To Honor Parents is to Honor God!

To honor parents is the same as honoring God. He is the One Who commanded children to honor parents.

What does honor of parents look like? First it is not the honor of one more than the other, it is honoring both equally.

Two ways God commands us to demonstrate this honor toward parents is to esteem them and seek their wisdom.

Those adult children who act superior to their parents, one or both of the parents are dishonoring God.

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Ruth honored her widowed mother-in-law Naomi. Simeon Solomon, 1860." Wikibooks

The command to honor father and mother is to be extended to both parents and even in-law parents. Those who think they can dishonor the parents of their spouse do not understand the dynamic of "parentage."

The best way we can love our spouse is to treat with a great deal of respect both in-law parents. To accept the in-law parents the same way you would accept your own is to honor your spouse and to honor God.

To treat one of the in-law parents as unworthy of respect or to treat the in-law parents as unworthy of attention is to disobey God and dishonor Him as well as the in-law parents.

These commands violated bring with that a condemnation in the life of the children. It is dangerous to revile the commands of God and think one can get away with it without consequences.

Proverbs 1:8-9 "8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother. 9 For they are a garland of grace on your head, and a pendant around your neck.…"

There is no good reason to dishonor parents. There is no command to choose to honor parents based on whether or not they seem to measure up with your own idea of goodness.

Those who treat in-law parents as second rate to be ignored or abandoned will see the punishment of God.

1 Kings 2:19
"19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right."

Even the King back in the day knew to treat with a great deal of respect the mother-in-law. It is amazing to me those who hold the old Jewish customs of the feasts in such high regard while ignoring the command and mandate to treat their mother-in-law with respect.

The problem I fear is the lack of understanding in our day of what respect looks like. Respect is more than just pretending to be nice to someone. Respect is actually caring deeply about them. Respect is shown when their wisdom is listened to and valued. I do not see many young people today who act as though they value their parents or even their grandparents. The children battle with them when they don't like what the parent or the grandparent says.

Even more disheartening is that most parents and grandparents these days withhold their opinions out of fear of rejection from their children and grandchildren. They have been intimidated into silence in order to earn love.

I don't know about you, but I cannot imagine being intimidated into silence to earn love from anyone. If someone loves me they will be glad I spoke and perhaps even seen the value in the worlds.

Adult children do not have to agree with everything we say, but they should listen and go away to pray about it, rather than feeling the intense itch to lash out or have their own say as though they are superior.

The young people of today have been trained that their ideas are better than anyone else's simply because they had them in their head. They feel no sense of listening or learning from their elders, this will bring them to ruin.

The word of God will be offensive to the rebellious young person. They will hate correction, hate that you are "preaching" to them but it must be done. When they refuse remove yourself and let God teach them. When God teaches through life experiences it will be harder on them than if they just listened to wisdom and went to prayer to seek God. The word of God cuts deeply in those who cannot tolerate instruction.

Proverbs 12:1-2 "1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. 2 The good man obtains favor from the LORD, but the LORD condemns a man who devises evil."

Just Saying!!!!!

1 Peter 2:1
"2:1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander."

Hebrews 4:12
"12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."