The Fifth Commandment

“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12

The straightforward application of this commandment is to obey whatever your parents (or guardians) tell you to do (Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20). But what if your parents are leading you away from the will of God? If your parents are leading you in direct opposition to the will of God, the will of God stands supreme. Jesus said: “He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me”. This does not negate our need to respect our parents. It is possible to respectfully disagree with parents and guardians as it relates to direct commands from God. God sees and knows our varied situations and when we bring them to Him, He has a thousand was to fix the situation when we can’t see one (DA 330.1).

The reality is parents were given instructions by God in how to raise children (Deuteronomy 6:7; 11:19). Parents are to teach their children primarily of the truths of God and His law. This is to be the priority in parent-child interactions, whether at work or at play. In training up children, parents are not to ‘provoke their children to anger’ but encourage and nurture them (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21). However, even if parents fail in this, we have the Bible and a willing Heavenly Father who will guide us to right behaviour.

So, how does this apply when we are older and independent of our parents? The mindset of many in western cultures is that ‘as soon as I am 18-years old I can do what I want’. This does not align with scripture. The way we choose to live our lives should also show respect to our parents. We, in one form or another bare our parents’ name and features. If we go into the world and live lives that reflect poorly on our parents this is a great dishonour. In ancient Israelite society God gave clear instructions how stubborn, wanton, disrespectful children were to be punished (Deuteronomy 21:18-21).

What about when our parents begin to age? Jesus spoke to this as well when chastising the Jews about a selfish practice they used to neglect their ageing parents (Mark 7:9-13). Most of our parents have retirement accounts and are reasonably self-sufficient; however, age happens to us all and no amount of finances can supplement that. As adult children it is our duty to care for our parents as they get older, make sure they are not driving past their ability, be a companion if they are widowed, be a general reliable support to them in life.

Children love your parents because this is the will of God and He has promised the greatest blessing for it. (Ephesians 6:1-3)

In love

Honour Within the Family

A Sermon in Shoes

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