Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honour your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise. If you honour your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”
Ephesians 6:1-3
Wow new chapter, new topic aye? No, new chapter same theme. Paul didn’t put a chapter break here because he didn’t use chapter divisions. Robert Estienne made it a new chapter and got it right. But still the same theme. That is why in Gem 623 – The Grand Scheme I put in the diagram below:
Paul is working his way through the submission of all of us. All things in heaven and earth submitted under Christ. He has been dealing with bigger picture things and then he turned to the family. Firstly, husbands and wives, because if husbands and wives are not submitted there is not much chance for the kids. But once husbands and wives are submitted then children, slaves and everything else in the household ought to be submitted too. How do children get submitted? Simply by obeying their parents. In a later gem I will explain why the “You” is in there. The astute ones of you can probably work it out. Hint hint – prod prod.
Notice that Paul is doing the same thing he has before. It’s a pattern.
- Obey your parents because you belong to the Lord.
- Commandment with a promise; so things will go with you.
He has taken the same approach as he took with both husband and wife when he said submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Do it for Him if you don’t get that it is a good thing to do.
Wives submit to your husband as to the Lord. Submit to hubby as if you were submitting to the Lord Christ. If you can’t do it for him, do it for Him.
Children submit because you belong to the Lord. The message in all of this is that no one likes submitting much, it goes against the grain. But do it anyway because it is good for you. Like t! aking medicine.
Then Paul does with the children as he did with the husband. To the husbands he said, “Do yourself a favour; love your wife.” Ian’s version. If you love your wife you actually love yourself. You two are one now. In other words there is an incentive here because it will go well for you. Children, do it because this is the first commandment with a promise. If you obey your parents and are rightly submitted as God would have you be then it will go well for you. Is Paul saying do what your parents want and they will reward you? I.e. It will be good. You will be blessed because your parents will bless you. While that may be the case; your parents may bless you for your obedience but Paul is not saying that. Paul is appealing to a higher authority. Paul is saying if you submit to the purposes of God, then God will bless you. Parents don’t grant long life; only God does. Yes it may go well with you in obeying your parents when your parents reward you. But far better than your parents rewarding you, is when God rewards you. Seek that. Seek Him and His kingdom and all the rest will be added to you.
Kids get the message. Obey your parents because God has asked you to do so and He will pour blessings on your life irrespective of what your parents are like. Wow, now that is a promise to lay hold of.
Kids be smart; obey your parents. It has heavenly benefits.
Kids can be smart too – get a load of these pearls of wisdom:
Dear GOD, Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don’t you just keep the ones You have?
An anonymous kid
Dear GOD, Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother.
Larry 6
When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.
Billy 4
You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.
Jessica 5
A child who had just learned to tie his shoelaces was crying, so his mum asked, ‘Is it that hard?’ ‘No,’ he sobbed, ‘but now I’ll have to do it for the rest of my life!’
A Smart Kid
The advice your son rejected is now being given by him to your grandchild.
Anon
A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather’s word processor. She told him she was writing a story. “What’s it about?” he asked. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I can’t read.”
One day in school, a little girl was asked by her art teacher what she was drawing. “A picture of God,” she replied. The teacher said, “But nobody’s ever seen Him.” Confidently the little girl replied, “They will when I’m finished!”
Anon