God is guiding us out of the land of slavery into a place of freedom and love. This is what the 10 Commandments are for: They orient us to freedom.
Fifth Word
“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (Ex. 20:12)
Some say…
Some say this word is primarily about obedience to parents and submission to rulers. This new sees this command as protecting authority—the authority of parents over children, of rulers over the people, and ultimately of God over all.
Essentially this command is about obedience.
But what if…
But what if the honor due to our parents is really an open-ended respect and regard for those who came before us—an esteeming of our forebears?
God spoke this word to adults, the ones freed from slavery. As adults the main concern can’t be obedience because these adults—leading their own families—wouldn’t need to obey their elderly parents in some sort of servile manner.
Word of Life: Esteeming
This word—orienting us to life and freedom—frees us from the tyranny of the new and the efficient. We become so focused on what is right before us, and what is coming, that we lose sight of what has come before us.
Just as the Sabbath teaches us that rest is for work, so also our elder are valued for relationships, not for a return on investment (in time or production). This word reminds us that those who come before us are desirable not disposable.
What are the ways you can honor your father and your mother today? How can you values and esteem them today? How can you show them they are desirable and not disposable?