Deference to Elders – The Fifth Commandment

Deference to Elders

The Fifth Commandment

God’s people must honor their elders

Leviticus 19:32

“You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.”

Luke 14:7-11; Romans 12:10-17; 1 Peter 2:17

The reference here may be specifically to a ruler or judge or elder in a local community, but it was probably meant to include all elderly. Standing is a way of showing deference, as if to give up one’s seat to the arriving person.

The story, told by Bede, of how the Celtic priests used this little test to determine whether or not they could trust the Roman missionary, Augustine, demonstrates how seriously the people of that day regarded the Law of God. When Augustine failed to stand as the Celtic elders entered his presence, it indicated he either did not know the Law or did not regard it as he should. Either way, he was not to be trusted, and the Celtic priests did not.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.