Deuteronomy 5:16-20: a reflection

16“Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land which the LORD your God gives you. 17“You shall not murder. 18“You shall not commit adultery. 19“You shall not steal. 20“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

Among the commandments given at Sinai, one stands out for the promise attached to it: Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land. The command to honor our parents, those who gave us life and raised us, carries with it a promise of blessing, that it may go well with us. God attaches to the honoring of father and mother a blessing; there is good that comes from honoring those who gave us life, a blessing woven into this command that we honor them.

Notice the command and its promise: honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you. The honoring of parents is not an arbitrary demand; it is right, a fitting response to those who gave us life and raised us, and God attaches a blessing to it. To honor father and mother is to acknowledge what we owe to those who came before us, to treat them with the respect due to them; and God promises that it will go well with those who do. There is a blessing in honoring our parents, a good woven into this command; the honoring of those who gave us life is not only our duty but carries God's promise of good.

That is worth taking to heart, for we are called to honor our parents, and there is a blessing in doing so. We can neglect the honor due to our parents, taking them for granted, treating them with less respect than they are owed, forgetting what we received from them; but God commands us to honor father and mother, and attaches a blessing to it. To honor our parents is right, and God promises good to those who do. Do not neglect the honor due to your parents, those who gave you life; honor them, as God commands, and know there is a blessing in doing so. Honor your father and mother, giving them the respect due to those who gave you life, as God commands with a promise that it may go well with you; for the honoring of our parents is right and pleasing to God, and he has attached a blessing to it, a good that comes from honoring those who came before us.

Lord, among the commandments given at Sinai, one stands out for the promise attached to it: honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land. The command to honor my parents, those who gave me life and raised me, carries with it a promise of blessing, that it may go well with me. You attach to the honoring of father and mother a blessing; there is good that comes from honoring those who gave me life. Show me the command and its promise: honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you. The honoring of parents is not an arbitrary demand; it is right, a fitting response to those who gave me life and raised me, and you attach a blessing to it. To honor father and mother is to acknowledge what I owe to those who came before me, to treat them with the respect due to them; and you promise that it will go well with those who do. Take that to my heart, for I am called to honor my parents, and there is a blessing in doing so. I can neglect the honor due to my parents, taking them for granted, treating them with less respect than they are owed, forgetting what I received from them; but you command me to honor father and mother, and attach a blessing to it. Keep me from neglecting the honor due to my parents, those who gave me life; help me honor them, Lord, as you command, and know there is a blessing in doing so. Help me honor my father and mother, giving them the respect due to those who gave me life, as you command with a promise that it may go well with me.