You shall honor your parents: A rich lesson that requires going beyond the surface
The commandments are so beautifully organized! The first four commandments shows us how to glorify and worship the Creator (Yahuah). The 5th Commandment is a bridge between Yahuah’s commandments and the last five commandments, which are more dedicated to our relationship with other people.
While the relationship we have with our parents has a more earthly aspect to it, there is also a spiritual element that mirrors our respect for the Creator - after all ultimately, Yahuah is our Father.
For You are our Father, though Abraham is ignorant of us and Israel does not recognize us. You, O Yahuah, are our Father, our Redeemer; Your name is from everlasting. (Isaiah 63:16)
What is our parents’ mission in our lives? Proverbs 6:20-23 give us a beautiful description:
My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake the instruction of your mother. Bind them continually upon your heart, and tie them around your neck. When you go, they will lead you; when you sleep, they will keep you; and when you awake, they will speak with you. For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
On the other end, the children's duty is to obey their (righteous) parents and trust them. We will not always know the reason for certain instructions, but we must know they are given for our own good. Adam and Eve disobeyed a strict order from the Father as committed the primordial rebellious act that killed all humanity spiritually.
It's important to differentiate 'honor' from 'love'. Honor requires obedience and respect, even when your love for your parent runs cold for whatever reason. Adam and Eve dishonored Yahuah, but they still loved Him greatly.
What did the Creator mean by 'honor' anyway? Let’s look at the words of the 5th commandment in more detail: The word used here honor comes from the Hebrew word ‘Kabad’. Kabad has the following meanings: Heavy, Grandiose, Important, Glorified. The word used as antonym of honor is ‘Qalah’ which means to degrade.
Deuteronomy has a reputation for being very cruel, but I personally find this book rather insightful and with important bold messages for those willing to give it a chance:
If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have disciplined him, will not listen to them, then his father and his mother are to lay hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. They shall say to the elders of his city, “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not listen to us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.” Then all the men of his city must stone him with stones, until he dies. In this way you are to remove the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear. (Deut. 21:18-21)
As an example of Deuteronomy applied to our reality, a pastor from the Israel United in Christ channel brought a very common case nowadays when rebel and disrespectful youth bring chaos to the home of their parents. Real stories of loving parents that are robbed, even hit by their kids. They come to the pastor for counseling: ‘what can I do? I already tried everything!’ The pastor makes a good point that parents should not allow evil in their homes and should ask rebellious children to leave.
Are our parents on earth always worthy of honor? Let’s say your father asks you to murder someone, should we still honor them with obedience? The short answer is no.
Parents who are worthy of the heaviness of honor are basically the ones who follow the Bible and shine the light of Yahuah. They are the spiritual influence we all need growing up, educating and disciplining us in the principles the Creator gave us.
Once we know that the ‘heavy’ honor should be given as a sign of importance, as we also should do to our heavenly Father, it goes without saying that the parents have to be deserving of honor – like Yahuah certainly is.
An example of commendable disobedience to the father is also in the Bible, when Saul’s son, Jonathan, disobeyed his father’s order to kill David because it was not the right thing to do. In Mark 3:31-35, Yahusha (Jesus) makes the points that blood is not what we should consider here.
‘Then His mother and His brothers came, and standing outside, they sent to Him, calling Him. The crowd sat around Him and said to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are outside asking for You.”
He answered, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” Then He looked around at those who sat around Him and said: “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother, and My sister, and My mother.”
Hopefully, in case you were born in a home with parents who do not guide you in the ways of Yahuah, the Creator will put in your life another person to do the job, it can be your grandparents, or another spiritual father or brother who will make up for what you missed.
However, even if your parents are not righteous and rebel against the Creator, we should still make sure we provide for them when they are not able to work anymore. Because in this case they count as the ‘enemies’ cited in Luke 6:35:
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be the sons of the Highest. For He is kind to the unthankful and the evil.
The enemies in this case are not evil doers invading your house to kill you, they are ultimately the people in your own house/community who don’t fear the Creator.
Why is this Commandment more important now than ever:
The 5th commandment is the best motivation for all parents to grow their children with the wisdom of the Bible so that they can build strong and righteous people easier - also so that they can count on them in the future.
Another point worth mentioning is that as we approach the end times, strife and division will grow in families for those of us who accept Yahusha. And it will be more important than ever to know the difference between right and wrong.
Let's be good sons and daughters, but Yahuah comes first ;)
This post is an adapted translation of this video (in Portuguese)
Photo credit: https://www.learnreligions.com/
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