Different Life: 4th CommandmentSample

The 4th Commandment doesn’t say we should love our parents. It doesn’t tell us to obey our parents. It tells us to honor them. To be sure, love and obedience come up elsewhere in the Bible, but not specifically in the 10 Commandments. I think the command to “honor” is intentional here.

Defining our terms is important. To respect something it to treat it as though it’s important. Respect a law. It protects you. Respect firearms. They can be dangerous. Honor kicks it up a notch. To honor someone is not just to treat them as important. It’s to treat them as though they are more important than you.

God tells us to treat our parents as though they are more important that we are. This can be hard, certainly tricky, especially when love doesn’t come easy and obedience would just be wrong. Nevertheless, your parents brought you into this world. You are here because of them.

You might not love your mom and dad. They may have been horrible to you. Or maybe they hurt you. Nor do you have to obey their every command, particularly if you’re an adult. But God does want you to honor them. God has given them a sacred task, and for that we should honor them.

Today, re-read the 4th Commandment along with some ways people in the Bible show honor.