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POSTED 17 SEPTEMBER, 2007

Days of Awe: Day Five

by Mark Huey
mhuey@outreachisrael.net

Psalm 145; Job 32-37; Exodus 20:12

As we enter into another day of considering one of the Ten Commandments and how it applies to us, the majesty of the wisdom coming forth from Mount Sinai continues to sink into our hearts. Clearly in these splendid words from the heart of our Creator, we discern how he wants us to live our lives. The Fifth Commandment turns our hearts and thoughts to our parents, and their critical place in our lives. Without their union, our existence would never be. Somehow in our Father’s infinite wisdom, He purposed our very being to be composed of two people used to bring about life. Thoughts of Psalm 139 surround my thoughts as I reflect upon the wonderful work of God:

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:13-14).

For those of us who currently exist in the bodies that were formed in our mother’s womb, we should understand that no matter who the Father used to bring us into existence, our thoughts of them should soar with thankfulness. No matter who the Holy One used to bring us into life, it was because of His Divine design and for His marvelous purposes that we were created. Now that we have the breath of life and the Ruach HaKodesh resident in our hearts, perhaps we can better comprehend why David was so apt to declare continuously his praise and adoration for the Almighty.

As you read again the following psalm, perhaps reflecting on your own life, it will give you an inkling concerning the fabulous work about who you are, and how you should indeed honor the parents from whence you came—no matter what the circumstances of your life might have been:

“A Psalm of Praise, of David. I will extol You, my God, O King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, and I will tell of Your greatness. They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness and will shout joyfully of Your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord, and Your godly ones shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power; to make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts and the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord sustains all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. The Lord keeps all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever” (Psalm 145:1-21).

The Fifth Commandment

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you” (Exodus 20:12).

When you read this commandment, you discover that it is the only commandment of the Ten Commandments, that when properly obeyed, adds a blessing to one’s life. Here in His infinite wisdom, the Holy One says that when we honor our fathers and mothers, that our days will be prolonged. The blessing of longer life gives each one of us an opportunity to be more productive in the work of His Kingdom. So without a doubt, properly honoring our parents should be something that is followed throughout our Earthly sojourn. Surely, if we do the opposite of honoring our parents—and instead curse them—the Torah is very specific about the capital punishment that is required:

“He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death” (Exodus 21:17).

You might conclude that honoring your parents is something that should be foremost in the mind of those who follow the guidelines and principles of the Torah. One of the problems that infects a society that does not adhere to the Ten Commandments and the Torah, is found in the modern-day disregard for the timeless precept to honor parents. Unfortunately, for many who have grown up even in cultures influenced by Judeo-Christian ethics, the sad truth is that the enemy has persistently attempted to break down the family unit by fomenting dishonor, distrust, and rebellion in the hearts of younger generations.

For years as many of us have grown up in America, we have watched as the framers of cultural opinion in Hollywood have used the incessant waves of propaganda—disseminated through television and movie themes—to tear down the required respect for fathers. For baby boomers that were weaned on shows like Father Knows Best, Andy Griffith, and Leave it to Beaver, the saturation of deviant thinking did not really begin to show itself until the advent of shows like All in the Family. If you will recall, the Norman Lear production company made a concerted effort, through this program and others it spawned, to make the American father appear to be a virtual idiot. The subliminal message that was being conveyed to the audiences subtly taught the watchers to disrespect the position of the father, and through time totally dishonor him. For an ever-increasing majority of the American population that has been further programmed by the shows of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, the cumulative results are beginning to surface. Today, our society is producing exorbitant numbers of rebellious children who qualify to fulfill some of the things that Paul warned Timothy about:

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

Without going into great detail about the devolution of our society, I believe that many of these curses against mankind can probably be tied to aspects of dishonoring one’s parents. If you have any issues with your parents, and do not want to fall into any of these ungodly categories that result from blatant sin, then it would be advisable to take the time at this season of repentance to get your problems with your parents resolved.

We know that for many who have been raised in the post-World War II era, that some have come from families that did not necessarily follow the commandments of the Torah, or for that matter did not even do much more than pay token attention to the Christian mores that founded our great country. As a result, many were brought up by parents who did not have the spiritual benefit of putting the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the preeminent place in their household. This sadly has left many scars on the souls of children, who now as adults have perhaps not taken the time to resolve whatever issues might still exist in their hearts regarding their parents.

If this happens to strike home, then I believe it is absolutely appropriate that you muster the forgiveness in your heart to resolve these situations with a father or a mother. In so doing, you will reap untold benefits and blessings from following the admonitions of this critical commandment. Too often we encounter people who are still troubled because they are simply unable to come to terms with issues that took place during their developmental years. If you want to prolong your years and usefulness in God’s Kingdom—and especially if you are seeking to obey the Torah—then it is your responsibility to take the initiative and resolve your problems with your father and mother. In a similar vein, if you have been a parent who has mistreated a child, then it is also incumbent upon you to take the time necessary to seek out your child and initiate the healing process. In so doing, you will be helping your son or daughter work through their issues in order to let them understand the blessings that are derived from honoring one’s parents.

I sincerely hope that we are living in the era that the Prophet Malachi foresaw, as he envisioned a future time when the hearts of the fathers would be restored to their children and the hearts of the children would be restored to their fathers:

“Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse” (Malachi 4:4-6).  

This prophecy begins with the admonition to remember the Law of Moses as the spirit of Elijah comes to initiate the healing process of restoration among the sons and daughters of God’s people. Perhaps as we each continue to honor our fathers and mothers, then we will be healed.

Remember that another generation was plagued with attitudes about their parents that were unbecoming of those who claim to be followers of the Holy One of Israel. Some of the Pharisees apparently were so caught up in their own traditions, that they dishonored their parents:

“Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Yeshua from Jerusalem and said, ‘Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.’ And He answered and said to them, ‘Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, “Honor your father and mother,” and, “He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.” But you say, “Whoever says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,’ he is not to honor his father or his mother.” And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.”’ After Yeshua called the crowd to Him, He said to them, ‘Hear and understand. It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.’ Then the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?’ But He answered and said, ‘Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.’ Peter said to Him, ‘Explain the parable to us.’ Yeshua said, ‘Are you still lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.’ Yeshua went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon (Matthew 15:1-21).

In this passage, Yeshua deals with some Pharisees who are more concerned with their traditions, that they are not faithfully observing the Fifth Commandment. As Yeshua puts it, they try to honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him. He remarks that it is out of the mouth that come all of the wicked things that emanate from the heart. Is it possible that during the course of your life, you have said some things to your parents that were a reflection of the “perverted tradition” that our culture indoctrinated into you? If so, is it just possible that you might need to ask for forgiveness in order to fall back in line with the command to honor your parents with not only your lips—but with a thankful heart for all that they did for you?

Certainly, this testimony to them will be something that will have a profound impact on their hearts. As I have personally learned, our Heavenly Father will be pleased with your sincere desire to honor and obey this command.

Mark Huey (B.A., Vanderbilt University in History and Graduate Studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) is the Director of Outreach Israel Ministries (www.outreachisrael.net). He is the author of several books, including: TorahScope, Volumes I & II, and Counting the Omer: A Daily Devotional Toward Shavuot. He is also co-author of Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study.