Tag Archives: honor

The Fifth Commandment – Honor Your Father and Mother

05 Friday Apr 2019

Posted by in Sound Doctrine

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“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12).

It has been said many times that when one considers the Ten Commandments, it is not long before one notices the “geometric” approach taken by the Lord. In other words, the first four commands have a vertical approach to life, that is, in relationship to God, and the last 6 commands are focused on a horizontal approach, that is in relationship to one’s neighbor. Take note how this compares with the words of Jesus in Matthew 22:34-40, when Jesus said the two great commands are to love God with all of one’s being and to love one’s neighbor as one loves (takes care of) self.

The family is the basic community-unit of society. To break it down further, the basic unit of society is the individual, but the single person connects with one of the opposite sex in marriage (not otherwise) and forms the family. The dictionary defines a family as a “group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head” (dictionary, p. 660). Though not a narrowly defined matter, it is a starting point for a conversation to begin. There are two perspectives to consider when seeking how one should understand the word “family.” First, the perspective of God; second, the perspective of the community as set forth by man. From God’s perspective, the family is established in matrimony. From this family comes children. The following words teaches us where it all begins:

And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof: and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed (Gen. 2:21-25, ASV).  

With children coming forth from the mother and father, the parents are to instruct their children in God’s way. From the Lord’s perspective, if the children refused to submit the authority of the parents, there was severe punishment forthcoming. From parents comes wisdom that helps the youth to get along in life much better than if they did not have instructions in wisdom. If children are thieves, the Holy Spirit speaks of them as worthless (Proverbs 28:24). The negative qualities that are in children currently (perhaps) and in those who have grown up exist because, in part, parents have failed the children in upbringing. The children will learn if the parents compel it; the children will adjust to the correction if the punishment has meat to it, so to speak. As a parent, you are not your child’s best friend, you’re are a parent, a role of authority and responsibility. Whatever may be said about a “best friend” application in the rearing years of the child, the primary role of a parent is to nurture, teach, and correct so the child will be productive in his/her adult years, but more importantly, so the child will walk in the Lord’s ways. Parents are to be understanding of the children and they are to discipline as required (Proverbs 13:24; 23:13). As much as possible parents should stay away from, “Do as I say, not as I do.”

There is no way a child can honor parents when the chosen life to live is contrary to the guidance of their parents, just like there is no way to honor God when people choose to live life contrary to His holy way.

What it means to honor your parents then? The English word “honor” conveys the idea of respect, deference, esteem and give precedence to them over others. This is best understood by asking the question, “Do we honor the Lord?” We do this not only because of who He is but also on account of His love. To honor one’s parent/parents is to respect, defer, esteem and give precedence to them over others as one would do so to the Lord. Some parent/child relationships are scarred from earlier years, thus there may not be a direct emotional connection between the two. As much as is in you (those struggling with this), honor your parents because you want to please the Lord.

How do you honor someone who d/n deserve it? An admitted difficulty. Perhaps along this line we can make an application. It’s not the particular people and their behavior (past or current), but the fact you have life. To the degree that you can honor parenting, even when your parents failed you, to that degree you might be able to make sense of what should have been done even though it was not. It’s hard to respect and honor people who live in rebellion to God; nevertheless, because of your love and devotion to the Almighty, honor Him and what He says.

How does a person show any love or honor to parents who abandoned him? How does God show love toward one who not only spit on Jesus, but nailed the pegs into His flesh and watched as He writhed in agony?

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

27 Sunday May 2018

Posted by in Bulletin Article

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This is Memorial Day weekend, the day following being Memorial Day. A lot of folk on the Memorial Day Monday go to cemeteries and pay respect to the deceased, those who have fallen in service to our country; in my view this is appropriate. Others have different approaches. Whether one is engaged in this or that approach, the memory and/or reflection given to what some gave up for each of us (our liberty) is still done.

I am not sympathetic to pacifists. I respect their way of thinking and will defer to them in many areas of life (similar to that which I do in relation to others), but I am not sympathetic to people who regard pacifism as a higher moral ground than one who is not a pacifist. I am not a pacifist and will never be one. You come into my house uninvited and at an hour when you have no good reason to be there, then I will react strongly, even violently. I will protect that which the Lord has given me, or die making the effort.

I am reminded of these things for two reasons: first, the weekend upon on; second, the book by Dwight D Eisenhower “Crusade in Europe.” He tells of the pitiful state of the U.S. Military just before the Second War (1939-1945), how unprepared we as a country was for the pending war. We were not a pacifist country at the time, but the general trend of thinking was for us not to be engaged in a war in another part of the world. We were not pacifist, but we acted as if we were. The Great War (WW-I) was so destructive of many things, people had no stomach for anything similar, so it is readily and easily understood why many in our country were overly reluctant to be involved in another war. Because we were and because we adopted a “don’t-spend-to-modernize-the-military,” our capability to fight off an attack was woefully lacking and any ability to help the ones engaged in defending their own home was similar.

Because not all in society were pacifists (some few were), when the time came to call men to honor, that is, defend their homeland and the innocent lives of others, in short order millions signed up ready to take up arms and millions more enrolled to support those who did. No one in the world was as capable as our country to do such a thing as we did.

Yes, on this occasion, pacifist ideology respected, I think it is proper to honor those who served our country, and even those who serve in today’s military. More than that, however. I think it is proper to honor all those who serve our country and our community in service-oriented work and I have especially in mind with these words our law-enforcement community (LE). So many disrespect them because of a victimhood mentality, a distorted view of how life should be and how it currently is. The LE must take up arms to defend and protect the innocent, and I can do nothing but respect the vocation.

Not to be out-shone at all, but to be elevated to the highest pedestal available are those who take up the armor of God. In its own right, a far greater battle in which each is engaged (cf. 1 Peter 2:11). When one takes up the armor of God, he (she) can no longer take up his personal way of thinking and engage an enemy; instead, one must take up a new way of thinking and engage the enemy within (cf. Gal. 2:20). Satan is a mighty powerful foe, a foe so strong there is no chance we will be victorious if we engage him on our own terms. In fact, Satan desires that we think we can. He never loses!

There were many who did not fail the Lord; instead, they took up the arms of faith and engaged the adversary of man, coming out victorious. Their victory was not in material or fleshly terms. The Holy Spirit giving us exhortations that we should pattern ourselves after the faith they lived (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Consider Joseph for a moment. A young man who, evidently, thought more of himself in an area or two than he should have, was a favorite of his father Jacob, but had brothers stand opposed to him strongly. Due to experiences in life he was taught powerful lessons, but he suffered greatly. In the many years of separation from his family, perhaps he thought initially that he did nothing wrong. He had to learn to lean upon something. He chose to lean upon the Lord. Unbeknownst to Joseph, the Lord had plans to use him in greater service to a larger group of people. Joseph learned this much later in life, and when he did, he looked upon the deeds of his and his brother’s experiences much differently than, perhaps, he thought he would—certainly not as harshly as his brothers thought he would.

Saints like Joseph, Abraham, Deborah, Esther, Paul, Peter, all living in dissimilar circumstances, but who took up the armor of God. On this Memorial Day weekend, let us remember those who serve the Lord, and those who serve and have served this country. RT