Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father.
Summary: Paul gives Timothy specific instructions for correcting the behavior of older men.
Old men hate to be rebuked, especially “harshly”!
Let’s face it, “old men” have been around for a while. They know things. Even if the things they know are not useful anymore, they still know things simply because they have survived as long as they have.
Then again, sometimes they know more than we realize.
One thing old men know is that they are not always right. They also know what it costs to be wrong, so they might be forgiven if the pain of past errors and embarrassments keeps them from wanting to admit they are wrong again.
Job was one of those men.
He knew what it meant to live a righteous life. Not a perfect life, but a life dedicated to putting God’s will before his own (Job 31:1).
He also knew what it was to be humble before his God (Job 42:1-6).
Was Job perfect? No. He understood what he called the “sins of my youth” (Job 13:26). He understood that this was why he needed to remain humble before God. He was, after all, human, as are all ‘older men.’
Instead of rebuke, what then should we do?
To exhort is to ‘encourage’ or ‘urge.’ If an older man has erred, isn’t it better to exhort him? Isn’t that a more appropriate action to take?
I know a lot of fathers fall short in their role as a dad. Most men carry wounds from when they were a boy.
When we come to our fathers and speak harshly, does that speak well of us? No, not at all.
Fortunately, when we come to the Lord Jesus and accept our need for a Savior, something miraculous happens: we can be healed. Perhaps not in an instant, but over time, God’s healing hand softens the scar tissue and heals the wounds, even if we are an old man.
God wants us to love (agapē) each other, if not for our human father’s sake, then for our heavenly Father’s sake.
Application: Love Father above all else, and older men as yourself.
Food for Thought: Why worry about how we rebuke an older man? What could possibly go wrong?
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Continue reading “1 Timothy 5:1a – For Father’s Sake”