REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

Do you think of the Bible’s commands as like a laser pointer or like a door?

I guess I’d better explain. A laser pointer is designed to identify one specific thing. It narrows your view to a single point on a screen. That’s how I tend to think of the Bible’s commands: each one tells me one specific thing that I must or mustn’t do.

Let’s start with a laser-pointer approach to the Fifth Commandment:

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12)

The obvious question is: What does it mean to honour my parents? If you’re still a child living at home, most of the time it’s simple: obey them! Not just through gritted teeth, but with genuine respect. What about later in life? Then we need to wrestle with the question of what “honour” means when we are no longer under their direct authority. But what if your parents are no longer alive or you don’t have any contact with them? That means this commandment is not relevant to you, right? Phew – one less to worry about!

If the Bible’s commands are like a laser pointer, then the Fifth Commandment narrows in on one thing: my attitude to my parents.

But the Bible’s commands are much more like a door. When you open your front door and step outside, it doesn’t narrow in on a single spot. It opens the way to a wide world of possibilities. The Ten Commandments are especially door-like. Each one only names one thing, but the naming is a door to a wide range of possibilities for living lives of devotion to God.

The position of this commandment is a hint that it is a door to more. Commandments 1–4 focused on us and God. Commandments 6–10 will focus on love for our neighbour. This sits in the middle, so … is it about God or about my neighbour? As we read on in the Bible, it widens out in both directions.

Let’s start with the “God” direction. It turns out that honouring our parents is connected to honouring and respecting God himself. Look at these verses from Leviticus 19:

2 “… ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy. 3 Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.’ ” (Leviticus 19:2b-3)

“ ‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.’ ” (Leviticus 19:32)

See, why did God design us to be born to human parents and grow up under their loving authority? It seems that the answer is: So that we would learn, from the very beginning, the way we should relate to the loving authority of God himself – with honour, respect, and obedience. And it goes the other way: If we are not the kind of people who honour, respect, and obey our parents, then we are not likely to relate to God that way.

But it widens out the other way as well. Parents are the first authority figures God puts us under in life. They are our first “practice ground” for learning to submit to God’s authority. But when we grow up, he puts us under all kinds of other authorities. What is God’s call to us? Honour, respect, and obey them all! Be submissive people, not rebels.

In case you think this was just an “old covenant” thing, the New Testament says exactly the same. Jesus doesn’t free us from having to submit to authorities. He frees us to submit to them even more joyfully and willingly than before – even if they are unjust or harsh. We can do that, because we know that ultimately Christ is our master, he trains and refines us through the things we suffer, and harsh authorities can’t take away the inheritance Jesus has delivered us for.

The Apostle Peter wrote to Christian believers who were suffering under harsh masters:

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:13-17)

We could add: honour the government, and the police, and the tax office, and your annoying manager. Don’t just grit your teeth and do the bare minimum. For the Lord’s sake, show them proper respect and honour – wholeheartedly and with gladness, so that those watching on might see and glorify God (1 Peter 2:12).

What are the “practice grounds” in your life for learning to honour, respect, and obey God? Pray now, and plan what you need to change in your heart or your behaviour, for the Lord’s sake.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our senior minister.