daily bible readings

Isaiah prophesied a time when children would lead and be the ones who calls the shots. Isaiah was, in the first instance, talking about the situation in Judah and Jerusalem. Even so, we have evolved as a society where children have far too much power and sway. As the Duke of Windsor once quipped, “The thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents obey their children” (cited by Wiersbe, W.,  Listening to the Giants [Moody Press], p. 253). Parents today feel the pressure to give their children everything and to let them rule the household. There is a growing belief that saying no to our children and putting boundaries around them will somehow stifle their development and cause them to not reach their full potential. Now is the time to decide if we believe the so called ‘experts’ or the One who actually created the family unit and who gives us instructions on how to best make it work well. Do you side with the ‘experts’ or the Lord God Almighty? That is the fundamental question at stake here.

Paul is very clearly talking to Christian families. It is the Spirit-filled home that he addresses. His first command is very clear and simple. Children (by children, Paul means all those in the household under Dad and Mum, right up to the age where they leave home and form their own family unit) obey their parents. Parents are not called to obey their children!

Paul quotes the fifth of Commandment, adding a parenthetical comment, “which is the first commandment with a promise.” The Ten Commandments are divided into two sections, each reinforcing the two greatest commandments. The first four commands spell out what it means to love the Lord our God: The last six commands spell out how to love our neighbour as we love ourselves:

Given that the command to obey our parents comes at the start of the second section of the Ten Commandments, we can say that it’s foundational to all other relationships and duties in life. If we break the other 5 commandments, we dishonour  our parents.

The commandment to honour our parents also looks backwards to the first four commandments that pertain to God. If we are disobedient to our parents, it’s probably also true that we will be disobedient and dishonouring to our God as well. This disrespect to God and parents will naturally flow into all areas of life and towards all forms of authority. It is not a far reach to see how the growing disrespect towards parents and the Lord spreads to every part of society. God had ordained that the family unit would be the stable foundation of society. As the family has eroded and crumbled, society has followed suit.

When Paul tells children to obey their parents, he is making a generic statement. This statement does not negate obedience to non-Christian parents. All children are to obey their parents simply because “this is right.” (v1). This last phrase basically means that God’s ordained and created order is good and right. Only when parents ask their children to disobey God do they have any kind of mandate not to obey their parents.

Paul also tells the children to honour their parents. Honour goes far beyond obedience. Obedience can be carried out with a stubborn spirit, a frown and a negative, spiteful attitude. When children honour their parents, they do so with a loving attitude and a grateful heart that seeks to please them by full submission.

The Apostle takes an Old Testament promise and applies it to New Testament readers. Even more so, he applies it to Gentile, or non-Jewish readers. Quoting Deuteronomy 5:16 Paul says in Ephesians 6:2–3, “Honour your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise - 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

What this promise means for non-Jewish believers in the New Testament is open to much debate. Certainly, it includes the promise that obedience to parents will build a loving, stable and blessed society for all. Disobedience to parents is one mark of those whom God has given over to their depraved rebellion (Rom. 1:30). It is a mark of the godlessness of the last days (2 Tim. 3:2).

The promise also includes the idea of being blessed by God’s favour as children obey their parents. Whether the individual family unit or the wider societal unit, obedience to parents brings blessing from the Lord Almighty.

Discussion Questions

1. What does Ephesians 6:1-3 imply regarding the way we use or think about the Old Testament?

2. What issues do we need to be careful of when applying the Old Testament today

3. When are children allowed to stop obeying their parents?

PRAYER

Adoration:

· Adore God that in His wisdom and perfection, He created the family  unit to be the basic  stabilising foundation of society.

· Adore God that His love has always been with family units.

 Confession:

· Take time to confess your sins to the Lord and to ask for forgiveness

 Thanks

· Thank God for everyone in your family.

· Thank God for everyone in your Christian family.

 Supplication:

· Pray that the Lord would strengthen our families and give Dads and Mums great wisdom and skill in raising their families.

· Pray that God would grant all children deep, respectful obedience to their parents together with the desire to honour them.

SMALL GROUPS

Scripture

Read Ephesians 6:1-4.

Sing songs of adoration and praise.

Discuss the following:

What two things does Paul tell the children to do in verse 1 and 2?

 What do the words ‘honour’ and ‘obey’ mean?

 Why are both included here?

 Where is the promise taken from?

 What does the promise mean today for believers who aren’t in the Promised Land?

What are fathers told to do in verse 4?

What do the two words ‘training’ and ‘instruction’ mean?

Observation

Why does Paul use an OT quote and promise here?

What are the implications of this regarding the way we interpret or use the Old Testament?

What age group of children is Paul talking to?

When do children get to stop obeying their parents?

When do children get to stop honouring their parents?

How might fathers exasperate their children?

What is the antidote to exasperating children?

Going Deeper

What role did children play in the nation of Israel?

What else does the Bible say about parenting?

Why does the Bible not talk about specific styles of parenting?

Application

What is the difference between honouring parents and obeying them?

Why do we need both?

What is the biblical solution for disobedient children?

What is the biblical solution for fathers who exasperate their children?

How does today’s passage apply to you personally?

What is your take home message from today’s passage?

Spend time as a Small Group in

PRAYER

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

Pastor’s Comment

In Genesis 1 and 2, God created Adam and Eve as a family to fill the world and to subdue it. There was to be a growing spread of families moving around the world as they bought the entire world under the rule of Jesus Christ.

The family unit was created to be the stabilising unit of society.

The Ten Commandments show how integral the family unit is to society. The commandments are broken into two parts. The first four commandments show what it means to keep the greatest commandment– to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.  The last 6 commandments show what it means to keep the second greatest commandment - love your neighbour as yourself.

It is no accident that the command to honour your mother and father stands as the first of the “love one another” commandments.

The commandment regarding honouring parents is vital to obeying the last 5 commandments and also allows the first four to be kept more wholeheartedly and genuinely. Without a deep and fervent desire for honouring one’s parents, both parts of the Ten Commandments quickly fall into ruins. A child who refuses to obey and honour their parents, for example, is more likely to flout the next 5 commands and is also more likely to walk away from God.

The unmentioned assumption in all of this is that the parents love God and seek to honour Him above all else. The parents, it is assumed, love God and want to share that love with their children.

Judges 2 shows the reprehensible situation that arises when parents do not love the Lord wholeheartedly. Judges 2:10–11, “After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals.”

As the Lord God Almighty calls children to honour their parents in everything, He is also calling parents to honour and obey Him in everything. As the children obey their parents, so the parents obey their heavenly Father.