Respect

DEVOTION

EXODUS

RESPECT

Ex 21:15-17

15 "Anyone who attacks his father or his mother must be put to death.

16 "Anyone who kidnaps another and either sells him or still has him when he is caught must be put to death.

17 "Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.

NIV

Three offenses in which the guilty are to be put to death. It seems quite harsh to put someone to death for cursing their parents. Surely an all-out attack on them is different than just a curse. Kidnapping is not to be tolerated either under any circumstances. Not sure why the issue of kidnapping or taking another’s servant is included in this sandwich of dealing with parents, but there it is. Could it be connected to a child stealing their parent’s servant, although not specifically laid out as such? This would put the whole of these three in the context of respecting parents from birth to death. This would mean that no matter the parenting skills displayed, a child has only one responsibility which is to honor their father and mother, as one of the Ten Commandments so states. Surely a physical attack on a parent would not bring the death penalty today, nor would cursing a parent, or taking their servant, if they had one that is. However it is possible to attack the character of our parents in the telling of our childhood experiences. We have a responsibility to God to honor our parents, no matter who they were. We may have had a rough childhood. We might have experienced some harsh treatment from the hand of a parent. We could have been the brunt of some form of abuse. We could also have had the best parents ever. The condition of our home life as a child is not issue here, but it is how we speak of our parents now. Some would say that we are the result of our parent’s lifestyle. Some would say having emotional issues is a result of our childhood. All the situations which are explained as a result of how we were reared, in essence, makes us victims of our past. It is this victim mentality that relieves us from any responsibility we have to honor them, unless of course they were perfect parents. Nevertheless how we were treated as children should have no bearing on our behavior or attitude about our parents. In some cases, perhaps most cases, we do not know the conditions of their life as a child and if they are not or were not believers, they would not be aware of this command of God. They may well have been the result of difficult times in childhood and carried that with them all their lives and it resulted in their attitudes and behaviors as parents. However, as believers we must come to grips with the fact that Jesus breaks every fetter. He breaks the chains of our past and sets us on a new course of life, leaving the old behind, with all its attitudes and behaviors.

Eph 4:20-24

20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

NIV

This new self is one who honors parents. This new self is one who never brings dishonor on them in any form. If we were mistreated in anyway, we have forgiven them and we now show them honor. There is no choice, no wiggle room on this fact, for it is a command of God. When we dishonor their character or memory we dishonor God. Irrespective of what family we were born into, what our parents were like, it was God who knit us together in our mother’s womb. His sovereignty was at work bringing us life into where he designed us to be, and it was for a designed purpose, a plan for our lives, which ultimately lead us to finding our way back to him. If for no other reason, we should honor the two parents God used to bring us into this life. We are now new creatures in Christ and our lives should reflect that in our respect, our honor of our parents.