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“Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head (person with white hair], and honour the face of the o[d man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:32).
When I attended high school (that was quite a few years ago!), we had a good principal whom everyone respected and liked. He would occasionally have to walk into a classroom in the middle of a lesson, to speak to the teacher. When this happened, he expected all the students in the class to stand up, and remain standing until he told them to sit down. We all gladly did this out of respect for him.
Attitudes in this world have changed considerably since then, but the Word of God tells us clearly to respect older people and honor them. According to our verse today, this respect is connected with the fear of God. If we fear God, we will respect those who are older.
In western culture, it has become customary for young people to speak to older people as if they were speaking to other young people. This is not right; there should be that healthy respect for those who are older, as the Word of God teaches us.
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