麻豆约拍

Good morning. Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm in the Bible, weighing in at 176 verses long, each giving pithy advice.聽The early 19th century Anglican Priest and Missionary Henry Martyn was counselled by his father to meditate on a single verse of Psalm 119 each day, and so to work through the whole Psalm twice in a year.聽Well, today is the 100th day of this year, and verse 100 says this: 鈥業 understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.鈥櫬營 must admit that these words at first surprised me, because the general tendency of Scripture, I鈥檇 assumed, is that the younger generation should look up to their elders and betters! 鈥楬onour your father and your mother鈥� say the commandments!聽In Scripture, and elsewhere, the young are generally found wanting 鈥� too often inexperienced and hot-headed in their judgements.聽聽I鈥檓 always amused to recall the words of the Greek Philosopher Socrates, who, some time before 400BC, exclaimed with exasperation:聽鈥楥hildren now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; and聽 show disrespect for elders.鈥櫬燘ut the Psalmist is not defending any apparent arrogance of youth 鈥� rather, underlining the capacity of anyone, of any age, to become wise through following God鈥檚 teachings.聽And so the Bible also gives us Jeremiah, in the Old Testament. He resists God鈥檚 call to be a prophet, on the grounds of his youth, and God responds 鈥楧o not say 鈥淚 am only a boy!鈥� for you shall go to all to whom I send you.鈥櫬燩erhaps the point is this 鈥� we鈥檙e never too old to keep learning about what really matters.聽Lord God, whatever our age, draw us to your holy wisdom 鈥� and make us ready to hear it from others, whatever their age, too. Amen