The Command with a Promise
Wednesday, July 10
“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 6:2-3)
In the context of Ephesians children’s obedience to parents is part of their Christian commitment in the Lord. It is an example of submission that arises out of a godly fear of Christ (Ephesians 5:21), and this submission is a distinguishing mark of those who are filled by God’s Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
But in what sense is Exodus 20:12 the first commandment with a promise? It has been claimed that the second commandment, which speaks of not making and worshipping idols (Exodus 20:4-6), includes a promise about God showing mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments. Accordingly, the command to honor father and mother has been taken as the first with a promise in relation to other humans, or that it is "first" in terms of its importance or difficulty. But, strictly speaking, the statement in Exodus 20:6 that God shows His mercy to thousands who love Him is not a promise attaching to the second commandment but a description of God's character: on the one hand, He is a jealous God who punishes disobedience (Exodus 20:5), and, on the other, He shows mercy to thousands of generations. It is appropriate, therefore, to regard Exodus 20:12 as the first commandment with a promise attached to it. If it is objected that it is the only one in the Ten Commandments, then this is because Paul regards the commandments of Exodus 20:1-17 as the beginning of many commandments in the Old Testament.
The commandment to honour father and mother appears on five other occasions in the New Testament, but only here in Ephesians 6 is the attached promise also quoted. In its original context of Exodus 20, the promise given to obedient children referred to a long and good life in the land (of Israel) which God was giving to His people. Significantly, when Paul ‘reapplies’ the commandment to his readers, he omits any reference to the land of Israel and "universalizes" the promise: "things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth."
Doing the Word
Obey your parents, no matter your age.
Prayer
Dear Father, I ask for grace to be obedient to my parents. Help me to honor them as it is due them. In Jesus' name, Amen.