“Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.” PSALM 34:14,15Today we are going to look at the Fifth Commandment: “Honor your father and your mother: that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God gives you” (Exodus 20:12).
This Commandment is unique, because it is “the first commandment with promise” (Ephesians 6:2). To honor our parents is to esteem them, show them respect, and obey them. The New Testament instructs children to “obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1) and “obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing to the Lord” (Colossians 3:20). Are children to obey only the things they want to, or that sound reasonable to them? No; in order to please the Lord, they are to obey “in all things.” That doesn’t mean their parents will always make wise decisions or treat their children as they should, but God will hold the parents accountable for their own actions. Regardless of the parents’ parenting skills, the children are to obey—that is their role for which God will hold them accountable.
Again, the lawful use of the Law is to show us how far we have fallen short of God’s perfect standard. The Law brings the knowledge of sin. The best of us haven’t honored our parents as we should.
This devotion was excerpted from The School Of Biblical Evangelism
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2 comments:
This seems prety clear as far as when we are children. But what about when we are grown and living on our own. How do we honor our parents then? For example, I am 31 years old...yet my Father still has the view that I should agree with him on everything and that I should do as he says b/c he is still my Father. Where are the lines drawn as far as honor & respect v. dishonor & disrespect for an adult?
There is nothing in Scripture that says we are relieved, at a certain age, of our biblical obligation to honor our parents. Likewise, there is nothing in Scripture that says children of any age should must agree with everything their parents say.
There is no line "drawn [in Scripture] as far as honor & respect v. dishonor & disrespect for an adult." We are called to honor our parents throughout our lives and throughout their lives.
A child is obligated to obey his or her parents whether or not they agree with their parents. An adult is obligated to "respectfully" disagree with his or her parents, when such situations arise.
Remember, honor and dishonor is determined by God, not simply by the sinful, fallible, inherently selfish people involved in any given situation. When we dishonor our parents, we sin against God. When we honor our parents we glorify God.
As adults we honor our parents by living lives that bring honor and glory to God. We try to live lives that are free from lying, stealing, adultery, murder in the heart (hatred of others), blasphemy, coveting, idolatry, putting God before all else in our lives, and, yes, honoring our parents.
When faced with the decision to honor (or obey) our parents wishes or to obey the Word and the will of God, we must always defer to God. In such situations, we must honor God while maintaining respect and love for our parents.
Honoring our parents does not translate to keeping our parents happy. For instance, if our parents are unhappy with our decision to honor, obey, and follow the Lord Jesus Christ, then we must accept their unhappiness while maintaining our love and respect for them--hoping that they will likewise repent and, by faith, follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
I hope this helps.
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