Title: The First Commandment with a Promise
Contents
Bible Text: Ephesians 6:1-3
first commandment with promise
Hitler said, "If I do not keep my promises, you may crucify me to death." Although it is easy for all humans to make promises, it is not easy to keep them. There is a Japanese proverb that says that spit is swallowed. It means breaking a promise.
But God is not a man and he does not lie (Numbers 23:19). “The Most High of Israel neither lies nor repents; for he is not a man, and he does not repent” (1 Samuel 15:29). This means that God does not speak empty words. It means that you don't change your mind, make excuses, or be capricious like people do.
God gave the Ten Commandments. Commandments 1 to 4 are commandments about God, and commandments 5 to 10 are commandments about man. The first commandment about man is the commandment to honor one's parents. “Honor your father and mother, for these are the first commandments with a promise” (Ephesians 6:2).
Respect your parents
Among the commandments concerning God, the fourth commandment is “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8), and the first of the six commandments concerning men is “Honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12). . When God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, he wrote them on two stone tablets. The link connecting the two tablets of stone is the commandment regarding the Sabbath and the commandment to honor parents.
It shows that keeping the Sabbath is the most important thing to do to serve God, and honoring your parents is the greatest thing you can do for people. “Each one of you fear your father and mother, and keep my sabbath, and I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:3). It is to respect your parents as you would keep the Sabbath.
“Everyone is told to “fear” his parents. Awe is a term used only for God, but to use this word for parents is to regard them as equal to God. Awe means “to fear.” Respectful fear. The Reformer Luther viewed his parents as agents of God.
“If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar. He who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. We have received this commandment from the Lord, whoever loves God also You must love your brother” (1 John 4:20-21).
To make a person human is to be in awe before the authority of God. In order for a human to be human, he must have respect for his parents.
“Whoever strikes his father or mother must be put to death.” “He who curses his father or mother must be put to death.” (Proverbs 21:15,17) God commands the disobedient to be severely punished. There is a saying that even the shadows of parents do not step on them. It takes training to be in awe of your parents. In ancient China, there was a case where a boy was buried alive because he cursed his father.
“Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord and walks in his ways” (Psalm 128:1). You must have a heart of reverence to walk his path. When you have a heart of reverence for your parents, you can respect and obey them.
It is said that when Zacchaeus, who lived in Jericho, grew old and had gray hair, he spent a lot of time under an old tree. He was stroking the tree and looking up at it with respect. And he looked so happy. One day a passerby asked. “Why are you touching the old tree so carefully?” Older Zacchaeus spoke slowly. “Because it is a tree where I first saw Jesus on this tree and heard a voice saying, ‘Zacchaeus, come down.’” This is a story that shows Zacchaeus' reverence for Jesus.
Awe contains the concept of submission. Awe is majesty. It is tender and solemn. God said to Job, “You shall adorn yourself with majesty and honor, and be clothed with glory and glory” (Job 40:10). Children should adorn their parents with dignity and honor. “The fear of the Lord is your treasure” (Isaiah 33:6). The reverence of parents is the treasure of children.
Be obedient to your parents.
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1). Obedience is obedience. It's about trusting and listening. It's about listening and following.
The words “listen” and “obey” mean the same thing. Disobedience means hearing but not obeying the sounds, and obedience means moving according to the sounds.
Jesus told the story. There was a man who had two sons, and he said to the eldest, go and work in the vineyard today, and he answered, Father I will go. who did the will of the father?" he asked.
If the answer is “yes” and you do not do it, it is disobedience. Even if he said no, the son who went to the vineyard obeyed his father's instructions.
Jesus said, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).
“Listen, my son, to the instruction of your father, and do not depart from the law of your mother, which is a beautiful crown on your head and a golden chain around your neck” (Proverbs 1:8-9). Obedience comes from a heart of reverence. Rebellion comes from lack of awe. Rebellion is disobeying the will of a superior. It is disobedience to parents. They do not have God in their hearts. “…they did not like to have God in their hearts, so God gave them over to a depraved mind to do things that were not suitable for them, whom God hates…those who disobey their parents” (Romans 1:28-30). .
To teach obedience to a little child, a mother does not let her touch a kettle of hot water But I want to touch it. Keep doing it and then let it go. It's hot, but not daisy-like... The little kid eventually touches the kettle. I was surprised by how hot it was, so I quickly removed my hand. The child will find out. You learn that your mother tells you not to do it because it's hot. That is the learning of obedience.
Regarding the life of Jesus as a child, it is said that “Jesus was obedient to him” (Luke 2:51). Obedience is saying “yes” to your parents and not disobeying them. The first commandment with a promise is to obey your parents.
Respect your parents
He said, “Honor your father and mother, for these are the first commandments with a promise.” The Bible considers disobedience to be the same sin as murder. “Whoever curses his father or his mother must be put to death; if he has cursed his father or his mother, his blood shall be on him” (Leviticus 20:9).
“God told him to kill such a son,” he said. After a while I asked again. “Do you want to die?” He shook his head, saying he wasn't a child. “If you don’t want to die now, listen to your mother, okay?” “Yes” it was.
Respect means to serve with respect and courtesy. It's about respecting your parents' status. You must acknowledge your parental authority.
Noah drank too much wine and got drunk. He fell asleep naked. When the second son Ham saw it, he told the other brothers, Shem and Japheth went back and covered their lower body with their clothes. The father woke up and blessed his two sons and cursed one. The cursed son became a slave and the blessed son became prosperous (Genesis 9:20-27).
In a way, it's embarrassing. The problem stems from a lack of reverence for his father.
Jesus honored his parents. When he was crucified, he asked the disciple who loved his mother's old age. Standing beside the cross stood Mary his mother, Mary the wife of his aunt Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” And he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” (John 19:25-27).
“I show mercy to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:6). Honoring parents is “the first commandment with a promise”. “In this way it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:3). Reverence for your parents is acknowledging their authority. It's not that your parents are completely innocent. Because they are parents. God has established parents as authorities. Because you are a father and a mother, you should be revered and obeyed.
Social anxiety stems from family anxiety. If fathers are ignored and mothers are despised, neither country nor nation has a future. Respect for parents is the basis of character education. Well-educated Jews have the lowest crime rate than any other ethnic group in the world. Respect for parents is a natural act of a person. A good character and character make you honor your parents.