Background
Exodus 20:12 KJV
Honour thy Father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Matthew 15:3-7 KJV
“But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; and honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,”
Good morning Beloved, if you type in a google search on verses concerning honor for parents, there are many verses you would come across. You may then ask why is honor for parents so significant, is it merely for a blessing? In our present day, the youth go to the extreme seeking the deep things of God but have no regard for basic principles. Let’s dive into the Word…
From our first scripture of study, we can define the chapter as the first time God delivers His principles for the Israelites(the ten commandments). However, this command goes on further in different parts of the new testament and behind every command, the promise of a blessing follows. Honor or obedience toward parents is not an impetus to climb up the ladder of success. This principle is not to be downplayed as merely an incentive for men to receive the blessing that follow but for our very own good. The principles of obedience is to instill the fear of God and to open up the portals of wisdom as a key to life. As written in Proverbs 6:20-23 KJV, “my son, keep thy father’s commandment, And forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, And tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; When thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:”
The second important aspect of honor for parents is this. Obedience and honor for parents is a symbol of submission to divine authority. Everything divine finds reality through men, if not supernaturally. Hebrews 12:9-10 KJV “Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.” Now the verse as stated is not to ignore the authority of our earthly descent but that through regard for their training, we build character and stamina in being obedient to God. Young people today have more regard for preachers than their parents at home. They tend to think honor towards preachers replaces honor for their parents. Jesus in Mathew 15:3-7 teaches us that such is hypocrisy. You cannot dishonor your parents as an excuse to please God. As young as we are, many have wonderful gifts and manifestations of the Spirit, but our spirituality is not measured in how we manifest but how we please our Father in heaven through submission to His principles. God is Spirit, He dwells in the temples of men, but we show our love and regard for Him when we submit to our earthly descents. The punishment of death was assigned to anyone who disregarded this principle( Mark 7:10), showing the severity of God’s command towards His children.
The final thing is this. According to Jeremiah 35:18-19 KJV, Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you: therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me forever.” Your regard for your earthly parents makes you the perfect candidate of representation before God. Your spirituality is measured in the simplicity of your physical manifestation in moral principles. So then beloved honor your parents in the Lord for this is right. Regarding men is also a symbol of regard towards God.