Honor Your Father and Mother -- Matt 15:4

“Honour thy father and thy mother, as Jehovah thy God hath commanded thee, so that thy days are prolonged, and so that it is well with thee, on the ground which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee.” – Deut: 5:16 [YLT]

NOTE: This is lengthy and intense. Please take your time to review it.

Theme

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live a long time in the land that Jehovah your God is giving you.” – Ex 20:12

When does this expire? Literally when parents are no longer living. However, parents who have died can still be honored by sharing those positive examples set by your folks that impressed you. Also, expressing gratitude if your parents provided you with a good family life, a comfortable home, support in areas needed and food that satisfied your needs all exemplary to your kids and grandkids. Not every child will have a gourmet cook, nor meals that are always perfectly balanced for health as a normal routine memory. But if your family provided for you in ways most of your piers could identify as normal routine then your parents indeed are deserving of gratitude. Expressing that gratitude, though your parents are no longer present to hear your praise, still helps your children to understand and imitate gratitude and of course honor.

How does this prepare a child? First and foremost, teaching and living honor towards one’s parents then serves as the basis for honoring their Heavenly Father (Matt 6:14) [GOD ALMIGHTY] who they cannot see and their Everlasting Father, Christ Jesus (Isa 9:6). It also prepares each generation to pass on such sage to subsequent generations thus continuing the concept and actions of honor. Thusly, benefits in obedience [remember: Honor parents is the first commandment with a promise] will allow them to live eternally with GOD.

How are we to do this considering today’s youth? Looking at the current culture it would seem a goodly number of young ones from birth through adolescents and teen years are not being taught to ‘honor’ by just about anyone let alone their parents. In fact, many parents are trying hard to teach their kids ‘parents just do not have all the answers’ undermining the natural need for kids to look up to their parents as a trusted source of knowledge and experience. Also, some public schools have usurped the parental authority by diminishing parent value through comments like: they’re antiquated where computer skills are concerned, lacking knowledge about academia all the while supplanting loyalty to their parents with loyalty to themselves as teachers. The federal government has proposed plans --in some cases already instituted – to care for kids who make it to live birth from cradle to grave. In many situations outright stealing oversight of kids from their parents in just about all situations. It is as if the youth of today are the ‘possessions’ of the government at a federal, state and local level and parents merely provide room and board for the after-school hours. The various governments allow a stipend for the parents care of their ‘wards’ via tax deductions.  Of course, the foregoing paragraph is distilled and is not equally applicable across the board because some states and local governments i.e., school districts, have not adopted all the ‘oversight’ other municipalities and states have to date.

So? Back to the question: How are we to teach our youth ‘honor’ with diminishing family autonomy?

For Christian families it is simple: “⁴ “Hear, O Israel:  The Lord our God, the Lord is one! ⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. ⁶ “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” – Deuteronomy 6:4-9

This particular family practice is an all-inclusive immersive experience for little ones. It begins at birth learning to understand who GOD is -- in and to their lives; learning structure is beneficial; early on learning the concept of honor be it to their Creator, their parents, their elders, their peers, their family members and yes to the whole of creation.

While this practice was initiated back some 3400 years ago, it has not lost practicality and value throughout the nearly three and half millennia. There are families all around the world who practice this ‘immersive experience’ daily and who mostly see awesome results. In fact, one does not have to necessarily use the Bible to see how families in many cultures still manage to rear their young ones to honor, respect and revere their family members, their elders, and the human race in general. How much more then should the Christian never acquiesce this investment in their children to secure their eternal salvation. If you do not or have not engaged your family in the practice of teaching your young ones such things that would bring them to understand ‘honor’ it is a blessing to organize, implement and secure the family’s corporate attention to this end.

What exactly does it mean to ‘honor’? The Dictionary defines honor: “to regard or treat (someone) with admiration and respect : to regard or treat with honor” and “ to give special recognition to : to confer honor on”. [Merriam-Webster] However, now let’s look at the ‘Biblical’ definitions.

The difference between ‘honor’ in the Hebrew language and in the Greek.

The Hebrew word in this instance means “to be heavy”. There is no doubt that during the times this commandment was issued and for millennia thereafter the responsibility to ‘honor’ one’s parents was no easy task. Yet, we all understand that while we were incapable of helping ourselves as infants and through our early adolescence, they too shouldered the responsibility which at times was a heavy task. It’s the circle of life. This is how we honor our Creator -- who lovingly provided ‘family’ life to secure those innate needs of each family member at a time when they could not help themselves – lacking certitude in their full independence.

The Greek word means ‘to have in honor, to revere, venerate’ according to Strong’s.

Merriam’s Dictionary defines ‘venerate’ “to regard with reverential respect or with admiring deference “. There is little room to ‘wonder’ what it means to honor our parents when reading this definition. In summation, while it can be a heavy responsibility no matter the age no matter the circumstances regarding our parents with reverential respect is still our GODly joy .

Linking Old and New

The link between the Old [Hebrew] and New [Greek] Testaments regarding the Commandment to Honor the Father and Mother

“For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’” – Matt 15:4 ß New Testament

 “And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” – Ex 21:17

“‘If there is any man who curses his father or his mother, he should be put to death without fail. Since he has cursed his father or his mother, his own blood is upon him.” – Lev 20:9 ß Old Testament

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: ³ “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” -- Eph 6:1-3  ß New Testament

“Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.” – Col 3:20  ß New Testament

The Link between Obedience/disobedience to the Command

Because Bible studying/reading Christians anticipate certain prophetic realities they are not surprised to see in the western culture an utter break down in family life and family values. Because western culture has been groomed for many decades to put one’s self first, to go for what makes you happy, to just ‘do it’ regardless the consequences, and because the focus is on ‘me’ there is no room to show deference to anyone else, least wise our parents, or worse even, to GOD their very CREATOR. The Christian church is not immune from any of the culture attitudes. The contagion of ‘me-ism’ permeates the culture and it takes great discipline and personal integrity to focus on honoring others rather than one’s self. Yet, we cannot deny the realities of the epoch decades of continual degradation of the sense of ‘others’ before ‘self’ as it manifests itself in literally death dealing fashion.

Check out the prophetic words below and understand this is not a comprehensive analysis published in some white paper form nor is it a collection of headlines from various news sources. In fact, it was written approximately two thousand years ago to provide a bit of insight to Bible readers what they may witness when the ‘last days’, or, as Jesus’ disciples referenced in their query of HIM for ‘sign of HIS coming, AND of the end of the world’. If we look at #1 below, there is a natural flow of one component into the next. Within the ‘me-ism’ or ‘’the lovers of themselves’ we find symptoms of that love and the ‘natural’ flow to its inevitable end. Included are those who manifest a ‘form of godliness’ but deny its power. Now you can read that two ways…they have a veneer of godliness but when you look at it there is nothing there; or, their form of godliness when trying to attribute or define it they quickly refer to the “Universe” or ‘some higher power’ or ‘self/their personal spiritual feelings’ but are loathe to refer to the GOD of the Bible. Either way, it is definitely part of the perilous times and loving themselves.  #2 below, perhaps the most alarming here in the USA: …’many will be offended, will betray one another and will hate one another’. Is this not in full unabashed display in every form of communication in the USA? Scary still, is what will eventually transpire…’because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.’ Lastly, #3 below, there is no one immune to the peril, even intimate family members will rise up and cause another family member their death.

IF YOU DO NOT NOW TEACH YOUR CHILDREN GOD’S WORD ABOUT HONOR then it is altogether likely that both you and your family will be statistically likely to witness the abysmal reality of life after GOD is removed as the unifying source of civility.   

Prophetic statements for a specific era

1.      “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, ⁴ traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! “– 2 Tim 3:1-5

2.     ““Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. ¹⁰ And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. ¹¹ Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. ¹² And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” – Matt 24:9-12

3.     “Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.” – Mark 13:12

How Parents must set the example

“Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.” – Col 3:21

Strong’s defines Provoke: ‘to stir up, excite, stimulate, to provoke’

“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” – eph 6:4

          Here it specifically advises a father not to ‘incite to anger’ in his children but to train and counsel their children based on admonition of the Lord.

“He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” – Matt 18:2-5

 Summing it all up, no matter the generation, be it young ones towards their parents, parents towards they own parents/elders, or all ages towards our Heavenly Father, HONOR, is due. Reverence is due. Can it feel heavy at times? Of course. But, as we are made in the image of our GOD, in LOVE, then we accept the challenges of honor and we can at times, privately smile knowing that as we show honor to others we honor HIM.  Parents understand all too well how it feels when their children willingly do things for the good of others ahead of themselves. Bear in mind, that while the dominant focus in this article is children honoring their parents, we did touch on how vital it is for parents to lead by example in showing honor. One place everyone is called to honor both Jesus and the ‘little ones’ is in what Jesus wants the believer to be like and how HE wants all to treat the ‘little ones’. In faithful observance of this request we honor both Jesus and HIS ‘little ones’ as well.†

©Lightwritingmatters 2015

 Bibles Designations

ASV -- American Standard Version

KJV – King James Version

NIV – New International Version

NWT – New World Translation

YLT – Young’s Literal Translation

 DISCLAIMER: The thoughts published on this blog, in total, are the opinions, thoughts and considerations of the writer/author of every post published. It is assumed that research by the reader will lead the reader to their own conclusions. It is not the writer’s intent to make a judgment of anyone but to allow GOD’s Word to do what it does. “For the word of GOD is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from GOD’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” – Hebrews 4:12 [NIV]

©Lightwritingmatters 2015