Early Sunday morning, I went for a 3 mile run. I typically run with my dog, who is nine years old and has learned our running route and routine completely through thousands of repetitions. For a change of pace, I decided to take my daughter’s puppy along for the outing. The puppy is about a year old and very difficult to walk because she is quite strong and still has the characteristic puppy distractibility. This means that you spend a lot of your walking time stopping to wait for her to decide to walk or untangling her from the leash. To run the dogs this weekend, I tethered them together and set out. While we were plodding along, I noticed something interesting happening. The puppy was far less distracted than normal. Instead of her normal meandering, she focused on running with the older dog. He, in turn, took fewer breaks and had to work harder to keep pace with his much younger and energetic partner. This reminded me of a concept that ancient Jewish farmers would employ with oxen. If a farmer had a young ox he needed to train to pull a plow, he would yoke it with an older ox. The yoke was generally a heavy wooden device that kept the two animals together and attached to the implement they were pulling. Pairing the two oxen together resulted in the older ox keeping the younger ox in line, essentially teaching them to do the work properly. In turn, the younger ox would apply the strength and vigor of youth to the job at hand, supplementing the older ox’s work.
I found it interesting that the concept of pairing older and younger animals together applies so effectively across species. I also got to thinking about several passages I had been studying in Paul’s letter to a young pastor named Timothy. The letter sets out to teach Timothy how to pastor more effectively. Specifically, he talks to the young man about how to encourage older and younger men and women to live their lives. Essentially, Paul encourages younger people to connect to older folks with wisdom to learn how to live and work. We learn focus, direction, and wisdom from mentors who have developed these skills in the same way oxen taught each other. This doesn’t mean that young people ought to be dismissed or disrespected, as Paul tells Timothy not to allow anyone to look down on him for being young. He also instructs Timothy that older men ought to be treated gently when in error. I think this has to do with recognizing the value of honor in ancient cultures. I also think that younger people tend to be more zealous than their older counterparts. That zeal and energy is a gift that can easily chafe if the pair are not aimed at the same objective.
This is a powerful idea that is falling out of favor in our world. We value youthful enthusiasm to such a degree that we tend to ignore the steadfast wisdom that comes with age and experience. We tend to look for the new, novel, and youthful because they are exciting and intoxicating. However, doing so tends to rob us of the training & experience we need to live. For us, this points to the wisdom of finding older, wiser, more experienced, successful mentors to guide us in life. Conversely, we ought to look for opportunities to impart our wisdom by investing in younger people. If God has given us wisdom, it is our responsibility to share it with those who need guidance.
The “yoke” of these types of relationships doesn’t come natural to us and is out of fashion. It is also a brilliant, effective, and personally rewarding way to live. It is part of how we were designed to live.
