What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 5:16? Honor your father and your mother • “Honor” means to treat parents with weighty respect—obedience in youth, care in their old age, and ongoing gratitude in between. Proverbs 1:8–9 and 23:22 remind that parental guidance is a crown, not a chain. Jesus underscored this command when He rebuked the Pharisees for dodging care of parents by religious loopholes (Mark 7:9–13). Paul echoes it: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1). Because Scripture speaks with perfect reliability, we take this charge at face value: honoring parents is not optional; it is God’s revealed will. as the LORD your God has commanded you • The source of the directive is the covenant-making LORD; human authority flows from His divine authority. Exodus 20:12 records the same wording, showing continuity between Sinai and the plains of Moab. Leviticus 19:3 places parental honor alongside Sabbath keeping, revealing how seriously God values family order. When we honor parents, we are first honoring the God who placed them over us. so that your days may be long • God attaches a promise: longevity. Ephesians 6:2–3 calls this “the first commandment with a promise,” carrying it straight from Torah into church life. Proverbs 3:1–2 likewise links obedient listening to “many days and years of life.” The promise is not a mechanical guarantee but a general principle: societies and individuals that cultivate respect for parents enjoy stability and duration, while those that dismantle parental honor shorten their own future. and that it may go well with you • The command guards not just length of life but quality of life. Proverbs 4:10–12 shows that obedience to wise instruction broadens the path and removes stumbling. Colossians 3:20 adds, “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord”. When the Lord is pleased, His favor rests on the household—peace, provision, and protection follow. in the land that the LORD your God is giving you • For Israel, the blessing was tied to Canaan—the tangible stage for covenant life (Deuteronomy 11:8–9). Disrespect for parents would erode national stability and invite exile (Deuteronomy 28:41). For believers today, the principle extends to every sphere God entrusts—homes, churches, communities, even the ultimate inheritance kept in heaven (1 Peter 1:4). Honoring parents aligns us with God’s kingdom order wherever He plants us. summary This verse unites command and promise. God Himself tells us to treat father and mother with lifelong honor. In doing so, we align with His authority, secure extended and enriched life, and enjoy His blessing in the place He assigns us. The pathway to a flourishing future, both personal and communal, still runs through the front door of parental honor. |
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