The 5th Commandment
God spoke the 10 Commandments aloud to the thousands of Israelites gathered at the base of Mount Sinai. When He finished speaking, He added “nothing more. Then He wrote them on two stone tablets” and gave them to Moses [Deuteronomy 5:22]. Why nothing more? Because those Ten Commandments are the only laws needed by mankind to develop a perfect society.
Jesus said, “all the law and prophets hang” on two Commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “love your neighbor as yourself” [Matthew 37-40]. Those two perfectly encapsulate the Ten Commandments.
The first 4 define our relationship with God; the other 6 define our relationship with each other.
Jesus went further and showed how the Commandments, when fully understood, touch every aspect of our lives. He showed us that hate is the equivalent of murder; lust is the equivalent of committing adultery and each of the Commandments expand likewise to cover every aspect of our lives.
The Ten Commandments are recorded in the Book of Exodus, chapter 20, verses 2 – 17 and Deuteronomy 5:1–22.
Here is the 5th Commandment (once again, there is a slight difference in wording but no conflict between Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16 and the KJV and NIV agree):
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12 (NIV84)
16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you. Deuteronomy 5:16 (NIV84)
The Hebrew word kabad (pronounced kaw-`bad) translated as “honor” means “to give glory” and “to make rich” with a sense of heaviness or weight. That is, it’s not a light thing but deeply and abundantly felt and is intended to “burden” the children because they give so much honor.
This is not just “liking” or not even just “loving” your parents. It is, in fact, a Commandment from God to make your father and mother the most revered people in your life. Only God is more important in your life – especially early in your life – than your parents.
Just as God gives us our breath and life, our parents pass life to us.
It is through children that their parents become “one flesh” [Genesis 2:24]. Paul called it “a profound mystery” [Ephesians 5:31-32] and before science discovered DNA and how human ova are fertilized by sperm to make a baby, it was indeed a mystery. It remains almost miraculous, how children inherit the “flesh” of their parents.
Do you want a long life on this earth? Obey the 5th Commandment and you have a promise – not specific, of course, but in relation to how long your life would be without that promise.
The apostle Paul called it “the first Commandment with a promise” [Ephesians 6:1-3]. It is, in fact, the only Commandment that makes a promise.
Our culture today offers virtually the opposite behavior and mind-set. Children are not taught to respect their parents, much less to “honor” them. Some parents seem to be more interested in becoming “friends” with their children that teaching them about God and teaching them the importance of respecting, understanding and honoring that parental relationship.
Children who are not taught to honor their parents seldom honor anyone for any significant length of time. This is why our public schools are so raucous with teachers and administrators (who are not respected) having so little control over the classrooms that they struggle to teach many of their students anything at all.
The children have no respect for community leaders, mayors, aldermen, judges, policemen, local senators and representatives or those elected to national office and especially no respect for the President of our country – regardless the President or party affiliation.
Our children honor celebrities, sports heroes, music “stars” but seldom their parents.
It is our fault, of course, because our culture has forgotten that producing children also should be accompanied with the responsibility of teaching them about God, about right and wrong and about respecting others in general.
It’s not too late!
Some of you are young enough to learn the Commandments before you produce children. If you already have children, you can begin to make up the deficit you caused by not obeying the Ten Commandments yourself.
If you’re a grandparent, help your children (if they’ll let you) and you might be surprised at how effective showing love and consideration to your grandchildren and finding ways to teach them yourself.
God will help you, if you ask Him with all your heart and have faith.
