"Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother."
Mark 10:19
Part 4
Yesterday:
“Do not bear false witness,”
“Defraud not,”
These are sins of words, deeds, and thoughts toward our neighbors.
Today:
“Honour thy father and mother.”
The fifth commandment:
“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee” (Exodus 20:12).
These imperative words, “honor thy father and (thy) mother” can be found in at least eight places in the Word of God.
Jesus’ believed these timeless words are essential, for He used them five times in the Gospels (Matthew 15:4; 19:19; Mark 7:10; 10:19; Luke 18:20).
In the Old Testament (Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 15:16), the meaning of the Hebrew word for honor is translated as “to be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honorable, be glorious, be burdensome, be honored.”1 At first glance, this might not make sense to us as English speakers until we realize that important people are sometimes called “heavyweights.” God is the greatest “heavyweight” there is. As God’s representatives in our lives, our parents are to be considered very important people to us. They are to be honored by us for their words are weighty. They,
“are to be honored and feared; reverence is to be shown to them with heart, mouth, and hand – in thought, word, and deed.”2
We are to see our parents not only as the “authors and preservers” of our physical life, but the “founders, protectors, and promoters” of our spiritual life.3 That is a tremendous duty, and they are to be honored for who they are, our parents.
The New Testament word used for honor means “to estimate, fix the value, for the value of something belonging to one’s self, to honor, to have in honor, to revere, venerate”4 (Thayer). Our parents are to be considered as valuable to us, they are significant, we hold them in high estimation.
Paul said it this way,
“Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:2-3).
This, the fifth command of the Ten Commandments, is the one that has a promise attached to it. There is the general statement that for those who treat their fathers and mothers in a prescribed way, there is “long life” for them (See Deuteronomy 15:16).
When we grow up, leave home, and start our new families, our obedience to our parents ends. Although our “honoring” our parents does not end. God put them in the position as our parents, and we will honor them for this.
1. “Honor” from the Hebrew kâbad, kâbêd. Brown, Driver, Briggs. Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.
2. Keil & Delitzsch, Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament, the electronic version in eSword.
3. See Keil & Delitzsch on Exodus 20:12.
4. “Honor” from the Greek word timaō, J.H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.