Children, Obey Your Parents

 

by Russell M. Kline

 

The commandment for children to obey their parents is one which carries with it an interesting promise. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth" (Eph. 6:1-3). The claim that this was the first commandment with promise is borne out in the Biblical record. "Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee" (Exo. 20:12). In the Old Testament, long life was promised to all children who would respect the authority of their parents, because, under the Law of Moses, disobedient children were put to death (Deu. 21:18-21). In the New Testament, a long and satisfying life is promised to all children who will respect the authority of their parents, because, while stubbornness may not be a capital crime under the Law of Christ, it is still a sin, which is deadly to the soul (Rom. 1:30,32).

 

Every parent wants his children to learn one simple lesson: "Just do what I tell you to do, and all will be well." Yet, it is only natural for children to challenge the authority of their parents, and to test the limits of their tolerance. Most of the time, this period of challenging and testing will eventually come to an end, if parents offer their children fair and consistent discipline. However, there are times when stubbornness and rebellion dwell in the hearts of children, and they become locked in an everlasting struggle with their parents, which can have lasting effects upon the entire family. Any number of factors might be responsible for the arising of such a situation, but children must learn to obey their parents, if they are ever going to succeed in life. If you are a child who is at war with mom and dad, I hope that you will carefully consider the following points.

 

Your parents love you. My wife and I adopted our son, and it is difficult to express with words the magnitude of the love we have for him. I suppose that I can identify with Abraham, who, when he was finally blessed with a son (Isaac), celebrated even the smallest milestones in his life (Gen. 21:8). It is impossible for one who has no children to fully appreciate the great love that naturally exists in the heart of every parent (Gen. 22:2). Of course, there are those parents who neglect, abuse, and even hate their children. They are not worthy of the title, "mother" and "father," yet they are exceptional, in that the vast majority of parents love their children above and beyond all measure. It disturbs me, when I hear children complain that their parents "hate" them, because they will not allow them to do or to have some particular thing. Parents who set limits for their children do so because they love them (Heb. 12:7-13).

 

Your parents want you to do what is right. It is the responsibility of parents to make sure that their children grow up to be good and honorable people (Eph. 6:4). They have already been down the pathway of life, and they do not want their children to make the same mistakes that they did (Gal. 6:8). They do not want their children to "experiment" with drugs, or sex, or anything else that might harm them (Rom. 16:19). They know that the "pleasure" of sin is only temporary, and that they consequences of sin can be a terrible burden to bear (Heb. 10:26,27). Parents do not want to ruin their children's fun, but they also do not want their children to get hurt by the dangers that lurk


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