Job had fallen into hard times. His life fell apart. Three friends gather to comfort and share their opinions on the purposes of God and who was at fault. Eliphaz shared his philosophical musings first. Then there was Bildad the Shuite who kept talking about men of the past – the fathers! And then the younger of the three, Zophar got his two-cents worth in. Things were pretty clear to him – black and white.

Others were listening to the debate. One young man Elihu was bursting at the seams to jump into the fray. He had listened carefully and he really felt he had a perspective to share that would be helpful and balanced. He was upset over some of the things that had been said. He was biting his tongue to keep quiet. Job had finished speaking for now and the others had run out of steam.

Elihu begins. Can’t you see people’s jaws drop as they put their hand up to their mouth with a gasp, fearing what this young upstart would say. Listen to the whispers: “Oh my; what’s this young gaffer going to say?” But in retrospect, Elihu perhaps offered the best insights of all of them.

He was very aware of his age. He didn’t want to be disrespectful but he felt he had something to contribute. He acknowledged their years of his experience and his youthfulness. Out of respect for their seniority he held back, waiting for an opportune time to share his opinion. One of his opening comments may seem impudent but you’ll have to read all his speech to appreciate this one line better:

Because older people have experienced life longer, they should be wiser. But as Elihu said and James tells us in the New Testament, the wisdom that counts comes from the Lord. Mere human reasoning may be intelligent and impressive – but rarely spiritual. Gray hairs and bald heads are not synonymous with deeper spiritual insights. Old men who have devoted their lives to making money rather than to Christ are not necessarily the most qualified christians to be elders in a local church. Seniority may be the deciding factor in getting a job at Burger King – but its spirituality, maturity and Godly wisdom that counts in an assembly of believers. A person could have a wrinkled face and still be a spiritual neophyte.

BUT that does not give me a license to have a bad attitude towards them or the right to be impatient with them or the permission to be resentful or disrespectful towards them or bitter because of them. When I am acting that way or in that frame of mind, I am not walking closely with Christ. I myself am failing spiritually. Elihu listened carefully to what the older men were saying. He struggled with many of the things he heard but he did not butt in or interrupt. He listened, weighed their words and allowed his own knowledge of God to shape his opinions. And then, when the opportunity arose, he was able to share his rather impressive perspective.

Paul counseled Timothy not to “rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father.’ 1Timothy 5:1 ESV. If there is an issue bothering you, read your Bible and pray lots. Ask God to give you wisdom not only on the issue but what, if anything, He might want you to do about it. If you need to say something to an older person proceed with Godly fear, humility, and with utmost respect. Mouthing off, cranking and spreading poison behind the scenes, and smart-alek comments will do nothing for your own credibility, rarely advances the agenda and can only be damaging and destructive.

Be helpful. Be wise. Be respectful.