
Job 14:5 "Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass."
Psalms 89:47 "... how short my time is ..."
Psalms 90:10 "The days of our years ... yet is their strength labour and sorrow, for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."
3. Life is short.
a. Too soon over, like a vacation or trip. Genesis 47:9
b. Unable to grasp or hold onto, as liquid poured on the ground. 2 Samuel 14:14
c. Transitory, like the days of a hireling. Job 7:1
d. Quickly moving, like a passing ship, an eagle hasting to its prey, or a hand-breadth. Job 9:25, 26
e. Swift as a weaver's shuttle. Job 7:6
f. Soon surrendering its beauty, as a fading flower, or withering grass. Job 14:2; 1 Peter 1:24
g. A shepherd's tent removed. Psalms 39:5
h. Not something we can grasp: A fading shadow. Psalms 73:20; 90:5
i. Soon forgotten, as a spoken tale. Psalms 90:9
j. Short as a cut thread. Isaiah 38:12 Wind. Job 7:7
k. A swift post. Isaiah 38:18
l. Quickly forgotten, as a dream, in sleep. Ecclesisastes 6:12
m. Indistinguishable, after time, as a passing vapor. James 4:14
4. Realization of the brevity of life should not make us despondent, but inspire us to focus on eternal and spiritual things to make each day count.
Deuteronomy 32:29 "that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!"
Psalms 90:12 "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."
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