Honor Him, Honor Them

Introduction

Exodus 20:12 ESV

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Exodus 20:12 ESV

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

like the person climbing steps:

1st commandment/step - This is who I am

Next step, This is my priority in your life

Next step, This is how you show Me holy to the rest of creation.

Show my name respect

set the Sabbath apart

Next steps, this is how you relate to others

Honor your father and your mother

God does things orderly. Creation reflects that order

God gave structure to creation and to the systems in creation

God created the family and made it the basis for human society.

All everything else flows out of the family

other relationships

cultural norms

laws

business - healthcare

This command doesn’t just mean

Our honor of one reflects our honor of the other

It began with building our relationship with God

How we respect God influences how we respect our parents and others

“Remember who we are”

The same Hebrew word is used for both honoring God and honoring our parents.

This command has a broader implication then just our own immediate family.

We learn and grow from their experience

We gain experience and wisdom from our “seasoned citizens.”

My work as a Chaplain allows me to meet many “seasoned citizens” and I have found great wisdom and insight in conversation with them.

That brings us to the next big idea

Our honor for Parents reflects our honor for all people.

What starts close to home spreads out to the rest of society.

Our society doesn’t reflect God’s intention in the matter of honoring our parents.

1 Timothy 5:1 ESV

Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers,

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James 1:27 ESV

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Ephesians 6:2–3 ESV

“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

There is a societal implication in this.

How we treat the young and the old will determine how long we last as a society.

The value we place on the ones at the beginning and ending of life reflects how much we value all life.

Honor has its blessings.

Synopsis

Old age is generally held in honour and the aged in society are to be respected. Because of the wisdom associated with their advancing years elders had an important role of authority and guidance in Israelite society and the NT speaks of the leadership of elders within the church.

Respect for the aged

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(ESV) — 32 “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

(ESV) — 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

See also ; ; ;

(ESV) — 8 the young men saw me and withdrew, and the aged rose and stood;

(ESV) — 31 Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

(ESV) — 29 The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.

(ESV) — 1 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers,

Respect for parents

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(ESV) — 3 Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.

(ESV) — 22 Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

See also ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

(ESV) — 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

(ESV) — 17 “Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.

(ESV) — 9 For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.

(ESV) — 16 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

(ESV) — 17 The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures.

(ESV) — 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’

(ESV) — 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

(ESV) — 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Old age is associated with wisdom

Deferring to the wisdom of the aged

(ESV) — 6 And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said: “I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you. 7 I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.’

See also Rehoboam rejected the advice of elders and rebellion ensued; ; ; Paul refers to his age to add authority to his words.

(ESV) — 6 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” 7 And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” 8 But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.

(ESV) — 12 Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.

(ESV) — 10 Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, older than your father.

(ESV) — 9 yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—

Learning from the previous generation

(ESV) — 18 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.

See also ;

(ESV) — 8 “For inquire, please, of bygone ages, and consider what the fathers have searched out.

(ESV) — 25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 26 He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.

Old age does not necessarily bring superior wisdom

(ESV) — 13 Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice.

See also ;

(ESV) — 9 It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right.

(ESV) — 22 to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom.

Showing disrespect for the elderly is a sign of evil days

(ESV) — 5 And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable.

See also ; ; ;

(ESV) — 50 a hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young.

(ESV) — 1 “But now they laugh at me, men who are younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.

(ESV) — 6 I was angry with my people; I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand; you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy.

(ESV) — 12 Princes are hung up by their hands; no respect is shown to the elders.

The role and status of elders

Elders of non-Israelite nations

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(ESV) — 7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,

(ESV) — 7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak’s message.

Elders in Israel

Israel’s elders were probably the heads of families, qualified to lead by virtue of age and experience:

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(ESV) — 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17 and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’ 18 And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’

(ESV) — 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. 30 Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

(ESV) — 7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him.

The number of elders is reduced to 70 who are anointed by the Spirit for leadership alongside Moses.

(ESV) — 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.

Town elders were responsible for apprehending murderers and settling matrimonial disputes:

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(ESV) — 11 “But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die.

(ESV) — 15 then the father of the young woman and her mother shall take and bring out the evidence of her virginity to the elders of the city in the gate. 16 And the father of the young woman shall say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man to marry, and he hates her; 17 and behold, he has accused her of misconduct, saying, “I did not find in your daughter evidence of virginity.” And yet this is the evidence of my daughter’s virginity.’ And they shall spread the cloak before the elders of the city. 18 Then the elders of that city shall take the man and whip him,

(ESV) — 7 And if the man does not wish to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to perpetuate his brother’s name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’

Israel’s elders accept David as king; Jewish elders were among those who tried Jesus Christ. By NT times they had become involved with religious as well as civil affairs and their title related more to their role than to age.

(ESV) — 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.

(ESV) — 57 Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.

Elders in the church

(ESV) — 17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

See also ; ; ;

(ESV) — 1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

(ESV) — 5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

(ESV) — 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

(ESV) — 1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;

God as the “Ancient of Days”

God as one “advanced in years”

This description of God as the “Ancient of Days” implies that he possesses the respectability, authority and wisdom to judge that accompanies age. It also points to his eternity.

(ESV) — 9 “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.

See also ; ;

(ESV) — 13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

(ESV) — 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.

(ESV) — 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire,

The eternity of God

(ESV) — 7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice,

See also ; ; ;

(ESV) — 10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.

(ESV) — 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

(ESV) — 4 Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he.

(ESV) — 6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Our honor for Parents reflects our own value.

Our honor for Parents reflects our own value.

This is the only command with blessing attached to it.

This is the only command with blessing attached to it.

The more respect and honor that we have for our parents the more value we put in the rest of God’s commandments and the consequence of that is God’s blessings.

Proverbs 16:31 ESV

Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

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Proverbs 3:1–2 ESV

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.

For the Christian the honor of God and our parents is a result of our honor of Christ

To honor God is to honor Christ

John 5:23 ESV

that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

To honor Christ means that we have a relationship with Him .........