The fifth commandment

Exodus 20.12

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”

Deuteronomy 5.16

“‘Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.’”

We show honor in a wide array of ways – by our speech, attentiveness, service, giving of gifts and honors, and otherwise seeking the wellbeing (“shalom”) of others. Obedience to this commandment, practiced first in the home, then throughout the civil order, brings the fruit of God’s blessing.

For their parts, parents must not make it difficult for their children to honor them (Eph. 6.4). Instead, by providing an environment in which honoring others is simply a way of life, parents must teach their children and raise them to know and love the Lord. This they can do by their manner of living, the way they treat one another, the frequent use of their homes for hospitality, and by teaching the way of the Lord at every opportunity, in both formal and informal settings (Deut. 6.4-9).

This series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.