The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God. The last five deal with our relationship with each other. This commandment ties them together. I call the first commandments the vertical commandments because they point toward God, and the last five the horizontal commandments - so it makes the shape of a cross. This commandment binds them together.
Exodus 20: 12 (NIV): Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
You can see how this commandment is both a vertical and horizontal commandment: we honor God by honoring our parents. I can't believe someone truly honors God if he doesn't honor his parents. God didn't say we have to like our parents, just honor them. How do we do this?
First, show them respect. We may not agree with all of their decisions, but most parents truly love their children and honestly want what's best for them. But even when they make mistakes, their position as parents demands our respect. If they ask us to do something against God, we must refuse - but we do so with respect and we continue to honor them.
Second, we honor them by our actions. We don't want to embarrass or disappoint them. We want to bring praise to their names by our own behavior.
Third, Paul said we honor them by being obedient to them. (Ephesians 6: 1 - 3). Paul points out that this is the first commandment with a promise attached - living long in the land God is giving. Paul knew that Israel would not prosper as a nation if the family wasn't strong. History says Rome fell because the family broke down and America is heading in that direction. That's what this commandment is all about - keeping the family strong. God created the family and it must function in order for society to succeed. Everyone in the family must do his part - and the children's part is to honor their parents.
Opinion
July 1, 2012
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