Title: Obey your parents
Contents
obey your parents
Genesis 22:3-7
In Ephesians 6:1, the Bible says, “Be obedient to your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Among the characters in the Bible, Isaac was the son of obedience. Isaac, who climbed Mount Moriah with his father Abraham, shows what true obedience and filial piety are.
1. Isaac followed his father.
God told him to take his only son Isaac and go to the land of Moriah to offer him as a burnt offering. It is a command that is difficult to understand from a father's point of view. But Abraham obeyed, got up early in the morning, loaded the wood for the burnt offering, and set off. And he gets up early in the morning and his son goes out with him. The father goes along with the son. Isaac silently follows his father. No matter what he wants, he silently follows the path that the Father is going, the path of obedience to God. Filial piety is following what pleases God. Imitating the beliefs of my parents, putting them first and following them.
In the book of Ruth, Naomi tells her in-laws to return to her parents' home after her two sons have died. But Ruth followed her mother. He said he would be born and go where his mother went (Ruth 1:16). Children who follow their parents' faith are blessed.
Mount Moriah is 70 km from Beersheba, where Abraham resided. I had to go three days. When Mount Moriah was seen in the distance, Abraham instructs the two servants to stay and tells Isaac to “carry up the wood for the burnt offering.” From now on, I have to climb the mountain, but my son tells me to take it on my back. But Isaac silently followed his father's instructions without complaining or speaking back. He is toiling and following his father. This is filial piety.
2. Isaac absolutely obeyed his father's will.
In Genesis 23, it is recorded that Isaac's mother Sarah died at the age of 127. Isaac was 37 years old at this time. Therefore, in the case of the text, Isaac was a young man who was at least 20 years old. He was strong enough to carry firewood for burnt offerings. And it is the age of thinking and judging. On the way up to the mountain to offer a burnt offering, fire and firewood were prepared, but the most important sacrifice was not available. So I asked my father. When Abraham says that God will provide, Isaac does not argue or ask any more. However, when he arrived at Mount Moriah, he would not have known what his father was doing now when he tied himself up and put him on the altar tree. Nevertheless, he did not respond. I didn't argue or resist. I ran away and didn't complain. In the face of the incomprehensible situation of a father killing his son as a burnt offering, he silently obeys his father's will.
This is Isaac, who got up early in the morning and came on the road for the 3rd day. From the place where Mt. Moriah can be seen, he carries his own firewood and is bound to it. Now Isaac is about to die. It's enough to leave his father saying that he will never see him again, asking if he can do that, but Isaac obeys his father's will. The Bible commands us to obey our parents. If you serve God faithfully, you must obey your parents.
3. Isaac was always obedient.
Anyone can be obedient at least once. But obedience is not always easy. After the incident on Mount Moriah, did Isaac feel betrayed by his father? It was probably not easy to forget. So what if it became a nightmare, tormented every day, and lived with hatred for his father? It is unfortunate if you cannot shake off the wounds you received from your parents in the past and fall into suffering and rebel against your parents. But how long do we have to live like that? The events of Mount Moriah changed Isaac's attitude toward his father 180 degrees. Nevertheless, Isaac continues to honor and obey his father even after that. He takes the woman his father has chosen through his servant as his wife. It wasn't because he was ignorant, but because he trusted and respected his father.
There are three reasons why children obey their parents. Because they love their children. Because it is a command from God. Above all, because it is for me. So God has promised children who obey their parents. “This is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:2,3). How was this promise fulfilled to Isaac? Isaac earned a hundred times his income, became prosperous and prosperous, and was eventually rejected. Sheep and cattle were herds, and the servants were so numerous that the Philistines envied him.
A life of following and obedience to the Father comes from faith in serving God. Isaac obeyed his father Abraham and prospered and lived a long life. I hope that all children of our church will obey their parents and enjoy this blessing.