Isa 47:6

Isa 47:6  I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.  Isaiah 47 is a rebuke to Babylon; Babylon will fall. Isaiah pictures Babylon as a humiliated woman who shall no more be called tender and delicate (v.1). The reason for God’s judgment on Babylon is given: “I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke” (v.6). God gave Israel into the hands of Babylon. Babylon showed no mercy to them. God was angry the way Babylon treated the aged folks: “upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke” (v.6b). The ESV translates it this way: “on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy.” They showed no mercy to the old folks and made the burden exceedingly hard for them. That old problem still exists today. In some societies, age is looked upon as a disease. Thus, the aged are treated as a problem. They are made to feel useless, a burden to family, and often are cast off. But, in the Bible, age is beautiful: “The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31). God wants us to treat the older folks with respect. He commands youths to stand up in the presence of the aged: “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man” (Leviticus 19:32). Young men and women: Are you giving up your seat to the elderly or do you make them stand while you sit in front of them? The aged will soon be gone from among us. Treasure your aged parents while they are still around; spend time with them while you can, because one day when you look up from your busy life, they won’t be there anymore. True filial piety is seen by a manifestations of love, respect, and care shown for our parents in our daily life. Today’s text reminds us that unkindness to the aged is peculiarly displeasing to God. In the story of Job, we find that Elihu, the younger of Job's friends, waited until the older men had spoken to Job: “Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he” (Job 32:4). He said: “Behold, I waited for your words, I listened for your wise sayings, while you searched out what to say” (Job 32:11, ESV). Elihu was attentive when the aged men spoke. In Mark 7:10, we find Jesus saying: "Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death." The word “curseth” does not mean wishing them dead. It means to speak evil of, to revile, and to say anything bad about them. He goes on to say that the Pharisees had made void the law of God by their disgraceful treatment of the elderly (Mark 7:13). The elderly have made their mark on life. They have performed well, having help build up the nation. Our government remembers the pioneers who helped built the nation from nothing to what it is today. The aged have also spent their life raising children and training the next generation. They have a wealth of wisdom to share, experience to relate, and advice on life to share. They deserve our love and respect. God wants us to respect the elderly. Timothy was told not to lash out at older men, but to treat them with respect - as he would treat the younger men with respect as brothers: “Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father” (1 Timothy 5:1). As we love and respect our elderly parents, God wants us to extend that love and respect to other aged too. The aged brethren in the church have shown us how to stay faithful. They have a great wealth of spiritual experience that the young can learn and imitate. Love them!