TG II Lsn 6

Lesson 6

“Elders” have had their place in the structure of society since the early history of man. It is interesting to examine the evolution of their role from the beginning until the time the Lord instructed His Apostles to appoint elders and to establish the office of elders in the Church.

What characteristics made a man (in the early history of man) an elder?

He was older.

He had experienced life.

He had wisdom.

He had understanding.

We learn in various places in the Old Testament qualities that were valued in elders. In the passages below, we read that they had wisdom, understanding, strength, counsel, understanding, and discernment:

1. Wisdom is with ____ men, and with length of days, __________ . With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding. (Job 12:12-13)

2.He leads princesaway plundered, and overthrows the mighty.
He deprives the trusted ones of speech, and takes away the _________ of the elders. He pours contempt on princes, and disarms the mighty. (Job 12:19-21)

3. Thought question: What qualities can you think of that a society would possess who regarded their elders highly? What characteristics would distinguish a society that rebelled against it’s elders?

4. Can you think of a specific time when an Israelite King regarded the advice of the youth over the counsel of elders? What was the outcome?

The position of “elders” was not unique amongst God’s children. Perhaps all societies had elder men who were sought out and honored for their wisdom and counsel.

We find evidence of this as early as the time of Joseph.

Joseph was in Egypt and he was made ruler over everyone in the King’s house and he was over all the king’s possessions. He had the power:

5. To bind (the king’s) princes at his pleasure, And teach his elders ______. (Psalm 105:22)

How interesting it is that the young man, Joseph, was given the responsibility of teaching the elders wisdom. It was obvious to the king that Joseph was a man of wisdom. His wisdom had come from God. The king wanted this wisdom imparted to his elders so that his people and nation would benefit from their counsel. I would say that he was a wise king.

Therefore we learn from this passage that Egypt had men in their social structure called “elders” who were expected to be filled with wisdom.

Below is another passage where it was evident that Egypt had men in their social structure recognized because they were “elders”:

6. So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the ______ of his house, and all the _______ of the land of Egypt, (Genesis 50:7)

The place of elders amongst God’s people has been prominent throughout history. Let us take a look at the evolution of the role of “elders” throughout the Old Testament until the time elders were installed by the Apostles in the early church:

Elders were chosen to lead the people in the observing the Passover and other animal sacrifice:

7. Then Moses called for ___ ____ ______ of Israel and said to them, "Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. (Exodus 12:21)

8. And the elders of the ____________ shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the LORD. Then the bull shall be killed before the LORD. (Leviticus 4:15)

Elders were often singled out from amongst the people and given a visible position right along side of Moses:

9. And the LORD said to Moses, "Go on before the______ , and take with you some of the _______ of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. (Exodus 17:5)

10. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the _____ of the ______ of Israel. (Exodus 17:6)

11. Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, a burnt offering and other sacrifices to offer to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to _____ _______ with Moses' father-in-law before God. (Exodus 18:12)

12. So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and _____ ______ ______ all these words which the LORD commanded him. Exodus 19:7

13. So the LORD said to Moses: "Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the ______ of the people and ______ over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. Numbers 11:16

14. "So it was, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the ______ of your tribes and your______ . (Deuteronomy 5:23)

The Law of Moses was given, and the role of elders was spelled out in the Law:

15. "If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the ______ of his______ , to the gate of his city. (Deuteronomy 21:18-19)

16. And they shall say to the elders of his city, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard. Then all the men of his city shall _____ him to ______ with_______ ; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear. (Deuteronomy 21:20-21)

17. Then the father and mother of the young woman shall take and bring out the evidence of the _____ _____ _______ to the elders of the city at the gate. (Deuteronomy 22:15)

18. But if the man does not want to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate to the elders, and say, "My husband's brother________ to raise up a name to his brother in Israel; he will not perform the _____ of my husband's brother.' (Deuteronomy 25:7)

Along with a specified role for elders came a need for a place that was recognized by the people as a place to meet with the elders in order to receive their counsel and judgment. The most convenient place in the Jewish cities was at the city gate:

19. And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, "We are _______ . The LORD make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. (Ruth 4:11)

We read this verse before, but this time when you read it, notice the presence of the elders at the city gate:

20. But if the man does not want to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the _____ to the elders, and say, "My husband's brother refuses to raise up a name to his brother in Israel; he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.' (Deuteronomy 25:7)

21. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the _______ of the land. (Proverbs 31:23)

22. The elders have ceased _________ at the gate, And the young men from their music. (Lamentations 5:14)

Then a dark time came in Jewish history. The elders were no longer respected:

23. The face of the LORD scattered them; He no longer regards them. The people do not respect the priests nor show _____ to the elders. (Lamentations 4:16)

24. Princes were hung up by their hands, And elders were not __________ . Lamentations 5:12

The elders stopped gathering at the gate:

25. The elders have _______ gathering at the gate, And the young men from their music. (Lamentations 5:14)

A nation without the wisdom of it’s elders is indeed at peril:

26. Disaster will come upon disaster, And rumor will be upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet; But the law will perish from the priest, And _________ from the elders. (Ezekiel 7:26)

Much time passes and the elders reclaimed a position of authority. They honored themselves more than they did God. They became more like political leaders than spiritual ones. When Christ was born, this was the façade of elders. Gone was the wisdom and understanding that set them apart. They bound their own traditions on the people.

27. "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the ______? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." (Matthew 15:2)

Jesus did not mince words. He condemned their practice of following the tradition of men instead of God:

28. He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the __________ ___ ____ because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, "Honor your father and your mother'; and, "He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death. (Matt.15:3-4)

29. But you say, "Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God"-- then he need not honor his father or mother. Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your _______. (Matt.15:5-6)

30. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their ____, but their ______ is far from Me. (Matt.15:7-8)

31. And in _______ they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. (Matt.15:9)

Jesus did not endear himself to the unrighteous elders with his plain, honest, truthful talk. Being God, He knew exactly what was on their minds:

32. From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and ________ many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. (Matthew 16:21)

Judas, one of Christ’s apostles, plotted with the elders and chief priests to put Christ to death:

33. And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with ______ and _____ , came from the chief priests and elders of the people. (Matthew 26:47)

The elders along with other leaders sought out dishonest folks willing to give false testimony against Jesus as their plot to kill Jesus developed:

34. Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought ______ _______ against Jesus to put Him to death (Matthew 26:59)

The elders were responsible for persuading the crowd to release Barabbas instead of Jesus:

35. But the chief priests and elders _________ the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. (Matthew 27:20)

The wicked elders were successful in their plot. Our Lord was crucified. However they did not have power to keep Him the grave. Christ arose from the dead just as He said He would. His church began and His apostles actively were teaching others about the risen Christ and His church. This did not set well with the elders and they wanted to put Peter and John in prison:

36. ...Being ______ ________ that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. (Acts 4:2-4)

37. And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, "By what _____ or by what ______ have you done this?" (Acts 4:5-7)

Asking Peter and John by what “power or name have you done this” did not caused them to become quiet and subdued. Instead they boldly proclaimed the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

38. Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and _________ of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,... (Acts 4:8-9)

39. Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the ______ of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. (Acts 4:10)

40. This is the "stone which was _________ by you builders, which has become the ______ cornerstone. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:11-12)

The elders and other rulers knew their goose was cooked. They could not deny the truth about Christ. Yet their hearts were too hard to admit the truth:

41. Now when they saw the _______ of Peter and John, and perceived that they were _________ and ________ men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. ¹⁴And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. (Acts 4:13-14)

42. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, "What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a ________ miracle has been done through them is ________ to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. (Acts 4:15-16)

43. But so that it ________ no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name." (Acts 4:17)

44. So they called them and commanded them not to ______ at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but _______ the things which we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:18-20)

45. So when they had further ________ them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all __________ God for what had been done... (Acts 4:21)

The number of disciples began to grow rapidly in spite of the efforts of the Jewish elders to squash the movement.

46. And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many _______ enter the kingdom of God." (Acts 14:21-22)

Although wicked men had hijacked the role of elders over God’s people and turned it into a self-serving bureaucracy, God knew that there was a necessary place for elder’s in the kingdom of His Son. His envisioned the role as it was filled earlier days in Israel, when elders sat at the gate and imparted wisdom and judgment to His people. Thus the Holy Spirit guided Paul and Barnabus to appoint elders in the church:

47. So when they had ________ _________ in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. (Acts 14:23)

Note: “Elders”, “Bishops”, “Pastors”, “Shepherds”, and “Overseers” are descriptive names referring to the same position of authority within the church.

Please list the qualifications of NT elders (bishops, pastors, shepherds) as they are found in the following passages:

48. 1 Timothy 3:1-7

49. Titus 1:5-9

50. Please list the duties of elders towards the congregation as listed in 1 Peter 5:1-4,Titus 1:8-9:

51. What attitude is the elder to have towards his position of leadership? See 1 Peter 5:1-4:

52. What attitudes and responsibilities does the congregation have towards the elders? See 1 Peter 5: 5; 1 Tim.5:17-19

Please give the meaning of the following:

53. Bishop

54. Elder

55. Shepherd

56. Pastor

57. Overseer

Show Appreciation for Godly Elders

How blessed is the congregation who has sound, godly elders! If you are so blessed, please honor them, obey them and let them know often how much you appreciate them. Congregations without godly elders are vulnerable to takeover by all sorts of wicked men hungry for power or eager to spread around false doctrine.

Pray for young Christian mothers who are training and teaching sons and daughters today, that they will do their job well so that the church will be protected and guaranteed godly leadership in the future.

There is a dearth of godly leadership in the church today and we are suffering profoundly because of it. It is too late to prepare men who will be godly elders today. Preparation begins when a child is born and takes many, many years.

This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. (1 Tim. 3:1)