the Fifth Commandment: “Honor your father and your mother: that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God gives you” (Exodus 20:12).
1. What does it mean to “honor” your mother and father?
To honor our parents is to esteem them, show them respect, and obey them. The New Testament instructs children to “obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1) and “obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing to the Lord” (Colossians 3:20). Are children to obey only the things they want to, or that sound reasonable to them? No
2. Should someone always have to honor his mother, even if, for example, she’s a prostitute?
Yes- in order to please the Lord, they are to obey “in all things.” That doesn’t mean their parents will always make wise decisions or treat their children as they should, but God will hold the parents accountable for their own actions. Regardless of the parents’ parenting skills, the children are to obey—that is their role for which God will hold them accountable.
3. Why is it so important for children to obey this Commandment?
Why is this so important? Since children are naturally sinful, they need to be instructed in the ways of the Lord; parents must “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6). Proverbs 29:15,17 warns, “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself brings his mother to shame...Correct your son, and he shall give you rest; yes, he shall give delight unto your soul.” One who will not submit to the authority of his parents, who are God’s agents to train and discipline him, is very unlikely to submit to God’s authority and obey God’s Laws.
4. When witnessing, why is it important to go through the Commandments that deal with the sins of the flesh before mentioning this one?
In witnessing, you will encounter some who will contend that they have kept this Commandment and have perfectly honored their parents. They therefore need to be confronted with the sins of the flesh first before they are confronted with this Commandment. Again, the lawful use of the Law is to show us how far we have fallen short of God’s perfect standard. The Law brings the knowledge of sin. The best of us haven’t honored our parents as we should. However, Have they lied? Have they stolen? Almost everyone will admit to lying and stealing; therefore, they have dishonored their parents’ name by being a lying thief.
Memory Verse
“Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”
PSALM 34:14,15
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