Honor Thy Father And Thy Mother

Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother

Exodus 20:12

Today is Father’s Day, a day in which we honor our earthly fathers. By doing so, we are keeping the fifth commandment just as we do on Mother’s Day. Our parents are worthy of honor and respect. In honoring our parents, we are honoring God as well who established the earthly family unit. This is under attack by the world today who works hard to alter and then destroy the family unit. By doing so, they are fighting against God. The breakdown of the earthly family has led to and will lead to further disaster.

When we look at the commandment, we must place it in the context of the other nine commandments. Yahweh gave them through Moses to Israel at Mt. Sinai. The foundation of the Ten commandments is not law, but grace. They begin with: “I AM the LORD thy God who brought thee out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. The commandments were given that Israel might enjoy the freedom which the LORD had given Israel. It was meant to prevent them from returning to bondage. The detractors of Christianity try to tell us that the Law is bondage, and sin is freedom. This is a total lie. God wants us to know the truth, and this truth liberates us. The one who sins becomes the slave of sin.

The first four commandments deal with Israel’s relationship with Yahweh. The name “Yahweh” is a special covenant name given to Israel. Even though He is Lord over all people, His relationship with Israel was special. If Israel failed to honor Yahweh their God, they would be like everyone else. In other words, they would be in bondage. No other god was to be worshiped. Israel was not to make idols and bow down to them. They must hold the name of Yahweh as holy and honorable. They must remember Him as creator. This was to demonstrated in the Sabbath. This love for the LORD of the Covenant came first.

But Jesus tells us that our love for the Lord leads us to love our neighbor as well. In this, Jesus is quoting Leviticus. So there are commandments in the Law meant to bring harmony to the covenant community as well. Failure to observe these would degrade and destroy the community and bring strife rather than harmony.

When we look at the commandment proper, we notice that is says “Honor your father and your mother.” It does not just say: “Honor your father.” The word “and” seems like such a small word, but it is powerful. It is called a coordinating conjunction. This means that the word or words on each side of the “and” are equal. We are to equally honor our fathers and our mothers. If we follow the King James Version, we see “thy” father and “thy” mother. We don’t speak the Old English any more which distinguishes between the second person singular (thy) and the second person plural (ye). Modern versions use “you” for both singular and plural. But by using the singular “thy” it means that we individually are commanded to give honor to our father and our mother. The idea of individual responsibility is brought out. Even if the world were to disregard the commandment to honor our father and our mother, we are still individually responsible to honor our father and mother, even if they take “Father’s Day” and “Mother’s Day off the holiday schedule, this does not annul God’s word on the matter.

There is a promise attached to the commandment: “that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” The opposite is also true. Failure to honor thy father and thy mother will lessen your days. Note that the singular “thy” again. Also note the word “giveth” here. The land was God’s gift to Israel. They had done nothing to earn this land. It was a gift, and a gracious gift at that. Their ability to enjoy this gift was based upon their observance of the covenant Yahweh made with Israel.

The reflection made on the commandment to observe the Sabbath was to remind Israel that Yahweh was the Creator of heaven and earth. In remembering the commandment to honor our father and our mother also reflects back to the creation of Adam and Eve. They were commanded to be fruitful, have children and fill the earth. The means of procreation was jointly the effort of Adam and Eve who were joined together in covenant. Beyond the act of procreation, the man and the woman were to raise their children. Parenthood passed down to the children who in turn became parents on their own. Each of us owes our existence to a biological male and a biological female. If for no other reason, we should honor our parents for the very fact that they brought us into the world. We cannot dishonor them without dishonoring ourselves.