Honor Your Parents

Honor Your Parents Exodus 20:12 Context • God thunders His ten words/commands from Sinai with sights and sounds that terrify the people of Israel. • Many theologians understand this command as the bridge between the two “tables.” • The Fifth Command: 1. Second of two positive commands 2. First Command with a Promise (Ephesians 6:2) 3. Command with the broadest Biblical Application • Today’s Plan: (1) The Basic Meaning (2) Biblical Expansion (3) Positive Examples Basic Meaning 1. Honor as a Weight • • • • • Used 24x in Exodus alone Weighty/Heavy – 9:18; 17:12 Thick/Substantial – 19:16 Wealth/Abundance – 12:38 Renown – 14:4 2. Honoring People • • Pay handsomely – Numbers 22:37 Value Over – 1 Samuel 2:30-31 3. Bible Example – 1 Samuel 15:30 Basic Meaning 4. Honoring both Dad and Mom 5. The Promise: • • • Addresses the fundamental task of nation building in the years to come Strong sense of cause and effect Deuteronomy 5:16 expands on the promise – “that it may go well with you.” Biblical Expansion 1. God expects us to honor authority figures: • • Spiritual Leaders – 2 Kings 2:12 (Elijah); Judges 5:7 (Deborah); Hebrews 13:17 (leaders who watch over our souls) Government: the Emperor (1 Peter 2:17); governing authorities (Romans 13:1) 2. God expects us to honor extended family: • • Adoptive Parents: Jesus was submissive to Joseph (Luke 2:51); Esther was submissive to Mordecai (Esther 2:7) In-Laws: Moses honored Jethro (Exodus 18:7); Ruth honored Naomi (Ruth 1:14ff) 3. God expects children to obey parents: Ephesians 6:1-3 Positive Examples 1. Joseph honors Jacob (Genesis 45-47) 2. The Rechabites and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 35, especially 35:15-19) 3. Isaac and Abraham (Genesis 22) 4. Jesus and God (John 8:49)