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About Jesus Steve Sweetman Honour Your Parents - Exodus
20:12
We
all know the command. "Honor
your father and mother so that you may live long in the land that the
Lord your God is giving you". (Exodus 20:12)
What we don't seem to know is what this command means. This
command presupposes that the generation of parents to be honored is
worthy of the honor. The
wealth of knowledge they pass on to their children provides the
foundation for the next generation's good social well being.
When disrespect trumps honor, children learn the hard way, if
they learn at all. The
command doesn't say that if a child honors his parents he'll live a long
life. The command uses the
pronoun "you", which in context is "you plural".
The command is directed to a generation of children. The
command also speaks of land God gives the generation of children who
honors the previous generation. The
generation who honors their parents will inherit a land and a social
structure that lives through time and beyond. It's
not a matter of a child living a long healthy life.
It's a matter of a generation living a long and healthy life in a
land blessed by God. When
there is no honor or respect for the prior generation, life's lessons
concerning family and society aren't learned.
The resulting broken families with broken children provide the
atmosphere for gun violence, sexual promiscuity, and all the rest,
according to the Biblical command.
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