Contemplative Bible Reading

Isaiah 3:5 (New Living Translation)

Young people will insult their elders,
and vulgar people will sneer at the honorable.

The is part of a passage about God judging and punishing the people. It is a long list including the scarcity of food and water—necessities for life.

And here we have another punishing: youth disrespecting those they should respect and the vulgar sneer in derision at the honorable.

• respect
• honor

Old-fashioned words and concepts?

• insults
• vulgarity
• sneer

Well, what can we say about these?

When I was young—here we go again, but please hang in there with me—I was pushed into respecting and honoring those who had earned such. If I didn’t, I was punished. With time, I learned to do these things voluntarily. Maybe I wasn’t taught with the best of methods, but I was taught.

I live in a society characterized by insults, vulgarity, and sneers. No, this isn’t about the current President. It is about the past several decades. Too bad for us. Perhaps God is judging us.

We don’t have to live like this. Please God, help us to learn.