Today my message is entitled “Honor Your Father and Mother.” This is from the Sunday School material being used right now. We are looking at each of these commandments in a series of sermons and Sunday School lessons. Parents and children will be looking at the same subject each week.
Last week we discussed the 4th commandment in a message titled “Set aside a special day for God.” Now we are going to discuss “Honor Your Father and Mother.”
Exodus 20:12 NIV
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
Honor – prize highly, care for, show respect for, obey. 1
Leviticus 19:3 NIV
3 “‘Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.
This verse connects last week’s message with today’s. Both are talking about honoring – first we honor God and then our parents.
In the Old Testament times we find family respect and honor.
For their own good, children were expected to respect their parents and pay attention to their teaching and advice… The happiness of parents and children are bound up with one another. And reverence for God is the starting point. 2
The portion of verse 12 that states “live long in the land” refers to the Israelites’ potential time to spend in the promised land. It also refers to length of life that a person could have by honoring God and parents. The reason for this is at that time there were tough consequences for not honoring or obeying either God or parents.
In the books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus, we find the severity of punishment for disobedience.
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 NIV
18 If someone has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him,
19 his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town.
20 They shall say to the elders, “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.”
21 Then all the men of his town are to stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid.
Leviticus 20:9 NIV
9 “If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, and his blood will be on his own head.
Are you not glad that Jesus came to earth to take on the punishment for all our sin, even disobedience to our parents!
Disobedience still has consequences. We alienate ourselves from our parents through disobedience, we cause much grief for all in our lack of honor for our parents. I am not saying that we must obey an abusive parent! When our parents fail to do their part of this life of love, the consequences can be harsh.
Let’s look at what the Apostle Paul writes about this commandment in the books of Ephesians and Colossians.
Ephesians 6:1-3 NIV
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise”
3 “ that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
Colossians 3:18-21 NIV
18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
I think the reason why Paul wrote these verses in this order was he pointed out the hardest thing for each to do. Wives submit to a person who loves them and is gentle with them. Children obey the person who cares for them and shows that same care for their spouses.
God’s plan for mankind is simple – love God, love each other and care enough to put the others first. When our parents honor God and each other, we kids will see that and have a better chance of learning to love God, our parents and each other. It kind of flows down the line – just like God planned for it to do.
Lawrence O. Richards, in his book “The Bible Reader’s Companion,” gives us this thought:
Parents are God’s instruments in a child’s life, to meet his or her physical needs, and to introduce the child to God’s ways. 3
What a way to look at this commandment. God uses parents to teach and model to children so they will grow up doing the same thing.
So, kids (of all ages), go honor God, honor your parents for the things they do right (and forgive them for the wrong they do), and show your children how to live the way God wanted you to.
Even those who did not have parents that modeled God’s way of living can be models to their children. It has to begin somewhere – why not you!
Let’s Pray!
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