"Honour thy father and thy mother." |
#honourthyparents
The place of the 5th commandment - "Honour thy father and thy mother."
The
brother who led the service this morning read from Romans 13, and exhorted
briefly on "the powers that be ordained of God." He stated and
illustrated the various spheres of authority ordained of God: e.g.
husband-wife, parents-children, civil-citizens, employer-employee,
pastor-flock.
What
attracted my attention were verses 8 and 9, which read:
8
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath
fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill,
Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet;
and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this
saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Observe
these few plain things:
1.
Five of the Ten Commandments are enumerated.
2.
All these five commandments deal with what a man OWES to his fellow man, what a
man owes to another man. Not obeying these commandments towards a fellow man
puts a man indebted to him.
Please
note that the 5th commandment, "Honour thy father and thy mother" is
not one among those commandments a man owes to a fellow man. It does not belong
to the second table of the Ten Commandments which deals with what a man owes to his
fellow man. This commandment belongs to
the first table of the Ten Commandments, which deals with what a man OWES to
the Lord God his Creator.
Apostle
Paul makes a plain and clear distinction in the passage above. He leaves the
5th commandment in its rightful place - "honour thy father and
mother" is not in the category of duty a man owes to a fellow man. It is a
duty owed and done to God Himself. It is a tribute OWES to God. God, by His
sovereign choice and wisdom, appointed your parents for you; and you owe Him the
duty to honour them whom He has chosen to be your parents.
This
should help to restore the place and significance of the 5th Commandment
"Honour thy father and thy mother."
De
5:16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee;
that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land
which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Eph
6:2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with
promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the
earth.