Among the Ten Commandments Moses received, the one explicitly stated to bring blessing when kept is the fifth commandment: “Honour your father and mother.” Paul, too, in his letter to the Ephesian church, called this commandment to honor father and mother “the first commandment with a promise,” adding that “it may go well with you and you may live long on the earth” (Eph. 6:2-3).
The Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God, and he recorded them repeatedly in two of his books. The content is similar, but there’s a slight difference in the blessing. Exodus states “that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (Ex. 20:12), while Deuteronomy adds the phrase “that it may go well with you” (Deut. 5:16). Paul expressed this as “that it may go well with you.”
Everyone, without exception, hopes to do well while living in this world. Yet scripture says the secret to this is honoring one’s parents. In other words, if you do not honor your parents, you cannot do well. God’s word will not lose so much as a single dot or stroke, and will all be fulfilled. Further, it is said to be more certain than the heavens and earth we walk on every day. Doesn’t this mean that things will actually come to pass as stated in the word?
The commandment to honour parents likely doesn’t mean to only honour one’s biological parents. If it did, wouldn’t it become irrelevant for someone like me, who grew up without parents from a young age? Generally speaking, parents are usually the “authoritative figure” we experience for the longest period in our lives. This is why many passages in the Law treat rebellion against parents as equivalent to rebellion against God, prescribing strict punishment (Ex. 21:15, 17; Lev. 20:9; Deut. 21:18-21; 27:16).
In the end, God’s word tells us that if we honour our the authoritative figures in our lives, things will go well for us, but if we do not, life will be difficult. However one may interpret “going well,” the word will truly come to pass. Before looking around at others, we should first reflect on our own lives. I once preached frequently on the topic of authority. Even now, God continues to teach me about authority. It functions like traffic laws in human society; break them, and you incur many fines and penalty points. however, if you keep them, you can enjoy a pleasant and comfortable journey through life.
When authority functions properly, a community woven together by human relationships moves comfortably and smoothly, like a well-oiled machine. But when this authority is misused, the members of the community suffer greatly. What would happen if authority itself is rejected and ceases to exist at all? Great confusion will follow, and the community will become a lawless group dominated by whoever shouts loudest. When under authority, one must respect the one with the authority. When one has authority, they must use it not to assert themselves but to serve, going as far as sacrificing for, those under their authority.
Some people feel an aversion to the very word authority. This is often because they had a bad experience with it, typically with a parent-figure, especially fathers. While primary responsibility for this certainly falls on the father, even so, if a person loses all sense of respect for authority itself, they may end up suffering for it. I personally had no father while growing up, so always felt uncomfortable around authority. Fortunately, I met Jesus in college and learned the correct attitude to have toward authority. However for a long time, I continued to feel awkward to those who had authority. That same awkwardness also appeared in how I treated to those under my own authority.
Then, as I came to know deeply the God who truly and rightly exercises authority, I began to build a better understanding of it. And so authority became the most beautiful word to me. As a pastor, I meet many people, and there are times I encounter someone within whom authority, which upholds all communities, has not been properly established. While in the past, I was hurt by this and was frankly quite angered, I resolved instead to rise above it and become the person who can help heal the wounds they carried from their previous experiences with authority.
I hope that I, and all our beloved church members, can become people who faithfully keep this fifth commandment, the one that carries with it the promise that things will go well for us as we live in this world.
