Honor Your Parents Series

Ten Words to Live By: Honor Parents

Exodus 20: 12

Patter Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

8-25-2025

My Mother Jayne

Maxine and I love to watch documentaries and this week we watched an extraordinary one entitled “My Mother, Jayne.” This doc was produced by Mariska Hargitay, the actress that plays Olivia Benson on Law and Order: SVU.

Her mother was actress Jayne Mansfield who died when Mariska was three years old. She has no memories of her mother and admitted that she was embarrassed to be the daughter of a Playboy pinup with bleached-blonde hair who embodied the “dumb-blonde” role, had multiple children by multiple husbands, had affairs, and was known for flashing camera men.

By the end of the documentary, you learn that Jayne had an estimated IQ of 165, spoke five languages fluently, was a concert-level pianist and violinist, and desired to be taken seriously as an actress.

Maxine and I both agreed that the documentary was an incredible example of the fifth commandment in action. Mariska honored her mother’s memory, without downplaying her failures, and we both may have shed a tear or two at the end.

Review

We continue our series called, “Ten Words to Live By.” We know them as the “The Ten Commandments” although that name is never used in the Bible.

In Hebrew, this top ten list is known as the “Ten Words,” or Decalogue, and we find them in Exodus 20.

Pastor John Miller reminds us of three reasons the ten words were given:

* God is holy

* Man is sinful and we need a Savior

* Shows us how to live

They are less rules about what to do and tell us more about who God is to us:

1. One God - God is God.

2. No idols - God is Creator.

3. Revere His Name - God is holy

4. Remember to Rest - God is Rest

5. Honor Parents - God is Father

6. No murder - God is Life

7. No adultery - God is Faithful

8. No stealing - God is a Provider

9. No lying - God is Truth

10. No coveting - God is Sufficient

The first commandment tells us who to worship - “do not have any other gods before you.” We are to worship God exclusively and passionately. The second commandment tells us how God desires to be worshipped.

The first commandment covers idolatry generally. The second hones in on the specific relationship between visible things and the invisible God.

The third commandment calls us to revere His name in our keeping our promises, avoiding using his name flippantly, in our integrity, and by not playing the “God card.”

The fourth commandment reminds us to find our rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

The ten words are divided into two groups. The first four cover our relationship with God. The last six detail our relationship with others.

Jesus was asked by a teacher of the Law what the greatest commandment was and He responded:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

The four commandments are how we love God with all that we are.

The second six commandments are how we love our neighbor has ourselves.

Commandment five is the foundation of the ones that follow - no murder, no adultery, no stealing, no lying, no coveting.

Please turn with me to Exodus 20:12.

Prayer

Honor Where Honor is Due

“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)

The word that we translate “honor” is “kabod” which means glory or weighty. It has the idea of “carrying a burden” or “taking weight from one side of something to balance the load.”

We are called to give weight to our parent’s position and recognize their God-given authority over us. We are called to respect, esteem, and value their hard-won wisdom.

It is I the present imperative, meaning this is a continual habit. It’s not a suggestion, it’s a command.

Jen Wilken writes,

“Home is the lab where children learn submission to authority.”

Children don’t just learn submission to earthly authority from their parents but also submission to God.

“The first relationship beyond the relationship with God, who according to the Old Testament is the giver of life, is the relationship with father and mother, who together are channels of God’s gift of life. No other human relationship is so fundamental, and none is more important.” - John Durham

It is our responsibility as parents to teach our children to come under authority. Why? Because they will always be under someone’s authority.