The Ten Commandments - # 5
Honor Your Parents
Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
I. What Did This Mean to Them?
A. The position of parents in Old Testament Hebrew culture.
1. Nelson Bible Dictionary = The father commanded a high position in the family of Old Testament times; his word was law. In addition, the Hebrew word translated "husband" actually meant "lord", "master", "owner", or "possessor".
a. Gen 18:12 - So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?"
b. I Pet 3:5.6 - For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master.
2. Because of this position, shared to some degree with his wife, a man was expected to be treated as royalty by the rest of his family.
B. What did "honor" mean?
1. Honor (כָּבַד) = to make heavy, to make honorable, glorify.
2. It implied respect. Lev 19:3, 32 - Each of you must respect his mother and father ... Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God.
3. Not complaining or speaking harshly to them. (Is 45:10). I Tim 5:1-2 - Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
4. Providing financial support. I Tim 5:4 - But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.
5. Obedience.
a. Prov 6:20 - My son, keep your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
b. Eph 6:1 - Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
c. Col 3:20 - Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
6. Listening to their advice. Prov 23:22 - Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
C. What are the results of giving, or not giving, honor to your parents?
1. Rewards - You will have a long life on the earth. Eph 6:2 - "Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise — "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."
2. Punishment.
a. Children would be cursed (Deut 27:16).
b. God will put your lights out. Prov 20:20 - If a man curses his father or mother, his lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.
3. Death.
a. Deut 21:18-21 - If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. They shall say to the elders, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard." Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid.
b. Matt 15:4 - For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.

D. Examples of honoring your parents.
1. David protected his parents. I Sam 22:3 - From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, "Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?"
2. Solomon showed great respect for his mother. I Kgs 2:19 - When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king's mother, and she sat down at his right hand.
3. Lord Jesus was obedient & cared for His parents.
a. Lk 2:51 - Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.
b. Jn 19:25.26 - Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son,"
II. What Should This Mean to You?
A. Honoring your parents doesn't stop when you leave home!
1. Sometimes teens are so anxious to get away from mom & dad that they run away from home. Bitterness & resentment persists on both sides.
2. The Oath of Korban.
a. Matt 15:4.6 - Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, `Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' he is not to 'honor his father' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
b. READ THE OATH OF KORBAN
c. So - Lord Jesus was talking to adult children who were not supporting their parents financially when they were in need!
B. What can you give to your parents to show that you honor them?
1. Your financial support when they need it.
2. Your time. Initiate phone calls on a routine basis.
3. Your listening ear. Many seniors simply need a listening ear genuinely interested in what they have to say.
4. Your respect & obedience.
a. James Dobson: It's amazing how much your parents have learned from the time you were 13 until you were 25!
b. Go out of your way to obey their wishes as much as you can.
5. Write a tribute to them!
http://biblelifemessages.org/