The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair. (Proverbs 20:29; ESV)
Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. (Titus 2:2; ESV)
Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. (Titus 2:6; ESV)
What does it look like when a man lives his life well? Many answers could be (and have been) given to this question, but today we will focus on what the passages quoted above have to say about the question.
First, let’s consider the indicative spoken of young men in Proverbs 20:29: their strength is their glory. We can understand “glory” here to refer to the characteristic(s) which God intends for a particular creature to excel in (analogous to “virtue” in Aristotelian thought). We could say that the glory of a dog is its loyalty or the glory of a cat is its stealth.
That the glory of young men is their strength implies they ought to use it and honor God with it. We know from elsewhere in Scripture that men are to be protectors/warriors and providers (among other things). These callings require physical and mental strength. Young men, God has made you strong that you might help the weak!
With that in mind, let’s turn our attention to the charge given in Titus 2:6 - “urge the younger men to be self-controlled.” To the other age and gender groups, Paul gives multiple exhortations, but to the young men he gives only one. Why? Because the glory of young men is their strength, but the strategy of the Deceiver is to distort and pervert. The temptation for young men has two sides, but is one coin. On the one hand, young men may abandon their God-given strength (and the accompanying responsibilities) and opt for a life of laziness, self-indulgence, and cowardice. On the other hand, they may direct their strength toward the wrong ends. They can oppress rather than liberate, abuse rather than provide, and dominate rather than shepherd. Both errors require discipline and self-control to prevent.
A young man who lives long enough will soon find that youth is fleeting. The wise youth will not only apply his energy in his vocation, but also to deepening his knowledge of God and His wisdom (Proverbs 1:1-9; Prov 4:7). The one who does so will find that though his outer man is wasting away, his inner man is being renewed day by day (2 Cor 4:16). For this man, his grey hairs will not be a depressing reminder of what might have been. Instead, they are a testimony to God’s faithfulness in all the years of his sojourning, and an encouragement in the last leg of his journey to keep his heavenly homeland in mind (Heb 11:13-16).
For this man, you will not find a mid-life crisis in which he embarrasses himself by trying to act young again. Rather he is “dignified” (Titus 2:2) - commanding the respect of those who have not hardened themselves against such things. Yet even at this stage in life, the man needs self-control (again, note Titus 2:2). Though his physical strength has diminished, a lifetime of labor has left him knowledgeable, connected, and (most likely) prosperous. In such a condition, there can be a temptation to abuse these powers by trusting in them instead of trusting in God. Consider, for example, a figure like Uzziah who grew prideful once he had power (2 Chron 26:16ff).
God gives different capabilities to men at different times in their lives, but at all points they need wisdom, self-control, and faithfulness to steward well the gifts of God. In closing, let us remember with Jeremiah and Paul that though God gives men differing “glories”, nevertheless they are always and only to glory in the Lord:
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24; ESV)
Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. (2 Corinthians 10:17; ESV)
Want more Semi-Structured Thoughts? Subscribe here.