Paul makes a promise in Ephesians 6:2: “Honor your father and mother” as the first commandment. so that you can enjoy a long life on earth and that it will go well with you.” The covenantal promise to occupy the land God had prepared for them had already been fulfilled when Paul wrote these words. Therefore, why did Paul repeat it? Why is it crucial for believers in the New Testament to keep this in mind?
Jesus is the protagonist of the entire Old Testament. The whole Bible points to Him, and as His chosen and adopted people, we anticipate His return promise.
“Fathers, do not exasperate your children,” says Ephesians 6:4. instead, raise them in the Lord’s training and instruction. We are to give God all the glory instead of satisfying our desire for authority and respect. A stark reminder that we are also first and foremost His is the fact that our children are first and foremost His.
Who is expected to bestow honors?
Any one of us cannot be exempt from this command. Caretakers have adopted us into their lives, even for those of us who have never met our biological parents. We respect them. We all look up to those who did the best they could and came before us. Whether or not you believe, God’s eternal plan includes our obedience to honor our parents.
Whether we are kids or grown-ups, we are to respect our folks. The fundamental lessons of discipline and obedience teach children to respect their parents, which eventually develops into respect as we are able to observe and experience their wisdom. In the end, we pay them respect out of love and trust, remembering how, in a very fallen world, they have provided for us to the best of their abilities throughout our lives. Honors them to choose to see the best in them even after their time here on earth is up.
Why ought we to respect our parents?
Truths that God wants us to pay close attention to are repeated. Because God places a high value on the command to honor our parents, we must keep it in our hearts. Because of its significance, the relationship with our parents is the first one mentioned in the Ten Commandments, and it is the only one that comes with a blessing from God. We frequently question “why?” God is not afraid of our questions, and I believe that when we struggle to comprehend the reason why we are required to respect our parents, whether we are young or old, we can take the burden to God with the assurance that He comprehends the difficulties we face in carrying out this command. He always responds to our requests for assistance.
When your parents are abusing you, are you supposed to show respect for them?
“Most of us have a complaint or two about our parents”: “None were perfect, and many carry scars from their childhood.” We learn to trust God to ultimately defend and protect us by obeying His command to honor our parents. We can choose to honor our parents even though they may not be perfect, trusting that our Almighty God has placed us in their care for a reason. He never makes a mistake.
In our fallen world, a significant number of us will persevere through feelings of grief and treachery because of the very individuals that we should respect and trust. God absolutely forbids us from remaining in abusive situations. When we are harmed by injustice, his heart of compassion aches for us. We should do everything in our power to get out of life-threatening situations and help others who are caught in the crossfire as well.
Humanity has sunk. According to God’s Word, the world is engaged in a conflict between good and evil that we cannot see with the naked eye. We honor our parents by allowing our just God, who defends and protects us with mercy and compassion, to take responsibility for their actions. We are told by God that if we honor our parents, He will bless us.