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Lamentations 4:16 "The Lord himself has scattered them, he will regard them no more; no honor was shown to the priests, no favor to the elders."

 

Do I show honor and favor to priests and elders? My first reaction in asking myself this question is to think "Of course! I hold many priests and elders in high regard. And I certainly don't dishonor any priests or disfavor my elders." But the standard is not to favor some and be neutral to others. And, to be honest, there are some priests and elders that I could be said to dishonor or disfavor, in my heart at least, ones who I think are clearly wrong, or are leading us astray.

 

The standard God sets is to honor and favor our priests and elders. He does not say "if you agree with them" nor "if they are doing what you think they should".  And simply not dishonoring them is not good enough. Honor and favor are due to our priests and elders, full stop.

 

I do not know the hearts and minds of those with whom I disagree. I don't know their relationship with God. But I know He loves them, and I know they have made sacrifices for Him, sacrifices that have benefited me whether I acknowledge it or not. So even if I do not agree with them, I owe them honor and favor. If they are wrong about something, it is up to God to set them right. If I only grant honor and favor to those with whom I agree, I am actually honoring and favoring myself, and risk losing God's regard.