In 1 Timothy 5:1, the Apostle Paul advised us by declaring, “Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers.” Growing up, I was taught to always respect my elders. This good advice was based on the Bible’s admonition and the simple reasoning which suggests that anyone older than I has lived longer and has had more opportunity to learn than I have.

Proverbs 16:31 tells us, “The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness.” However, gray hair is not always indicative of wisdom. Not all elderly people are wise. Alfred Lord Tennyson once said, “Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.” I have been blessed with several wonderfully wise friends, but I have also encountered some old fools. Someone once said, “There is no fool like an old fool.”

The Bible defines “fool” for us. Psalm 14:1 tells us, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” This means that every single atheist is a fool by God’s own definition. I might add that without belief in God, life certainly has absolutely no meaning at all. Without belief in God, life makes no sense.

When I was a young man of around twenty years old, I asked an elderly neighbor what was the most important thing he had ever learned in life. I thought that he, an octogenarian, could enlighten me a little about what is important in life. But I was very disappointed when he simply said to me, “Oh, I don’t think about such things as that.” I did not reply or try to argue with him at all. I did not try to judge him since we are forbidden to judge. But, I never asked him anything else because he taught me that age and wisdom do not always go together.

I have only been rebuked once by a younger man. He was a pastor friend that I worked with in our Baptist association. His rebuke was, I believe, unjustified as I was trying to defend drastic cuts to mission. I was unprepared, surprised, shocked, and severely embarrassed by his rebuke. I did not know what to say, so I said nothing, which is often the best response. Jesus did not respond to His accusers at his “trial.” In Matthew 27:13-14, we read, “Then Pilate said to Him, ‘Do you not hear how many things they testify against You?’ But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.” This was one of many wonderful examples the Lord provided for appropriate Christian responses.

I still respect my elders, whether they appear wise or foolish. If they are wise, I need to listen to them. If foolish, I need to say nothing and judge not. But I also try to absent myself from those who appear not to be wise, because as Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”