1 Timothy 5:1–2: “Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity.”

July 12th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Since Timothy was a young pastor, the Apostle Paul told him to carefully avoid disciplining older people by reprimand. To stress his point, Paul contrasted 2 very different words: rebuke and exhort. The word translated rebuke literally means, “to strike at,” referring to a harsh and severe criticism. Whereas to exhort literally means, “to strengthen.” We are to spare older, fellow believers open reprimands, instead finding ways to encourage them like we would our own father or mother. The point for all of us is that we should be careful how we respond to people older than us. Maturity and chronological age are not always synonymous, but we should assume that every older person at least deserves respect.

Paul goes on to say that younger men are to be exhorted as brothers and younger women as sisters, meaning equals. There is to be no air of superiority, no pecking order between brothers and sisters. Paul was encouraging Timothy, and us, to be respectful and encouraging to everyone, regardless of age or gender. Paul told the Ephesians to submit “to one another in the fear of God” (Eph. 5:21).

There’s a funny old story of an elderly gentleman who had serious hearing problems. Finally after a number of years, he went to the doctor, and the doctor was able to fit him for hearing aids that gave him even better hearing than when he was a young man. After a month with the hearing aids, the gentleman went back to his doctor. “Your hearing is perfect,” the doctor said. “Your family must be really pleased you can hear again.” The gentleman replied, “Oh, I haven’t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I’ve changed my will three times!”

“LORD, help us today to remember to fear no one but You and to treat everyone with respect.”