Christian Family Fellowship


Scripture of the Week


James 1:5
(KJV)

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

 
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INL May 10, 2002
SOUNDING OUT:
Honoring Mom

I work hard at showing Ferne my appreciation, and I have tried hard to maintain contact with my mother and keep our relationship sweet. It is nice to have a day of special recognition for our mothers. However, it doesn't have to just be done on the second Sunday in May. We can do it any time, and see the profit of God's exhortation to honor our mothers and fathers.

Ephesians 6:1 is frequently one of the first memorization verses we teach our children. However, we frequently stop short in not requiring them to also learn and live verses 2 and 3.

Ephesians 6:1-3:
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
That it may be well with thee [individually], and thou mayest live long on the earth.

"For this is right!" Thank God for mothers who dare to instill in their children the difference between right and wrong. Obedience is right. Honoring our fathers and mothers is the first commandment with promise. This is a reference to the fifth of the "Ten Commandments." I love David Letterman's Top Ten lists. They are usually pretty funny. However, the original top ten list came down the mountain with Moses.

The Ten Commandments deal with boundaries in two relationships. They outlined the primary obligations of the Children of Israel to God and to one another. The first commandment in the second category orders us to honor our parents. This command comes before "thou shalt not kill," and is the first commandment regarding our relationships with other people. It comes with promise. The promise is listed in Exodus 20:12.

Exodus 20:12:
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy [collectively as a nation] days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

This commandment was placed first in the second category because honoring parents is about strong families and strong families are of crucial importance to the welfare of any people. Strong, respectful, loving families are the bedrock strength of any society, and they produce strong, respectful, loving children. When the Children of Israel honored their parents, God promised their days would be long so they could enjoy the inheritance God provided for them.

In the same way, I think our enjoyment of our spiritual heritage will be enhanced and enjoyed longer as we similarly honor our parents. When the Children of Israel left Egypt, they left slavery. They were now free and needed to learn the meaning of self-respect, healthy pride, and honor. Moses wasn't talking about simply obeying parental orders. He was talking about something much deeper, living in a way that brought honor to parents... living in a way that might give them a reason to feel proud. Of course, obedience is part of this, but it is obedience born of respect and obligation, not legalism. It should be an obedience born out of the strength of the relationship, not a prescribed regimen.

When the Pharisees "jumped" Jesus for allowing his disciples to break the tradition of the elders, Jesus "jumped" them for not honoring father and mother. The traditions of the elders were supposedly developed to help people fulfill their obligations to God and others. However, over the years, the traditions became more important than the basic values they originally represented. The laws became more important than the people they were designed to profit and bless. So Jesus attacks the Pharisees for substituting their lifeless traditions for the life-giving power of God's Word.

In Part I of LIGP hour #4, John handles Matthew 15:1-11 where Jesus confronts the Pharisees about how they hold fast and promote their tradition when it stood in direct opposition to God's Word. He got pretty excited about it if I remember right, and rightly so. Jesus certainly took issue with the Pharisees regarding it. "Honoring" mother and father is a big deal to God, and it should be to us also.

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