The Ten Commandments: An Expression of God's LoveSample

Honor Your Parents

There are innumerable books on marriage and on parenting, but how many books have you seen on the responsibility of children to their parents? Yet when God chose one aspect of the family to include in the Ten Commandments, He did not choose marriage or parenting. Instead, He chose to speak to children about their parents, saying, “Honor your father and your mother.”

Why is this so important to God? There are at least three reasons.

First, a stable society needs stable families, and there are no stable families unless children honor their parents.

Second, children must learn respect for authority or they will not make it in life. Respect for authority begins in the home, with his or her parents. 

Third, it is only right that children honor their parents, for all normal parents sacrifice endlessly for their kids. Most parents would die for their kids in a heartbeat. 

But how do we practically obey the fifth commandment and honor our parents? When we are young, it’s pretty simple: we obey. We obey right away, preferably with a good attitude. As we grow older and leave the home, we no longer obey our parents, but we do honor them. We express respect, appreciation, and love. We call or write. We help them if they need it. We care for them if they need to be cared for. We treasure them and affirm them. In all these ways, we honor our parents. In doing so, we honor God as well.