“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”  (Exodus 20:12)

GOD’S LAW OF LOVE

First, Yeshua (Jesus Christ) declared that the Greatest Commandment was to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

Then He added, “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:39-40)

LOVE GOD

The first four commandments are about loving our heavenly Father, the LORD Our Creator.

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

The last six commandments concern other people.  If obeyed,  they will help to keep us from doing evil toward our neighbor.

By keeping these last six commandments about other people, we also display our love for God, because Yeshua said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)

HONOR YOUR PARENTS

Honoring our parents is at the top of the list of the commandments that deal with other people.

God wants a mother and father to “train up a child in the way he should go.” (Proverbs 22:6)

They provide for children’s earthly needs such as food, clothing and shelter. They should also provide education, Scriptural guidance, and discipline. For this care, they are to be honored.

What does it mean to honor your parents? It means that you are to be respectful of them. Your tone of voice should always be respectful. You should never talk back to your parents rudely. That is very dishonoring to them!

OBEY YOUR PARENTS

Obeying your parents is a way to show respect.

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘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.’” (Ephesians 6:1-3)

PROVIDING FOR YOUR PARENTS NEEDS

“Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.” (Proverbs 23:22)

When children are young, parents care for them, but when children grow and their parents age, the children may in turn be providing for their parents’ needs!  This, too, is honoring your parents.

When Yeshua lived on earth, He severely rebuked some of the Jewish priests for not taking care of their parents in their old age. Yeshua said they were making God’s Law, which is a Law of Love, of no effect by their man-made traditions. (Sometimes traditions in churches are not always from God! That’s why it’s very important to read and know the Bible for yourself!)

These priests were saying they didn’t have to help their poor parents because they were giving the money to God instead! They thought themselves to be very good and upright, but they did not understand the heart of God! God wants us to help one another.

He said,
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his deed.” (Proverbs 19:17)

These priests gave their extra money to the temple (which maybe, in reality, benefited themselves since they were priests there), yet they would not even help their own parents! Yeshua rebuked them, telling them that their hearts were far from the heart of God! (Matthew 15:5-8)

When parents get older or sick, often they cannot work. It is God’s plan for the children when they grow up to somehow help their elderly or sickly parents.

But you don’t have to wait years to help your parents! It is honoring to parents to help them NOW.   Granny Vee’s grown children help her now, especially with advice on technology!   My son helps me with the technical stuff on this website.   Thank you!

So don’t wait to help your parents!  Your parents will be very pleased if you offer to help them with the dishes or pull the weeds or do some chores around the house.  And your Father in heaven will be pleased with you as well!

Shalom!