Turning aging on its head - the lesser of two evils?

President Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race reflects wisdom that he is not given credit for. Former President Trump shows some of the same symptoms of aging, but he is not likely to back down. 

After over fifty years of labor, the Jubilee year is commanded as a celebration of God’s goodness. (Leviticus 25) This is not retirement, but trusting God to provide while the nation takes time to refresh their understanding of and commitment to God’s ways.  One major aspect of the commandment is that land is to revert to its ancestral owners. That is, poor people who sold the land they inherited are to return to it. Israelites who were forced by poverty to sell themselves into slavery are to go free. The purpose of this arrangement is to recognize that the land and the people are the Lord’s, and His people are blessed to live in it, and to be His people. The wisdom that comes with age is parallel to this, i.e., after fifty years of living before the Lord, older people should recognize the blessing that comes from heeding and obeying God’s word. (Proverbs 16:31, 20:29)

In the 1930’s, the world experienced a decade of rest (which actually began in September, 1929, just before Rosh Hashana).  But this was not a blessing to most of the world because of their failure to acknowledge God. The U.S. experienced a great revival due to necessity - people crying out to God because of need. And they did need Him. We need Him now. Godless rulers are a fact of life. (Pope Francis hit that on the head - we have to choose the lesser of two evils!) But Daniel flourished and honored God in the most trying of circumstances. And God is faithful to His word and His people. Regardless who becomes President in January 2025, Jesus is still King of His people, the King of Kings. 

Sadly, what Pope Francis said on September 13 reflects the true dilemma we face: choosing the lesser of two evils. At an age when most are basking in retirement, Mr. Trump is going all out to return to the White House. But the dilemma is the moral choices behind the primary policy thrusts of both he and Vice President Harris.

• Vice President Harris wants to legalize abortion as a matter of Federal law. After the Supreme Court ruled that this is not a Constitutionally protected right, she and her allies want a Federal Law that will override all state laws on this subject. In short, she wants to enshrine the evil of child sacrifice in Federal law.
• Former President Trump plans to secure the border and deport millions of immigrants. The  kerfuffle about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio shows several things.

• He does not welcome or tolerate strangers, even when they are fleeing evil in their own countries.
• He does not seem to care about the difference between legal and illegal immigrants.
• He believes wild rumors from social media and treats them as truth while simultaneously denouncing broadcast media as full of lies. In other words, he is unwilling to put in the effort to discriminate between truth and lies.

If he does not put in effort to discriminate at the level of facts, it is unlikely he will put effort into discriminating moral values or how God’s commands apply.

Although aging and retirement can be aligned with mental decline, they can also be the context for wisdom and celebration. The deciding factor is moral decline. Are we (the aging) aligned with God, His ways, and His word? But this question is not age related, it is only that the passage of time reveals the true condition of our hearts. This is the blessing of old age, and of the year of jubilee - that respect for and obedience to God results in fruit. Sadly, disrespect and disobedience also results in fruit, but that fruit is not desirable. One need only read the book of Jeremiah to recognize what harvest we are reaping in our country, today.