Commandment Five Series

Honor thy father and thy mother Exodus 20:1-12

Back in 1976 when they first opened the CN tower in Toronto; Herb and two of his friends decided they’d go to the top and really see the city. One of his friends was from Moncton and the other was from Amherst. Well, after they got to the top and looked around for a while; they got kind of bored and the guy from Moncton said, “I’ll bet you guys I can drop my watch and run all the way down the stairs; and catch it before it hits the ground.” And then the guy from Amherst said, “If you think you can do it, I’ll do it too.” And then Herb said, “Why don’t you guys go first; and then I’ll show you how it’s done.”

So, the guy from Moncton dropped his watch and he started running down the stairs and he got about half way down when he heard his watch hit the ground and break in a million pieces. Then the guy from Amherst dropped his; and he started running and he was really fast but he only got a little bit farther than the guy from Moncton; and then he heard his watch smash on the ground.

Well, Herb casually took his watch off and dropped it over the side and then he started walking down the stairs like he was in no hurry. As a matter of fact, he got about halfway down and decided to sit down and have a rest. And then after a few minutes, he got up and started down again; taking his time and enjoying the walk. As he came out the door at the bottom he saw his two friends and said hello; then he held out his hand and caught his watch. Well, the other two were absolutely amazed and they said, “How on earth did you do that?” And Herb said, “My watch has always been about a half an hour slow.”

“And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make

unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”

The last verse here deals with the father and mother and there are some things that dad’s the world over have been known for saying and if you’re not a father but someday hope to be one, you should pay close attention because they go like this.

“Don’t ask me, ask your mother. Close the door; were you raised in a barn? Don’t worry; it’s only blood. A little dirt never hurt anyone; just wipe it off. This will hurt me a lot more than it’s going to hurt you. Do I look like I am made out of money? No, we’re not there yet. As long as you live under my roof, you’ll live by my rules. I’ll tell you why; because I said so, that’s why. Do you think I’m just talking to hear my own voice. Two wrongs don’t make a right. What did I just get finished telling you? Don’t make me stop this car! What part of “no” don’t you understand? If you’re gonna be that dumb, you better get tough. And then, the all time favorite is: You keep that up and I’ll give you something to cry about.”