For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.
The Decalogue so far
- Today we begin the second section of the Decalogue, the man-directed commandments. These six amplify Leviticus 19:18, which Jesus called the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-40).
- Unlike no. 4, which is not repeated in the N.T., no. 5, like all the others, is explicitly restated in the pages of the N.T.
Text
- The 5th commandment -- learn them by number!
- 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.
Comments
- Faithfully married couples form the backbone of society! Yet our culture is slowly self-destructing:
- Media: honoring adulterer, mock the faithful as a "loser."
- Bias in favor of gay couples -- not "honor your father and your father," but "honor your father and your mother."
- Honoring self: in our society, the managed pursuit of pleasure has totally eclipsed the pursuit of holiness.
- Does it mean honor him/her only if he/she is worthy of honor? Honor even if not "worthy" - emperor (1 Peter 2:17).
- And mother
- In the ancient world, which was highly patriarchal and misogynist, the mother was frequently overlooked, or denigrated. Yet in the Bible, both are deserving of honor.
- Genesis 1:27, image. Neither to domineer the other (Ephesians 5:21). Proverbs 31 mother, Proverbs 31 father.
- Leviticus 19:3 - reverse order.
- No gay "marriage." This is an extremely late, modern view, foisted on the 98% of the non-gay world by a vociferous minority blackmailing the rest of us by threats of labeling ("bigot, intolerant") and even legal action ("hate crimes").
- Live long in the land: Several centuries after Mt. Sinai, the Jewish people were expelled from the land, landing in Babylon. The explicit threat (Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28; see also the words about being vomited out of the land in (Leviticus 18:25,28, 20:22) is implied in the 5th commandment.
Putting the command into practice
- Obey them.
- Serve them.
- Remember key days in their lives.
- Don't tolerate or condone any slander directed against them.
- Care for them when they are aged (Matthew 15:1-9).
- Honor their memories - not pretending they were Christians if they weren't, but focusing on the positive, realizing that God used them to advance you to where you are today, and remaining grateful too for gift of life.
- Honor those who function in a parental role in your life. Show true respect to mother- and father-figures in my life: grandfather(s), grandmother(s), coaches, police and other authorities, scoutmasters, church leaders, teachers and professors...
Conclusion
- Just imagine how different society would be if spiritual children obeyed godly fathers and mothers! Where would there be any place for such societal evils as drugs, gangs, rape, indolence, alcoholism, robbery, slander, pornography, murder, deceit?
- The ability to honor one's parents directly relates to our ability to honor God as God, and so this is a deeply spiritual issue.
- This is not a suggestion, but a commandment!
- You may want to listen to my sermon "The Fifth Commandment" (17 June 2012).
