Exodus 20:12
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”
Now we move from the big, structural commandments to some simple rules of behavior. This one stands out because it includes a promise for those who obey the command—your days may be long upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
There are two interesting twists in how this commandment applies to the Israelites it’s being delivered to. First, for them, living longer as a result of honoring your father and mother is pretty obvious. Your kids are watching how you treat your parents—especially in their old age. They’re learning how it’s done.
How you treat your parents will be the foundation for how your kids treat you. Back then, there was no Social Security and no 401Ks; your kids were your retirement plan. In fact, there’s not really such a thing as retirement; people contribute what they can to the family until they die. If your kids don’t honor you, your senior years won’t be fun.
The other twist is that the people hearing this aren’t going to live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, because they aren’t going to live there at all. They’ll blow it. Their rebellion will lead to them not making it to the promised land. They’ll die in the desert. Their lives won’t be all that long either.
Of course, the commandment is permanent and later generations will experience the value of it.
This commandment has blossomed into a magnificent calling for the church.
But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. — 1 Timothy 5:8
Except parents are not now always members of the same household as their grown children. Besides, our government has taken over some of this responsibility, especially with respect to healthcare. But note:
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. — James 1:27
Our changing society has connected these two verses to produce a glorious calling for the church. Paul’s admonishment in 1 Timothy 5:8 now applies to us as a body. In 21st century America, ministering to orphans and widows isn’t just a sign of pure and undefiled religion. Anything less is a sign of unbelief.
If a widow in the church has, say, a plumbing problem, who do they call? If calling the deacons wouldn’t even cross their mind, something is missing.
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These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. Saturdays' by Matt Richardson. Subscribe here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community
The weekly study guides, which include questions for discussion or meditation, are here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
