Do not cast me off in old age
Ps 71:9
How old is too old to govern? Or to be the one to make decisions for one’s life, or family? As our species learns to live longer we are faced with critical questions and new realities that offer us the gifts and challenges of life lived longer than our ancestors. And yet some of these questions are within the core of our traditions, tensions that reflect what it is like to be an elder even as so much focus is on the needs and vigor of youth.
Whoever wrote the psalms - or at least this one - knew what it was like to become older, to be an elder, to face the years of wiser living, as well as the fears of aging, and of death.
Whether it was David, or some other poet who imagined what it’s like to be an aging king with personal, familial and national worries - it’s all in there, often implicit but at times, like today, quite explicit -- the grace of age, the terror of loss, the pleading for as much as ease as possible as life becomes more fragile.
Twice in today’s psalm old age is referenced - both the virtues and nobility, as well as the frail fears of dependence. Together, these words weave what we can aspire to in our lives and as we honor, lift up, love, learn from and respect our elders.
First, we hear the old man’s fears of what may happen as one’s mind and body may grow weaker, and as friends and family may not always be there to support. These words have entered our prayer book and all through life, they echo as we age and as we plead for all sorts of protection:
אַֽל־תַּ֭שְׁלִיכֵנִי לְעֵ֣ת זִקְנָ֑ה כִּכְל֥וֹת כֹּ֝חִ֗י אַֽל־תַּעַזְבֵֽנִי׃
Do not cast me off in old age;
when my strength fails, do not forsake me!
Ps 71:9
And as the psalm progresses, the old poet honors both the fears and also the purpose of the elder - to pass on the wisdom and the faith to the next generation:
אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים לִמַּדְתַּ֥נִי מִנְּעוּרָ֑י וְעַד־הֵ֝֗נָּה אַגִּ֥יד נִפְלְאוֹתֶֽיךָ׃ וְגַ֤ם עַד־זִקְנָ֨ה ׀ וְשֵׂיבָה֮ אֱלֹהים אַֽל־תַּ֫עַזְבֵ֥נִי עַד־אַגִּ֣יד זְרוֹעֲךָ֣ לְד֑וֹר לְאל־יָ֝ב֗וֹא גְּבוּרָתֶֽךָ׃
You have taught me, God, from my youth;
until now I have proclaimed Your wondrous deeds,
and even in old age, as I turn gray, do not forsake me, God,
until I proclaim Your strength to the next generation,
Your mighty acts, to all who are to come.”
Ps. 71:17-18
In our contemporary culture there is increased awareness and respect for the revered role of the elder, for the need for guidance on how to gracefully age and mentor those younger. There’s depth in the words we are reading today, echoing the different sides of being older, giving us the gifts and tools to make sure none are left behind and all life stages are supported, held and honored.
Yakov Azriel reflects on today’s psalm with this poetic rendition:
“When I am old, Eternal Lord, when I
Am old and cannot see, when I am old
And cannot see Your sky, when I am cold
And cannot feel Your fire, but fear I die —
When I am old, Eternal Lord, and lie
With arms I can't unfold, when I am told
My bloodstream has run dry, when all I hold
Are bundled dreams, whose knots I can't untie —
When I am old, Eternal Lord, my years
Disfigured by my errors and mistakes —
When I am old with songs that were not sung,
With vows I never kept, with unsaid prayers —
When I am old — I hear Your flute, which takes
Me by surprise, and suddenly, I'm young.”
The flute, like David’s harp, take us by the hand, to dance together, all ages, all stages, one long psalm. Coming up tomorrow is another nod to David’s story, and what it’s like to hand over legacy from one generation to the next, like a song, with love.
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