Biden & Trump: Too old to be president?

Photo by Sunira Moses on Unsplash

It is a tough call, and not one for me to make on your behalf. You vote as you want to vote.

The question does make me wonder, “What does the Bible says about age?” The answer especially matters because our culture fails to value older generations. We also have the dynamic of some Boomers hanging on, failing to pass the baton of leadership.

Here are some key ideas from the Scriptures:

• Show Respect for the Elderly
  Leviticus 19:32 says, “Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.”

• With Age Comes Wisdom
  Job 12:12 states, “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?”

• Aging Leads to Eternal Life
  2 Corinthians 4:16 says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

• A Time Comes to Pass the Baton of Leadership
  In Deuteronomy 31:7, Moses says to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance.”

• Elder Statesmen are Needed Advisors
  1 Kings 12:6-8: “Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How would you advise me to answer these people?” he asked…But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.” (psst…it didn’t turn out good for ole Rehoboam)

• Boomers: Mentor and Disciple Us
  2 Timothy 2:2, Paul says to Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”

• Recognize Seasons Changes
  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
  There is a time for everything,
  and a season for every activity under the heavens:
  a time to be born and a time to die,
  a time to plant and a time to uproot,
  a time to kill and a time to heal,
  a time to tear down and a time to build,
  a time to weep and a time to laugh,
  a time to mourn and a time to dance,
  a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
  a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
  a time to search and a time to give up,
  a time to keep and a time to throw away,
  a time to tear and a time to mend,
  a time to be silent and a time to speak,
  a time to love and a time to hate,
  a time for war and a time for peace.

What the Scriptures make clear is that age itself is not the disqualifier; wisdom, humility, and the willingness to pass the baton are. Rehoboam had youth on his side and still made a catastrophic decision. Moses led Israel through the wilderness into his final years, yet knew when his season had ended. The Bible does not give us an age limit. It gives us a character test.

Perhaps the better question is not “How old is too old?” but “Is this leader still teachable? Are they still serving, or are they being served?” Proverbs 11:14 says, “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.” The issue is not the number of years a candidate has lived. but whether they have the wisdom to surround themselves with good counsel and the humility to take it.

So as you head to the ballot box, take the full picture with you. Age is one factor among many. Experience, character, vision, and fitness for the moment all belong in the conversation. Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is a season for everything. Our job as citizens, and as people of faith, is to discern which season we are in, and to choose leaders who can meet it.

For whom will you vote in the future, and will age matter? Time will tell.