Leviticus 19:32

Leviticus 19:32 KJV  Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 19:32 MKJV  You shall rise up before the gray head and honor the face of the old man, and fear your God. I am Jehovah.

Leviticus 19:32 ERV  "Show honor to old people. Stand up when they come into the room. And show respect to your leaders. I am the LORD.

Leviticus 19:32 LITV  You shall rise up in the face of gray hair; and you shall honor the face of an old man; and be afraid of your God. I am Jehovah.

Other scripture:
Genesis 48:10-12 ESV  Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them.  11  And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.”  12  Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

Exodus 20:12 BBE  Give honour to your father and to your mother, so that your life may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

Proverbs 16:31 MKJV  The gray head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness.

Proverbs 20:29 MKJV  The glory of young men is their strength; and the beauty of old men is the gray head.

1 Timothy 5:1-2 MKJV  Do not sharply rebuke an elder, but exhort as a father, and the younger ones as brothers,  2  older women as mothers, the younger as sisters in all purity.

1 Timothy 5:17 ESV  Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

Isaiah 3:5 BBE  And the people will be crushed, every one by his neighbour; the young will be full of pride against the old, and those of low position will be lifted up against the noble. 

"And this respect to ancient persons is due to them from younger persons, because of their having been in the world before them, and of their long continuance in it, and because of the favour and honour God has bestowed upon them in granting them long life, as also because of the experience, knowledge, and wisdom, they may be supposed to have attained unto" - John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

"Romans 13:7 makes this clear. 'Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.' So we find it actually commanded to give deference, not based on whether we think they deserve it, but simply because they are somebody who fits a certain description (like the elderly) or who is an elected, appointed, or ordained person. So strong is this theme that God shows that insolence toward those who should be respected presages calamity(cf. II Kings 2:23-25 and Isaiah 3:5). We should thus be warned that when we see disrespect rising, severe social troubles are on the horizon. The purpose of these scriptures is to help ensure that there is a proper attitude toward God. God is the Giver of all authority (Romans 13:1), and it is really out of respect for the God-given office that the deference is shown." - Forerunner Commentary

"The fall of the Northern Israel began when Rehoboam rejected the counsel of the old men and acted upon that of the 'young Turks' in his kingdom." - James Burton Coffman Commentaries

"...it is a natural law in the hearts of all to reverence and honor old men. Many old men, indeed, either by their levity, or lewdness, or sloth, subvert their own dignity; yet, although gray hairs may not always be accompanied by courteous wisdom, still, in itself, age is venerable, according to God’s command." - John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

What does this mean to us today? Unfortunately we are seeing an increase in elder abuse as the Baby Boomers are aging and left to the care of the following generations. We are seeing abuse, theft, sexual abuse in nursing homes by staff who think they can get away with it. If the elder is able to say anything, they are threatened. If they are unable to speak, they are subject to more abuse. Nursing home staff force feeding, or not feeding their patients. Incontinent patients left without change. Baths not given. Medicines not given or given too much so they are heavily sedated and less trouble.

During the pandemic, family members have not been allowed to visit and stay with their loved ones so the care is worse, especially as staff are out with COVID themselves and there is not enough staff. There is no one to be the patient's advocate because no one is allowed in to see them.

Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo has recently resigned under sexual harassment charges. But his policies that directly lead to the deaths of thousands in NY nursing homes during the COVID pandemic should be considered his worst offense. Face it, the care of the elderly in these nursing homes is expensive drain on money. NY was in severe money crisis before the pandemic because of the Democratic leadership, their corruption and their giveaways. What is one way to help slow down the torrent of expenses? Kill off the old people who are useless to society now and who are just a financial drain. The pandemic gave him a perfect cover he thought. He thought he could get away with it. The most vulnerable in society (besides babies), locked in nursing homes without any family supervision or advocacy. Every avenue of accountability was cut off to the patients and their families. They couldn't move them and they couldn't sue them. Cuomo, and his staff, have the deaths of these innocent elderly people on his hands. He might as well have taken a vial of COVID and injected it into each elderly person and walked away to let them die. He effectively let 172,000 old people die because they cost the state too much and were easy targets. I don't know if he consciously made that determination or if he's so inept and it was the results of his stupid decisions. He had access to better information, he surely had to know that putting COVID patients in nursing homes would bring the virus right to the most vulnerable people. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out but he was counseled and pressured by hospitals and healthcare conglomerates who also see the elderly as a train on their money and resources. So I have to think he wasn't just stupid but deliberately and calculatingly making decisions that he thought would benefit his political career and could easily be covered up. That makes him fully culpable in my humble opinion.

The following information comes from these two stories:
NYTimes.com, What We Know About Cuomo’s Nursing Home Scandal By Michael Gold and Ed Shanahan, Aug. 4, 2021

Statnews.com, Andrew Cuomo’s Covid-19 nursing home fiasco shows the ethical perils of pandemic policymaking, By Rachel Cohrs, Feb. 26, 2021

More than 172,000 residents and employees of nursing homes and long-term care facilities have died of complications from Covid-19 in the United States, according to a Times analysis. His policy issued in March 2020 ordered nursing homes to take back residents who had been discharged from hospitals after being treated for Covid-19. The goal was to keep virus patients from overwhelming hospitals he said. New York City hospitals were overwhelmed, and New York’s influential hospital lobby was pleading with Cuomo to issue policy on transfers to nursing homes. Greater New York Hospital Association spokesperson Brian Conway said hospitals made the request because Cuomo had ordered hospitals to immediately increase bed capacity by at least 50%. Cuomo’s decision to require nursing homes to accept Covid-19-positive patients when New York’s hospitals were overflowing caused the crisis. Richard Mollot, executive director of the New York-based Long Term Care Community Coalition. “I think it was an utter lack of regard for nursing home residents.” Data obtained by the Associated Press showed more than 9,000 recovering Covid-19 patients were transferred from nursing homes to hospitals, which was 40% higher than the previously disclosed number. Then came his attempts to cover it up. The Health Department data put the number of fatalities about 50 percent higher than the figure the Cuomo administration was citing publicly at the time. The Times subsequently reported on the more sustained effort to hide the death toll among nursing home residents. That effort included the burying of a scientific paper that incorporated the death data, the delayed release of a top Cuomo aide’s audit of the figures, and a failure to send two letters drafted by the Health Department that were meant for state legislators. As politicians, health experts and federal investigators called for complete figures for the deaths of nursing home residents, the Cuomo administration continued to delay the data’s release, saying more time was need to compile and verify it. On a private conference call in February, Melissa DeRosa, a top aide to Mr. Cuomo, told Democratic lawmakers that the state had withheld the data because it feared an investigation by the Trump administration. But according to documents and interviews, Ms. DeRosa herself was involved in rewriting the Health Department report months before the Justice Department began seeking information about the administration’s nursing home policy. Cuomo’s team proceeded with his 3/20 directive despite early evidence that nursing home residents were especially vulnerable to Covid-19. The first known cluster of Covid-19 cases in the U.S. happened in a Washington nursing home. The governor, days later, put a provision in the state budget that curbed patients’ ability to sue nursing homes and hospitals. Both hospitals and nursing homes had advocated for it. The Cuomo administration even trotted out “independent reviewers” to bolster the report. Three of the four were hospital executives and a hospital lobbyist who advocated for the policy. “What appears to have come out is that the Cuomo administration made a politically expedient decision,” Pelissero said. “In doing so, for what appears to be political reasons, they failed to serve the public interest.”

Wonder what will happen when Andrew Cuomo is, himself, an elderly man with no one to advocate for him and his care. When it may be him in a nursing home with no family coming to see him or nobody to oversee his care? Will he think his life is worth saving when he's elderly and no longer a "use to society"?


What about families who warehouse and forget their elderly family member? Maybe they think since Grandma doesn't recognize them any more it's not necessary to visit them. They may even find it very hard emotionally to deal with Grandpa and facing his old age and mental/physical disabilities. So they avoid going to see them and leave them to the staff of the nursing homes. You must remember this... one day that may be you in the wheelchair or the bed. How would you want your family to treat you? It's not about you. You are younger and more in control of your life. It's about this vulnerable loved one who no longer has any control over their life and who may be depressed, lonely, scared, and, in some cases, abused. They need their family now more than ever to watch over them. You need to make appearances so that the staff knows the patient has family that cares and watches over them. You need to check on them regularly to make sure the staff is doing what they are supposed to be doing. You need to be their advocate and you can't do that if you never go see them and don't know what's going on. You may send them gifts but staff is stealing them. You may send them cards but the staff doesn't deliver them. It's too much trouble. You need to be there in person on a regular basis to encourage them, tell them you love them and show them you care. If for no other reason than to let the staff and other patients know that you have an eye out and are watching. There is good staff and there are bad staff. For the wages these nursing homes pay, you are often left with high staff turnover and people who take the jobs for reasons other than money. I.e. they think it's a good way to steal or sexually abuse or bully patients without getting caught. It's a hunting ground for them. Good, dependable, kind and professional staff should be paid well and appreciated because the alternative is awful.

What about adult children who still live at home and take advantage of their elderly parents? Isn't that another form of elder abuse? They eat Mom and Dad's food, stay in Mom and Dad's house, let Mom and Dad pay their bills but they run the household! You send Mom out to buy your cigarettes. You make Dad pay your car payments but you have sole rights to the car. You threaten to leave them with nobody to take care of them if they don't let you do what you want to do. You don't even attempt to follow any rules of the house. Your Mother is virtually your slave to do as she is told. She has to make the meals you want, clean your room and bathroom, wash your clothes, etc. This is elder abuse and bullying. You are young, strong, capable but you've used your intelligence and strength against your parents and have made them your slaves. You are manipulative and selfish. If you work a job you use the money on yourself. You don't save for a place of your own or pay them rent, you use your money on your own selfish desires so that you don't have the money to get a place of your own.

Just because an adult child still lives at home, doesn't mean they are abusive to their parents. They may be paying rent and it helps their parents financially. They may be doing household chores and following house rules and looking after their parents. They may be a body guard, caregiver, helper, etc. So I don't mean to lump all adult children into one category. Personally I know of a grown son who still lives at home and he does pay rent, buys groceries, pays his own bills, helps out his parents when needed, who is there as a body guard and shows his parents respect. That's a show of honor and respect like the Bible says!

What about these con men who take advantage of the elderly. These telemarketers, pyramid schemers, catfishing men/women who prey on the elderly to take as much money from them as they can. They take advantage of an elderly person's loneliness, confusion, dementia, fears, insecurities and they extract money from them. We've all heard stories about how these criminals will take their whole retirement and life savings leaving these elderly people destitute.

What about young people who laugh and make fun of older people? They ridicule, mock and scorn the elderly. Young person, one day that may be you. If you live long enough you will go bald, or get fat, or have wrinkles, or have the walking farts, or lose your teeth. What goes around, comes around. If you laugh at someone today, you may look a hundred times worse one day and it will be other young people mocking you and hurting your feelings. If you don't want that, you'd better show some respect now.

What about young men who deliberately attack old people because they are easy targets? They know when the social security checks come in and they deliberately extort and steal from their grannies, their grandpas, the old man down the street, the old woman going to the grocery store. This type of preying is the lowest of the low. When you prey on people who have no defense against you, you are as low as they come. Again, if you live long enough, you will be that vulnerable elderly person that someone preys upon. Because you did it, you know how bad it can be. But it will be worse for you because you did it. So be afraid, very afraid. God sees what you do even if no CCTV picks it up and no one reports it. God will repay.

What about young people who mouth off, roll their eyes, call their elders names, talk disrespectfully about their elders, refuse to be obedient and show no respect? The Bible very clearly tells us we are to HONOR our FATHERS and MOTHERS. This means respect, listening to your parents in respect, answering your parents with respect, treating your parents with love and respect, being obedient to your parents (unless they are asking you to do something ungodly, then you respect God first and obey God), caring for your parents with respect, protecting them with respect. If you live long enough, you will age and you will have children. How do you want your children to treat you? Do you want them to behave like you behave to your parents? Do you want your children making fun of you, calling you names, not listening to anything you say, rolling their eyes when they try to speak, being disobedient and disrespectful? Remember, what you do to your parents, your children may do to you and even worse. It's best to start investing today for your future. So invest your love, respect and obedience in your relationship with your parents and see if it doesn't come back to when you grow old.

To adult children of aging parents, remember your children are watching how you treat your parents and will often mirror that treatment when it comes to you and your care. If you are disrespectful to your parents, your children are watching and will learn to disrespect you. If you are cold hearted and detached from your parents, don't be surprised when your children do the same to you. If you leave your parents in a nursing home and never go see them or care about them. Don't be surprised when it's your turn and your children do that to you and leave you lonely in a nursing home.

Matthew 7:12 (Jesus speaking) "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!"

For those who may have seen themselves in some of these cases of blatant disrespect and elder abuse, you can repent. If you have read this and see yourself and feel bad about what you've done, turn to Jesus. He still loves you and He will forgive you. Turn to Him and turn away from the sin. If you are saved, you are forgiven and He has sent the Holy Spirit to live within you to help you not repeat your sinful ways. He also has provided the Bible so by studying it you get to know God and His ways and it also helps you resist sin. Whenever you realize you've sinned, just ask Jesus' forgiveness and try harder. You will be forgiven. If you have accepted Jesus and are repentant, He has forgiven you so now go make amends. Show your new heart by apologizing to those elders you've hurt. Return anything you've taken. Begin to visit them in the nursing home. Begin to be their help, their protector, their caregiver, their provider, and show them respect (even if they don't remember who you are any more). If you no longer have family, look for other elders whom you could help. Walk that old woman to the grocery store every week or month. Deliver food and a good book to a shut in. Pick up someone and take them to the doctor or on some errands. Mow the grass for your elderly neighbor who can't do it themselves and can't afford to pay for it to be done. Take the mail from the mailbox and take it to your neighbor's door and check in on them at the same time. Do so with a good attitude. Be helpful. Be respectful. Be dependable. Be honest and don't take advantage of them.