READING: Eph. 6:1-4: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first command-ment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
This exhortation concerns the relationship in families between parents and their children. The relationship with the Lord was already mentioned in marital relations but also comes up in family relationships.
Paul refers to the fifth commandment: “Honor your father and mother,” and adds, “children, obey your parents in the Lord.” Parents do not have authority over their children on their own; they have received it from the Lord. Children must first obey Him and through Him, their parents.
This is a new addition compared to the Old Testament, and it’s important that our children are instructed in this. They serve the Lord Christ by obeying their father and mother. “This is right”, Paul adds, which means: this is what the Lord desires!
Especially in our time where authority is no longer taken for granted, often neglected by parents and not recognized by their children, this commandment is very important. It is all about serving the Lord!
This commandment also comes with a promise: “that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you”. Paul explains this: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth”. The Old Testament words point here to eternal life.
The apostle does not stop but also emphasizes the duty parents have: they must instruct their children properly and discipline them. In this, children should be able to recognize the hand of the Lord Himself.
Fathers should not provoke their children to anger by being overly harsh. Certainly, sometimes correction is necessary with a form of discipline, but let a father do it in a way that shows his children that he loves them.
How do you speak about your teacher/boss/government leaders?
Singing: Ps. 127:3