Honor, and Obey? - January 10, 2009

Title: Honor, and Obey? Topic: Parenting, Children

Scripture: Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. . . 13But his mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” (Genesis 27:8, 13 NKJV)

Observation: Issac asked Esau to bring him his favorite meal and then he would give his son the blessing for the first-born. Rebekah wanted her favorite, Jacob, to receive the blessing, so she plotted to get it for him through deceit; she told Jacob what to do to secure it and was willing to take Jacob’s, and God’s, wrath as a result of his actions if only to ensure Jacob would get that blessing. The sad thing is that she ended up paying for her actions by never seeing Jacob alive again.

Application: While God commands us to Honor our father and our mother, how far can we take it? First of all, to honor our parents does not mean to obey blindly. Here are some ways this commandment must be understood:
Honor your Father and your Mother:
1. As long as you don’t violate God’s commands or will.
2. As long as you don’t do anything that’s illegal, unethical, or immoral.
3. As long as you don’t cause harm or injury to anyone else.
4. As long as you don’t cause harm or injury to yourself.
5. As long as your actions don’t have the potential to cause harm or injury to them, to others, or to you.
Because God is One, one command cannot be obey in violation of another. We must honor and respect our parents, but not obey them blindly, and not if doing so would mean disobeying our Heavenly Father.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the family into which we were born, and the parents with whom You blessed us. May we honor them and show them respect, not just because of Your promises, because by doing so we also honor You.