Review
The first four Commandments focus on our vertical relationship, our relationship with God.
I. Do not have other gods besides me.
II. Do not make an idol for yourself.
III. Do not misuse the name of the Lord.
IV. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Exodus 20:3-8
Introduction
The last six commandments address our horizontal relationships, relationships with people, and are rooted in the first four.
Exodus 20:12-13,The 5th and 6th Commandments
V. Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
VI. Do not murder.
Command #5: Honor your father and your mother.
Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
The fifth commandment speaks of the responsibility and roles most basic for a stable and strong society and of the reward that follows when paired with the earlier commands.
Honoring parents suggests
…attitudes like valuing, esteeming, appreciating, and respecting them
…actions, like obeying, submitting to, showing respect for, caring for, and forgiving them.
Dishonoring parents creates havoc and pain.
Proverbs 30:17
As for the eye that ridicules a father and despises obedience to a mother, may ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures eat it.
Jesus’s life provides remarkable insight when it comes to honoring parents!
Luke 2:42-51
Every year his parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. When he was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the festival. After those days were over, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming he was in the traveling party, they went a day’s journey. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days, they found him in the temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all those who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
“Why were you searching for me?” he asked them. “Didn’t you know that it was necessary for me to be in my Father’s house? But they did not understand what he said to them.
Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people.
* Jesus honored his Father, mother and step-father, though they were a non-typical family.
* Jesus honored His mother and step-father, though they were imperfect.
* Jesus honored His mother, even when she pressured him to perform, and to the end. John 2:1-12, 19:25-27
The fifth commandment speaks of the reward that follows honoring parents paired with the earlier commands.
The promise/reward of honoring parents equates to “godly heritage privilege.” DY hypothesis
What are the ways you have honored your parents well?
Are there ways you would like to honor your parents (or their memory) better?
Command #6: Do not murder.
Exodus 20:13
Do not murder.
The Hebrew word for “murder” means: the ending of life that is unlawful or forbidden, whether it is intentional or accidental.
The sixth command emphasizes the value and dignity of human life.
Jesus reset the target for the sixth commandment.
Matthew 5:21,22,24
“You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Whoever insults his brother or sister, will be subject to the court…. Go and be reconciled with your brother or sister.”
As a church, Soma stands out for the way you collectively value life and support the suffering! Is God challenging you to reset your target toward reconciliation and love with someone?