Silver Foxes
29
The glory of the young is their strength;
the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.
30
Physical punishment cleanses away evil;
such discipline purifies the heart.
Verse 29
We respect a youth’s strength. We call young people ‘champions’ and ‘heroes’ when they win in sports.
We must also respect old people. Their grey hair reminds us about their long lives. Often old people have great wisdom. They are too old to be champions in sport. But they can still be our champions and heroes, because of their wisdom.
Verse 30
Nobody likes pain. But a wound often heals, whilst it hurts. The body removes the bad part of the wound, and this hurts.
In Solomon’s country, judges might punish a guilty man with the whip. The second line means, ‘Punishment removes a man’s evil behaviour.’ No punishment is pleasant. But the intention is to teach good behaviour.
If we smack a child, then the child learns to behave. When a judge punishes a thief, the thief should learn not to steal.
God sometimes punishes Christians. He does this because he loves us. He wants us to learn how to be holy. See Hebrews 12:5-11.
This verse also reminds us about Jesus. Before Jesus died, the soldiers whipped his back. They made him suffer greatly, although he had done nothing wrong. Then they placed nails through his hands and feet. The nails fixed him to the wooden cross where he died.
Jesus suffered the punishment that we deserve for our evil deeds. He suffered because God loves us. God forgives us because Jesus suffered. We need simply to confess our evil deeds and to trust God. Because Jesus suffered our punishment, God removes our evil behavior. And because Jesus suffered our punishment, we can be friends of God. See 1 Peter 2:24 and Isaiah 53:5.
Let me ask you: Young people take pride in their strength, and older people in their gray hair and wisdom. What about middle-aged people? What do they take pride in? Regardless, everyone should appreciate and be grateful for each day of life that God gives them. What physical trait has God given you that you take pride in?
Struggle to Standing. Available on Amazon. https://a.co/d/ev3YUqw
Website at https://www.wisdomfortheday.org
Support the show and Community Membership
I Love You!
See Ya!