“Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you,
so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 5:16
While the other commandments seem obvious – love God,
don’t kill or steal or commit adultery – honoring parents seems different. It’s more relational than the final six which
focus more on breaking earthly laws and committing hardcore sins. It’s one of the few “do” commands, not a “do
not” command.
Honoring parents has to do with authority and the importance
of the family unit. If that breaks down,
God sees all kinds of sins tumble down with it.
Respecting authority begins in the home.
Honoring means loving your parents, respecting them, showing them that
they deserve attention.
God asks us to call him father and we don’t respect
fathers, we won’t respect him.