“The glory of young men is their strength, but the majesty of old men is their gray hair.”
~Proverbs 20.29
There are different glories for different bodies. When speaking of the resurrection of our bodies, Paul says that not all flesh is the same. There is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. There are celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies, each with its own glory. Different glories exist within each of those categories. Sun, moon, and stars all have glory, but each has its particular glory, even down to each star differing from other stars (1Cor 15.39-40). Each body has its particular function and, therefore, its own glory within the great tapestry of God’s creation.
Glory is not only particular to different kinds of bodies that will never be the same but is also true of the same body at different stages of life. There is a glory when you are young and a glory when you are old, as Solomon says in Proverbs 20.29. The young man’s glory is his strength. The older man’s glory is in his gray hair (when found in righteousness; Pr 16.31).
Glory is the weight of responsibility and corresponding beauty given to different bodies. The sun’s glory, for example, is to rule the day as it radiates light and heat (Gen 1.14-19). These are the God-given responsibilities of the sun, and as it fulfills God’s purpose, fitting in with the other celestial bodies and their purposes, the fullness of the sun’s beauty is realized.
Our glory is inexorably bound to our purpose in creation. God has given each of us “bodies” particular weights of responsibility. When we work with the other bodies and their glory to fulfill our common purpose, the glory of each body shines brighter.
The glory of young men is their strength. They have vigor and physical abilities that older men don’t have. This glory will fade as they grow older, but it is a glory, nonetheless. The glory of young men and their strength is not for preening in front of mirrors in the gym or on social media. The glory of young men is for the mission of dominion. Strength is not an end in itself. It is given and developed for a purpose. Young men should not become vain and self-consumed. Strength is to be disciplined for the mission.
Though Solomon doesn’t address young women, the same principle applies. Young women are not physically strong like young men because God gives them their own strengths as women. A young woman’s beauty is a strength in her relationship with men. In her youth, she is fertile and has the energy for demanding schedules. As with young men, her strength is not to be used in pursuits of vanity, manipulating men to satisfy her own lusts, preening before others, and being self-absorbed. Her strength is to be used for the mission.
The glory of older men is their gray heads. The gray head is a crown, the glory of rule, given by God (Pr 16.31). The strength of older men is not in moving heavy objects and working laborious days. Older men’s glory is realized in their wisdom to help guide the strength of young men.
The same is true for older women whose glory of physical beauty, fertility, and energy have diminished but are not crowned with the gray head. Her strength is in wisdom to teach younger women “to love their husbands, love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed” (Titus 2.4).
Within Western culture, including the church, there is a generational war. Millennials and Gen Z look down upon Boomers and even Gen Xers with disdain. This anger and disrespect come across on social media where people tend to be reduced to words on a screen. Social media erases all sorts of personal distinctions between people. We are practically ageless and sexless. When we don’t know another person personally, we tend to treat them as a peer or, worse, just a digital projection. This depersonalization encourages generational war.
Though more caution should be taken in online interactions, some scorn toward older generations is deserved. Older generations have failed in some respects, and correction is needed. Wise, older people should have the humility to admit failures and seek forgiveness where the faults are real.
Younger generations also need the humility that grants forgiveness and is willing to listen to older generations. Even in their failures, the older generations should be respected because God commands them to do so. Besides that, younger generations will be the older generation one day and need to be forgiven for their blunders. If you show no mercy, you are training your children to be merciless, so you will receive no mercy in the future.
When generations are at war with one another, we can’t accomplish our mission. Our glories work together like the sun, moon, and stars. We are different, but we are all part of the same mission. Older generations must be ready to help younger generations and not be self-consumed, riding off into the retirement sunset and letting younger generations fend for themselves. Neither can older generations be condescending and treat younger generations as if they are completely stupid, helicoptering over them, and never entrusting them with responsibility. Boomers and Gen Xers need to be handing over the strength part of the mission to the younger generation and guiding them in wisdom, bearing with their rambunctiousness and propensity toward extremism.
The younger generations need to be ready to take up that mission with the proper humility that understands the wisdom of the older generation. Gen Y and Gen Z don’t know everything, no matter how many YouTube videos they watch. Younger generations need to learn the wisdom of slowing their roll and being patient, disciplining their strength.
The glory of the strength of the young and the glory of the gray head of the old are needed to accomplish our mission. We don’t need a minimalistic cease-fire. We must have mutual respect and appreciation for the glory of others.
