12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
Perhaps none of the Ten Commandments has met more “what if” scenarios than this one. People say, “what if my parents don’t worship God” or “what if my parents want me to do evil things” or a host of other ideas that ask whether we must honor those who don’t behave honorably.
The command, however, seems more focused on wisdom. Parents, even in their failures, have accumulated a wisdom about life that can help us extend our own journeys. But, this command isn’t even about the possible presence of such wisdom.
It’s about honor, and the ability to demonstrate honor to those in authority. If we cannot honor others, we become our own final authority and our judgments in life center solely on what might make sense to us. That individualistic judgment is destructive to a community, and even a family. We need to learn honor so that we will value others around us. And the best place to learn that is at home—by honoring father and mother.
– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.
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