Lesson 4 - June Fourth Week
Wisdom of Older Men and Women
Background Reading:
Zechariah 8:1-8; Proverbs 17:6; 20:29; Joel 2:28; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; 1 Timothy 5:1; Titus 2:1-8
Devotional Reading:
2 Chronicles 10:6-15
Central Verse:
“I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.”
Job 32:7, KJV
“I thought, those who are older should speak, for wisdom comes with age.”
Job 32:7, NLT
Key Terms:
Rebel– To oppose or disobey one in authority or control; to renounce and resist by force the authority of one’s government.
Wisdom– Ability to discern inner qualities and relationships; ability to see beneath the surface of things.
Introduction:
Wisdom is very necessary in the lives of God’s people. Wisdom is the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment: it’s the quality of being wise, according to the dictionary. Wisdom means that a person has the ability to interpret and understand knowledge. That person can discern inner qualities and relationships. Wisdom is a divine gift that God offers to those who ask him for it. The Word of the Lord tells the believers that if we have no wisdom, ask God for it, and he will give it to us (James 1:5). God will give believers wisdom, insight, and direction for any season of our lives. He is the one who directs the steps of Godly men and women. Wisdom doesn’t come by wishing or hoping; it comes by asking God for it.
In today’s world, we have all kinds of information at our fingertips, but sometimes, believers lack the wisdom to make good decisions and choices and miss out on the guidance that God wants to give us. The fear, respect, honor, and reverence of the Lord are the beginning and the starting point of wisdom. When any believer respects, submits and honors God, he or she will begin to reflect God’s heart and character. Only believers can allow wisdom to fill and lead our hearts.
The life of the Lord Jesus is full of depth, wisdom, authority, love, mercy, and life examples for anyone who really wants to know, follow, love, and obey God. Jesus’s teaching transcends times and cultures. Youth and experiences don’t go hand in hand; it takes time, experience, and God to bring wisdom into a believer’s life. So, young people should seek the wisdom of older, godly men and women when making plans or decisions or when they have questions. Young people can’t get wisdom from just anyone; they must be Godly men and women.
Discussion:
God has several examples in His Word where younger people needed the wisdom of older men and women. In 2 Chronicles 10, the story of King Rehoboam was told. His father had been rough on the people and ruled them with a tight rein, but Jeroboam, one of the leaders of that time, went to him and asked him if he could lighten up some because his yoke was very heavy. He let them know that after three days, they could return, and he would have an answer for them.
King Rehoboam went and talked to the older men that had stood with his father, Solomon, and asked them for their wisdom and council concerning this request. They told him that he should be kind to the people, please them, and speak good words to them, and they would be his servants forever. But he did not accept the council of the old men. He took counsel with the young men who were brought up with him. Just as he had asked the older men, he asked the younger men, who told him to tell them that his fingers shall be thicker than his father’s loins. He said that his father put a heavy yoke upon them and that he will put more to their yoke: he said that his father chastised them with whips but that he would chastise them with scorpions.
So, the next day, Rehoboam answered them roughly when he forsook the council of the old men but took the council of the young men, which caused the House of Israel to rebel against the House of David. If only he had listened to wisdom of the older men, who had more experience and knew how to deal with life and its issues.
God has older, Godly men and women in His body here on earth for a purpose. It’s to the younger believers’ advantage to receive and accept the wisdom of the Church’s fathers and mothers. Solomon said that the glory of young men was their strength, but the beauty of the old men was their grey head.
During Job’s sickness, he was able to share with his visitors that wisdom comes through age. He let them know that with the ancient is wisdom and understanding. Old age is a time when men and women can remember and recall events, and they have time to dream dreams.
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul instructed the church in the Book of Titus that the aged men should teach the younger men many life lessons, as well as the aged women should teach the younger women. He was very specific in what he needed them to teach. They needed to observe things in many areas of life. If they listened to the Seniors, their lives would be so much more enriched.
Conclusion:
The wisdom of the Seniors will help younger believers have a more structured life, better personal relationships, better financial stability, and a much better well-rounded life. Psalm 92 tells the believers that the senior citizens who are Godly shall bring forth fruit in their old age, and they will yet be fat and flourishing.
The leaders of our Church of God in Christ were so wise, and they understood the value of the wisdom of the older men and women. They set up Bands, Auxiliaries, Units, and Councils where the older men and women could mentor the younger ones. They didn’t call it mentoring, but that’s what it was. They taught boys and girls in the Sunshine Band and Purity Class, the young women were taught in the Young Women’s Christian Council, and the young ministers in The Bible Band and the Elder’s Council. They taught everybody in the Young People’s Willing Workers (YPWW) and Sunday School. They emphasized that as soon as you became a part of the Church, you automatically belonged to every agency of the Church.
Questions:
1. What is one of the benefits of having Godly men and women in the church?
2. How can their wisdom help the overall well-being of the church?
3. Why did the nation of Israel rebel against the king?
4. What could he have done to change that?
5. What were some benefits of the older men and women’s wisdom in the early church?
Essential Thought:
Experience is a wonderful teacher,
but why pay for something
that you can get free?