Promises of the fifth commandment
PROMISES OF THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT
“Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee” (Deut 5:16).
We know from the history of our nation that it was founded on the law of God, the Ten Commandments. There are representations of the Ten Commandments in or on the outside of many of the federal buildings in Washington DC. Those commandments are engraved on the hearts of the people of this nation even though some may not realize why they have the fundamental beliefs that they do. Our way of life in this nation goes back to our forefathers and their establishing this nation upon that law of God. Of course we know that even though this nation was founded on the Word of God [the Bible] much paganism was mixed with the truth of God and has influenced our people greatly.
At this time in our nation's history, when we so desperately need to embrace these commandments it is the time when they are being removed from our courts and our schools. The fundamental and strong standard of beliefs that were passed down by the founders of this nation, are beginning to fade into oblivion.
This article is about one of the Ten Commandments and my experience in proving God and His Word. We may look at a command that is given by God and really not understand that what He is telling us to do can bring about what He has promised. It's found from experience that God will not give us the understanding until we have acted, in faith, by putting God's instructions to the test.
This command is the fifth commandment and it is the bridge between the first four that tells us how to love God and the last six that tells us how to love our neighbor: “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you” (Deuteronomy 5:16).
Notice the promises that go with obedience to this command: God promises long life, peace and prosperity (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). This commandment says to Ahonor our Father and our Mother.@ In the spiritual sense, God is our Father and our Mother for we know that God has the attributes of both parents. If we honor God our Father then we will keep all of His commandments - especially honoring Him in not having any other gods before Him and not taking His name in vain and remembering His Sabbath days in keeping them holy.
In the physical realm of this commandment to honor our physical Father and Mother, we honor them by not becoming a murderer, a thief, or a liar. We live a respectable and honorable life. Maybe our parents have not lived an honorable life and so we don=t think they deserve to be shown honor or respect. Notice the fifth command does not say to honor them just if they are honorable and only if they have treated you as their child with honor. It just gives the command and the promises of obedience.
Many times in the past when taking my wife and children to visit their grandparents, we would have to leave early because dad and I would get into an argument. We were also never able to work together for very long without a confrontation. After conversion and beginning to understand God's ways, the realization that a better relationship with my dad was needed. In reading the fifth commandment that told me to honor my parents and make a commitment to God to do as He instructed.
After making a special effort to began to apply the fifth commandment when around my dad, what was needed was to be respectful to him even when he would make a derogatory remark toward me, to just ignore the insult and go ahead with our conversation. After making a special effort to help him in every way was made and a determination to work with him without a confrontation, our relationship has blossomed through the years. My wife has told me she has noticed that when I walk into dad's presents his eyes light up. Being his only child, I am so thankful that through the knowledge of God's law, our relationship is what it is today.
When God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, He gave them the instructions that would bring them prosperity and great blessings. If they would just love and honor God their Father in the way He commanded and if they would love and honor their physical parents and their fellow man in the way He instructed, then their days would be long, and it would be well with them in the land that he had given to them.
When the fifth commandment is applied, it builds the bridges between a person and their Creator and when applied it builds bridges and sets a precedent of peace for the generations to come.
God tells us, “For I, the Lord am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and forth generation of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, of those who love Me and keep My commandments” (Exodus 20:5-6).
In this generation of our family this cycle of hate was broken. I only pray for Gods kingdom to come soon when all nations will know God's way. “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying >Know the Lord,= for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:34).
Carlos McGuire