Open Heaven 20 July 2024: Honour Elders
MEMORISE: 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.”
READ: 1 Timothy 5:1-3 (KJV)
1 Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;
2 The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.
3 Honour widows that are widows indeed.
Read Yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional Here
Nowadays, many young people think that they are superior to elders because they believe they are more sophisticated. An elder is an elder, regardless of their educational, financial, and/or social status. People must always honour elders if they don’t want curses on their heads (Deuteronomy 27:16).
Today’s memory verse says that when you see an elder coming, you must rise up in honour of the elder. Don’t let an elder pass by you without greeting them. If an elder is carrying something, you must run to them and help with whatever they are carrying. When an elder is talking to you, don’t talk back immediately; let the elder finish speaking before you speak. Take a cue from Elihu in Job 32:4:
Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he.
Furthermore, in Job 32:6, Elihu did not just share his opinion; he spoke with honour to the elders, telling them that he was afraid to speak because he was before them. In verse 8, you will see that Elihu was the one who spoke the words that we often quote, “There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty gives him understanding.” Clearly, he was wise and had understanding from God. You cannot claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit and dishonour your elders; that would be a lie.
Now you may say, what if an elder has done something terrible that is not expected from elders? The Bible says in (1 Timothy 5:1-3) that you must never rebuke an elder. It may surprise you to know that when Elihu did the things I referred to in the previous paragraph, he was very angry with the elders. He was angry with Job because Job was self-righteous, justifying himself rather than God. Yet, he waited for him to finish speaking before sharing his opinion with honour. Don’t say you have holy anger and speak to an elder disrespectfully. Don’t claim to be fighting for God and dishonour an elder. No matter how wrong an elder is, you must share your opinion respectfully and never dishonour them.
KEY POINT:
A true child of God always honours elders, regardless of his or her status.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Isaiah 25-28
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Open Heaven 20 July 2024
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