Speaking the Truth in Love
Love your neighbor as yourself (Part 4)
At the beginning of the study on the Ten Commandments we looked at how Jesus summarized the 10 commandments into two simple commands (Matthew 22:37):
- Love the Lord with all your heart (Commandments 1-4)
- Love your neighbor as yourself (Commandments 5-10)
In the last few Ten Commandment lessons we looked at “Love the Lord with all your heart” by examining the first four commandments. In this lesson we will begin our look at “Love your neighbor as yourself” by studying the 5thcommandment.
“Honor your father and your mother…”
What does this command mean?
- Every (prominent) translation reads the same (thy instead of your in the KJV and ASV)
- Honor: to hold in respect or esteem
God gives insight to why:
Reward:
“…so that you may have a long life in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” (HCSB)
- “If you are learning everything from experience, you’re paying too much”
- Notice the similar result of Deuteronomy 5:16 (retelling of the 5th commandment) and Deuteronomy 5:33;11:8-9
- Conclusion 1: parents are to teach the commandments of the Lord (Proverbs 1:4,4:1, Ephesians 6:4)
- Conclusion 2: Children are to follow the teachings of their parents (Proverbs 1:4,4:1, Ephesians 6:4)
Punishment:
- Exodus 21:15 – Whoever strikes his father or his mother must be put to death.
- Exodus 21:17 – Whoever curses his father or his mother must be put to death. (Leviticus 20:9,Matthew 15:4, Mark 7:10)
- Deuteronomy 21:18-21 – Stone the rebellious child
- Deuteronomy 27:16 – Cursed is the one who dishonors his father or mother.
- Proverbs 20:20 – Whoever curses his father or mother — his lamp will go out in deep darkness.
Examples of Violations:
- “Corban” – Mark 7:9-13
- Eli and his sons – 1 Samuel 2:22-25, 3:11-13
- Noah and the drunk scene – Genesis 9:20-24
- Lot and his daughters – Genesis 19:30-38
- Conclusion: When children do not honor their father and mother, bad consequences result!
Positive Example:
- Joseph – Genesis 45:7-15
- Ruth and Naomi – Ruth 1:15-18, 3:1-5, 4:13-17, Matthew 1:5
- Jesus with his parents – Luke 2:41-52
- Jesus on the cross providing for his mother – John 19:25-27
- God's plan for families – 1 Timothy 5:3-16 (vs. 4, 8, 16)
- Conclusion: When children honor their father and mother, parents are blessed throughout their lives!
Is this command part of the new law?
· No – the Old Testament has passed away (see previous outlines)
· Yes – this command is clearly repeated – Ephesians 6:1-4. Honoring father and mother is a command that lasts a lifetime! If your mom or dad is not a very good person, this command can be a huge challenge. Then we remember 1 Corinthians 10:13.
Conclusion (Personal Application)
- How can we honor our father and mother through every stage of life (ours and theirs)?
- As children we should obey
- As teenagers we should obey and listen to wisdom
- As young adults we should ask for wisdom
- As mature adults we should seek their company and wisdom
- As parents ourselves we should seek their guidance but not have them to do our job
- As they age and are lonely or need help we should see to their needs
- We should correct if in error
- We should share with them the Gospel if they do not know it
- We are always our parent’s child – no time limit
For our next program is called "You Can Be A Priest of the Order of Melchizedek!" Tune in then to see how you can become a member of this saved priesthood! We hope to see you next time on "Speaking The Truth In Love".
