The Beauty of the Elderly Is Their Gray Hair

“The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.” (Proverbs 20:29)

Last Wednesday morning, I heard a shocking piece of news on a Korean radio broadcast.
It was about a Korean man in his 50s living in Florida who locked up his mother—who was over 80 years old—in a shed without electricity, and for about two weeks, barely gave her any food or water.
What was truly shocking was that, when the police found the elderly mother, there were worms and maggots on her neck and face.
One report even said that she may have survived by eating bugs.
Even more appalling was that the son, when arrested by the police, showed no remorse or guilty conscience, and seemed to think it was normal.
His excuse was that due to financial difficulties, he remodeled the house to rent out rooms to others, and moved his mother from her room to the shed to make space.
When I heard this news, I felt a deep anger rise in my heart.
I then resolved to change the theme and passage of this Sunday’s sermon to reflect on what God says about the elderly.

It feels as if we are now living in the times prophesied in Isaiah 3:5:
“The people will oppress one another, each one his neighbor; the child will be insolent toward the elder, and the base toward the honorable.”
We are living in a world where children rise up and abuse the elderly.

According to a website on preventing elder abuse, the elderly population in Korea has increased more than threefold over the past 37 years. In 2019, the number of elderly people was estimated to reach around 7.36 million.
The problem is that abuse against the elderly—who are often economically vulnerable—is becoming a serious social issue.
That is, cases of neglecting or physically and mentally abusing aging, sick parents for financial reasons are increasing.
In fact, when looking at the types of elder abuse, psychological abuse made up the largest share at 40%, followed by neglect, physical abuse, financial exploitation, abandonment, and even sexual abuse reported by some elders.

Looking at data from the “Central Elder Protection Agency” website, the most common abuser was the son.
Out of 3,019 reported elder abusers, 1,544 were sons (compared to only 342 daughters) (source: internet).
This is the kind of time we are living in—a time where the elderly are being abused.
What should we do? How should we respond?

In the Old Testament, the term "elder" is expressed using three Hebrew words (source: internet):

1. The first is “Zaken”, which means "white beard." This term refers to someone around 60 years old. It frequently appears in Scripture to describe someone who has lived many years, or an older elder or father figure.

2. The second is “Seybah”, meaning “white hair,” which refers to someone around 70 years old. It implies someone with gray or silver hair, and signifies one who is truly aged.

3. The third is “Yasis”, which refers to those in their 80s. It means “to tremble,” “aged,” or “feeble,” and also implies someone who is to be honored and respected due to their age and character.

So, based on these Hebrew terms from the Old Testament, we can understand that the elderly are generally those between the ages of 60 and 80, marked by graying hair and a decline in physical strength.

Today, I would like to reflect on Proverbs 20:29 with the message titled “The Beauty of the Elderly Is Their Gray Hair,” and draw lessons from God for both the senior members of our church and the younger generation.

First, the Bible tells us that the beauty of the elderly is their gray hair.

Look at Proverbs 20:29: “The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.” The glory of young men is their strength, but old men no longer have the kind of strength that young men possess. Not only do old men lack the strength of youth, but what they do have is gray hair. What do you think about gray hair? About two or three weeks ago, I went to the hair salon, and while the hairdresser was cutting my hair, she said, “You have a lot of gray hair.” Haha. Compared to you, I don’t have much, but suddenly I have many more white hairs than last year. Yet, a couple of pastors I know are two or three years younger than me but have completely gray hair. Nowadays, since many people dye their hair, the beauty of gray hair doesn’t seem to be appreciated much. However, Proverbs 16:31 says this about “gray hair”: “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a righteous life.” What does “gray hair is a crown of glory” mean? What we can understand here is that old age is a glorious state. And the crown of gray hair that old people receive is not from earthly kings but from the eternal God. In other words, the glory of those who serve God is revealed in their gray hair, and the true process of life is manifested there. Therefore, old age is a time to receive glory from God and to enjoy true joy. Old age is not a time of suffering or alienation, as people often think (internet). Although the Bible mentions some negative aspects of old age, such as physical weakness and a gloomy appearance caused by aging, we must not forget the positive aspects: old age symbolizes longevity, blessing, and wisdom (internet).

Therefore, the elderly should enjoy the blessing of long life given by God, remember that their gray hair symbolizes a lifetime of serving God, and live with the hope of receiving a glorious reward from the eternal God. Especially, elderly people with gray hair should live their remaining lives in faith, hoping to meet the glorious Lord in the eternal heaven where there is no old age, and live forever with the Lord. Look at Isaiah 65:20: “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach fifty will be considered unlucky.” Also, we young people must honor and respect the elderly. Look at Leviticus 19:32: “Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.” Wise young people who fear God see God’s glory through the gray hair of the elderly. And those wise young people respect their elders because they see God’s glory in the gray-haired elderly.

Secondly, the Bible says grandchildren are the crown of the elderly.

Look at Proverbs 17:6: “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” The word “grandchildren” (bene banim) originally means “sons of sons.” Here, it broadly means “descendants.” Also, the word translated as “aged” (zekenim) should be translated as “elders,” referring to “ancestors.” This verse means that wise descendants who obey God’s commandments bring glory to the elders (ancestors). Foolish descendants bring harm and sorrow to their parents and ancestors, but wise descendants glorify their family and bring joy to their parents (internet). One example is Obed, the grandfather of David. In Ruth 4:14-15, when Boaz and Ruth married and had Obed, the father of Jesse, the women said: “Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” These women said that Obed, born to Ruth who loves Naomi, is the restorer of Naomi’s life and her sustainer in old age. From this, it cannot be denied that grandchildren are the crown of their grandparents. Especially for Obed, when thinking of his grandson David, David is indeed the crown of the elderly Obed. Therefore, what the elderly must do is pass on the Lord’s strength (power) to future generations. Look at Psalm 71:18: “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.” The psalmist wanted to proclaim the Lord’s power and might to all future generations. He wanted to recount “the wonderful deeds of the Lord God… His righteousness, His acts of justice” (verse 16). His tongue spoke of the Lord’s righteousness all day long (verse 24). The reason is that from youth to old age and gray hair, he lived relying on the Lord as his hope and experienced “the immeasurable righteousness and salvation” granted by the Lord (verse 15). The psalmist could not endure without proclaiming the Lord’s boundless grace of salvation to all future generations.

A beautiful old person passes down the legacy of faith to children and descendants. They testify and proclaim the grace of God they received by relying on the Lord as their hope from youth to old age and gray hair. Rather than talking about what they themselves did in their lifetime, they testify about the great things God did during their life. I pray you all become such elders. We young people must listen carefully to the teachings that come from the mouths of the elderly, who are symbols of wisdom, and live according to those teachings. Look at Deuteronomy 32:7: “Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.” We young people must ask wise elders again and again. We should hear their stories about the past and remember them because they are living witnesses of the past. Especially, we should heed the advice of wise elders because from them we can gain wisdom. We must never make the foolish mistake, like King Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, who rejected the advice of the elders who had faithfully served his father Solomon and instead consulted with the young men he grew up with (1 Kings 12:8), leading the nation to ruin and decline.

Lastly, thirdly, the Bible says that God never abandons or forsakes the elderly but rather embraces them.

Look at Psalm 71:9: “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.”
Once, I preached God’s word under the title “The Beautiful Elderly,” centered on Psalm 71:9. At that time, I reflected on the beautiful elderly in three ways, and the first was that the beautiful elderly rely on the Lord, who is their hope.
Look at Psalm 71:5: “For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth.”
The beautiful elderly, like the psalmist, not only grew up receiving instruction from the Lord from their youth (v.17) but also lived relying on the Lord as their constant hope from childhood until old age when their hair turns white. Especially when facing “many and severe troubles” (v.20), they relied even more on God, who is their hope.
Thus, the beautiful elderly who live trusting only in the Lord believe that God will not abandon or forsake them. Rather, they have hope because they rely on the Lord.
So what is it that elderly people hope for when they rely on the Lord? It is to ascend to heaven and sit in the embrace of the glorious God the Father.
Look at Isaiah 46:4: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”
God clearly promises that He will hold and sustain us until we reach old age and our hair turns gray. He promises to carry us, embrace us, and also save us.
The beautiful elderly who believe in this promise of God praise Him (Psalm 71:14). As time passes, they praise the Lord more and more (v.14), and they continue to praise Him until their last breath.
I pray that you all will be such people who are beautiful in God’s eyes.

To conclude this meditation, as I reflected on today’s passage, I thought of the elders in our church from their 60s to those over 80.
Dear elders of the church, I pray that you enjoy the blessing of longevity given by God. Remember that your white hair is the sign of a lifetime serving God, and live with the expectation of the glorious reward you will receive from the eternal God.
Also, because you rely on the Lord who is your hope, I hope you will declare and pass on the grace of God you have received all your life to your children and descendants. Rather than telling about your own deeds, tell your children and descendants of the great works God has done throughout your life.
May you all be people beautiful in God’s sight who have lived trusting only in the Lord all your lives. And may you believe and hope that God will not reject or forsake you but will carry you and seat you in the embrace of His love.
I bless you in the name of Jesus, praying that you may live joyfully in this hope.