9

9 The Ten
LESSON

Commandments, Part 5
“How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, his precepts!
O! ’tis easier to keep holidays than commandments.”
B ENJAMIN F RANKLIN

K i r k ’ s C o m me nt The Fifth Commandment has to do with honoring your

father and mother. As a teenager, I was guilty of breaking this Commandment
on a daily basis.

QUESTIONS & OBJECTIONS

“God is unfair in that Hitler and a dear old lady (who never accepted Jesus)
will both go to hell.”
Sinners often accuse God of being unjust, because they assume that every-
one will receive the same punishment in hell regardless of whether their
sins are menial or heinous. God’s judgment, however, will be according to
righteousness (Acts 17:31). In Matthew 11:24, Jesus said, “It shall be more
tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”
And in Luke 10:14, we see that the more sinful cities of Chorazin and
Bethsaida will receive a more harsh judgment than Tyre and Sidon. These
verses show that there will be degrees of punishment. (See also Luke
12:47,48; Hebrews 10:29.)

65
 SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL EVANGELISM

n this lesson we are going to look at the Fifth Commandment: “Honor

I your father and your mother: that your days may be long upon the
land which the Lord your God gives you” (Exodus 20:12).
This Commandment is unique, because it is “the first commandment
with promise” (Ephesians 6:2). To honor our parents is to esteem them,
show them respect, and obey them. The New Testament instructs children
to “obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1) and
“obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing to the Lord”
(Colossians 3:20). Are children to obey only the things they want to, or
that sound reasonable to them? No; in order to please the Lord, they are
to obey “in all things.” That doesn’t mean their parents will always make
wise decisions or treat their children as they should, but God will hold
the parents accountable for their own actions. Regardless of the parents’
parenting skills, the children are to obey—that is their role for which God
will hold them accountable.
Why is this so important? Since children are naturally sinful, they need
to be instructed in the ways of the Lord; parents must “train up a child in
the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6). Proverbs 29:15,17 warns, “The rod
and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself brings his mother to
shame . . . Correct your son, and he shall give you rest; yes, he shall give
delight unto your soul.” One who will not submit to the authority of his
parents, who are God’s agents to train and discipline him, is very unlikely
to submit to God’s authority and obey God’s Laws.
In essence, this commandment promises that, if children do not honor
their parents, all will not go well with them and their days will not be
long upon the earth. This is the reason all isn’t well with this generation.
It has been left in the dark about the requirements of the Law and is suf-
fering the consequences of its transgression. It is plagued with drug and
alcohol addiction, promiscuity, sexually transmitted diseases, broken fam-
ilies, and a massive suicide rate (go to www.1000deaths.com, click on the
photos, and weep).
The Bible says that the Messiah would magnify the Law and make it
honorable (Isaiah 42:21). Jesus did this many times, particularly in the
Sermon on the Mount. Mark 7:5–13 tells us that the Pharisees had dis-
honored the Law by merely giving God lip service. They made this Com-

66
LESSON 9 ● THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, PART 5

mandment void through their tradition, teaching for doctrines the com-
mandments of men. The Savior brought honor back to the Law by teach-
ing that the Law was spiritual in nature, and that outward observance was
not enough. God required truth in the inward parts (the thought-life,
intent, and motives).
Again, the lawful use of the Law is to show us how far we have fallen
short of God’s perfect standard. The Law brings the knowledge of sin.
The best of us haven’t honored our parents as we should. However, in
witnessing, you will encounter some who will contend that they have
kept this Commandment and have perfectly honored their parents. They
therefore need to be confronted with the sins of the flesh first before they
are confronted with this Commandment. Have they lied? Have they stolen?
Almost everyone will admit to lying and stealing; therefore, they have dis-
honored their parents’ name by being a lying thief.

QUESTIONS
1. What does it mean to “honor” your mother and father?

2. Should someone always have to honor his mother, even if, for example,
she’s a prostitute?

3. Why is it so important for children to obey this Commandment?

67
 SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL EVANGELISM

4. When witnessing, why is it important to go through the Commandments

that deal with the sins of the flesh before mentioning this one?

P R E A C H E R’S P R O G R E S S
Miss Informed: “I don’t think that the Bible can be trusted because there
are so many versions. Which one is right?”
Christian: “There are versions in Chinese for the Chinese. There are ver-
sions in Russian for the Russian people. There are actually thousands of
versions of the Bible—some are in modern languages, some in foreign
languages, and some are in old English. Few, in the printing age, can claim
that they don’t have access to the Scriptures in their own language.”
Miss Informed: “The Bible is open to interpretation. I mean, so many
people think that one verse means one thing and someone else thinks it
means something completely different. It’s so totally confusing.”
Christian: “Try deciphering this: Jesus said, ‘Unless you repent, you shall
perish.’”
Miss Informed: “Um . . .”
Christian: “How would you interpret that?”
Miss Informed: “Hasn’t the Bible changed down through the ages?”
Christian: “No, it hasn’t. God has preserved His Word. Anyone can now
obtain access to computer programs that give the original Hebrew and
Greek words, and the only ‘changes’ are ones that have been made for
clarity. Take for example the verse we just looked at. The old English says,
‘Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish,’ while a contemporary ver-
sion may say something like, ‘Unless you repent, you too will all perish.’”
Miss Informed: “Okay. I’m getting the message.”

68
LESSON 9 ● THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, PART 5

FEATHERS FOR ARROWS

Back in the Old West, a number of men were upstairs in a boarding house
amusing themselves with a game of cards when they heard a cry from the
street below: “Fire! Fire!” The men looked at one another in disbelief.
One of the windows grew orange with the flames. “Wait!” said the dealer. Memory
“Let’s just finish this hand; we’ve got plenty of time—I have a key to the Verse
back door.” The men nodded in approval, then quickly picked up the dealt “Depart from
cards. Precious minutes passed. One of the men became nervous as the evil, and do
flames licked through the now broken window. With darting eyes and a good; seek peace,
sweat-filled brow, he asked for the key. “Coward!” muttered the dealer as and pursue it.
he tossed across the key. Each of them then rushed to the door and wait- The eyes of the
ed with bated breath as the key was placed into the lock. “It won’t turn!” LORD are upon
the man cried. “Let me have it!” said the dealer. As he tried in vain to turn the righteous,
the key, he whispered in horror, “It’s the wrong key!” and his ears
are open unto
their cry.”
WORDS OF COMFORT PSALM 34:14,15
I have an uncanny knack of getting stuck in places. When I was a small
boy, I got stuck on a high cliff and someone had to rescue me. When I
was in my thirties I stayed off cliffs, but still managed to get stuck. I for-
got to take a key to use a restroom that was shared by a number of shop-
keepers. Fortunately, the door wasn’t locked. I went inside and shut the
door. However, I discovered that I couldn’t get out without a key. I had to
put my head through a small gap, and humbly ask a passerby to go to a
store and ask for a key to let me out.

Last Words
St. Francis of Assisi (1182–1226), founder of the Franciscan order of monks:
“Farewell, my children; remain always in the fear of the Lord. That
temptation and tribulation which is to come is now at hand and
happy shall they be who persevere in the good they have begun. I
hasten to go to our Lord, to whose grace I recommend you.”

69