THE FIRST COMMANDMENT WITH A PROMISE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do.

“Honor your father and mother.”

This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

Ephesians 6:1-3 NLT

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

At the end of Ephesians, chapter 5, we find the Apostle Paul giving spiritual guidance to how husbands and wives are to function within a marital relationship. Many of these marriages produce children, children that really belong to the Lord who places the responsibility of raising His children on the husband and wife He blessed with the opportunity to bear and raise them.

As the final chapter of this letter to the believers in Ephesus begins, we find Paul turning his attention to the children by reminding them of a specific command issued by their Father God when He issued His ten commandments via Moses to the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land. Here’s what God ordered all children to do:

“Honor your father and mother.” Exodus 20:12a

Before this, the fifth of the ten commandments, we see God speaking to His people about how they are to relate to Him. Each of these four commands doesn’t pledge anything in return to the one who complies with them.

But as God begins speaking commands regarding how His people are to interact with one another, we find an interesting shift in verse 12 of Exodus, chapter 20. For as God directs His attention to children and how they treat their parents, we find God proclaiming a promise if there is obedience to His command, thus the “first commandment with a promise” statement in Ephesians 6:1. Here’s what God said He would do for His children who honored their parents:

“Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

Note that God’s guarantee is contingent on the children’s conduct, a classic “if-then” scenario.

If the children honored their parents, then He would ensure they would “live a long, full life” in the place He was giving them to live.

Now, take the opposite of this and you would have the consequences that children would face for not honoring their children, notably a life that wouldn’t be long or full. There are always penalties for disobedience toward God when His people choose to behave as such.

I also want you to take notice that the scriptures here don’t place an age restriction on who is considered a child. Therefore, His command could apply equally to an adult child of a parent or parents as much as it would to a school age one. All children, regardless of their age, are required to honor their father and mother, period.

Looking at our society today and how children act towards their parents, I have to wonder if God doesn’t look down on us and shake His head in disappointment. It seems respect for parents has taken a big downturn from what I remember several generations ago. Maybe this is because people have turned away from God and the scriptures as they carry on with their lives but whatever the reason, they are not only violating God’s commandment but also missing out on the beautiful promise that comes with it.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com