Ephesians 6

Sunday, 6 November 2016

“that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” Ephesians 6:3

The words here are reflective of the promise made in the Ten Commandments to Israel, both in Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16. There is a portion he omits from his citation though. In the Ten Commandments, it says, “that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”

The people of Israel were promised an inheritance in the land of Canaan. In disobedience to the Lord, they would be exiled from that land. For them, to be exiled was a form of punishment. And so, a long life would be one of enduring that punishment. In other words, the true prosperity of Israel is tied into the land of Canaan, not merely to a long life. There was no need for this statement to be included by Paul when addressing the Gentiles. There is no earthly inheritance which comes through faith in Christ.

Therefore, this is a general blessing which is pronounced upon any and all – Jew or Gentile – who come to Christ. Things can be expected to go well with us, and we can generally anticipate a long and fruitful life on the earth, when we honor our parents. As this is a general promise, it cannot be expected in all instances. Like the proverbs of Solomon, it is a broad guideline that we can anticipate, not a blanket guarantee. In honoring one’s parents, things can normally be expected to go well for us.

Life application: If you want things to go well with you, following the precepts laid out in the Bible is a good way for that to come about. In not following them, you will pierce yourself with many thorns, but in following them, you can generally expect things to turn out in a positive manner.

Lord God, help us to be parents which are responsive to the needs of our children, and also help us to be responsive to the needs our own parents. The family has been established for care, protection, love, and edification. These, and so many other wonderful benefits, come when we live in accord with Your word concerning family matters. And so help us in this Lord. Surely You are pleased when we live lives which have care and respect for those who are so close to us in the family. Amen.

Saturday, 5 November 2016

“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise:  Ephesians 6:2

Verse 1 said, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Now, in support of his note that “this is right,” he cites the fifth of the Ten Commandments. In this, he notes that a special blessing is affixed to this command by saying, “which is the first commandment with a promise.” It is not only the first, it is actually the only commandment of the Ten Commandments with a promise affixed to it.

Some argue that the words of the second commandment also bear a promise –

“For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

This is not a promise. Rather, it is a general declaration of how the Lord works. It is a part of His nature which is being explained in those words. The promise of the fifth commandment is truly a promise, being affixed to show the importance of the command to those who will hear and heed. The promise itself is given in the coming verse.

Life application: The Bible lays great stress on the honoring of parents, and for good reason. If one is unwilling to honor their earthly father and mother, then a disrespect towards God is an obvious result of this attitude of the heart. Our heavenly Father is infinitely worthy of honor. Let us endeavor to honor Him by honoring our earthly parents in obedience to His word.

Parents! Why Lord do they ask us to follow so many rules? Heavenly Father, You have given us our parents to be examples to us of how to live properly. They are people too and are prone to err, but You have asked us to honor them as our parents. Help us to do this, and in turn we will be honoring of You who have given us this command. And Lord, help those of us who are parents to be godly examples of Your will for our own children. Help us to raise our children in a way with which You will be pleased. Amen.

Friday, 4 November 2016

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Ephesians 6:1

Chapter 6 begins with a movement from the marital relationship to that of the responsibilities of and for children. Paul addresses the teknon, or children, directly. The word indicates a child, but in its fuller sense, it figuratively indicates “anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission. This prompts God to transform them into His likeness” (HELPS Word Studies).

The word in this case is following the family unit of children within a household. In such a case, the children are instructed to, “…obey your parents in the Lord.” The words “in the Lord” are given to qualify the word “obey.” In other words, the assumption is that Paul is writing to children who are of the household of faith.

His words do not exclude the fact that all children should so obey their parents, but not all children will receive the words of Paul. Those who do not, still have God’s general revelation of Himself which is instilled in them concerning family hierarchies. However, as is the case outside of God’s special revelation of Himself to His people, these things often become skewed, or even outright rejected.

However, to avoid that happening within the faith, Paul explicitly directs the children who are “in the Lord” to obey their parents. If they are in the Lord, this is the expectation of the Lord, and they are to adhere to it. As Paul next notes, “…for this is right.” Even without this word of special revelation (meaning the apostolic authority of Paul’s writing), it is understood throughout races, cultures, and societies that this is the normal and proper situation in the family unit. How much more so then when it is an expectation of the Lord who has so structured the family unit!

Life application: The parents are to be the leaders in the family. The children are to obey the parents. How unfortunate it is that modern culture has turned this upside down in movies and TV shows. The children tell the parents what they will do and the parents back down as if the decision by the child is fixed. We must be careful to reject such displays and not get our family decisions caught up in this perverse role-setting.

Heavenly Father, Your word outlines the roles of the family unit and it shows us what is right and proper in the conduct of our family life. Children are admonished to obey their parents because this is the natural and right order of how things should be done. Help us to reject the modern roles displayed on TV and in the movies which upturn this God-ordained hierarchy. May our family decisions be in accord with Your word as the parents lead and direct the family in godliness. Amen.