Fifth Commandment – Honor Your Mother and Father
Exodus 20: 12 “Honor your father and
your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which
the Lord your God is giving you.
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GOD spoke to Moses and the children of Israel, giving them
the Ten Commandments. The first four were about how to have a healthy
relationship with GOD. HIS next
commandment was about having a healthy relationship with parents.
My Observations:
- Honor
means to hold in the highest esteem.
- GOD
seems to be addressing a value system that should include more than self.
- GOD
does not leave HIMSELF out; rather, HE mentions longevity in the promised
land that HE was about to give them.
Up until now, I thought this verse was about long life. That
is because I would read the verse and stopped reading at “Your days may be long.”
I threw away the part that GOD was concerned with. GOD wants peace.
When GOD cursed the earth and destroyed the garden of Eden,
humans began to fight one another for territory. Physical and passive fights
broke out over the tiniest parcel of land that would produce food. Some people
would take their parents land, similarly to the Egyptians stealing their
animals. The Egyptian culture of stealing was being addressed by GOD.
The promised land seemed to be the closest thing to the
garden of Eden. Food would grow in abundance. There would be plenty to eat so
no one needed to despise their parents, to inherit their sliver of land. The
children of Israel could have their own
part of the promised land.
GOD was establishing peace on earth in families so that HE
would fulfill HIS prophecy of making Abraham a great nation. Through mothers and
fathers, JESUS would eventually be born. GOD wants harmonious families and HE
promises longevity in the promised land.
Challenge
- Why
does GOD remind Moses about the commandment to honor parents?
- What
is GOD saying to you about your part in making a harmonious family?
- What
purpose is GOD giving you in spreading peace and harmony?
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