“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12
In the stand-up comedy routine, "Bill Cosby Himself," Cosby comments a lot on the relationship between parents and their kids. At one point, he relates a time when he comes home and finds his wife in a sour mood. All she says is, "I want you to go upstairs . . . and kill that boy."
So Cosby goes up to his son's room and finds him looking "pitful." This reminds Cosby of the many times his own mother had told him, "When your father comes home, he's going to shoot you in the face with a bazooka . . . and I am not going to stop him this time either! You know, he's always wanted to kill you!"
Many people point to Exodus 20:12 as the "first commandment with a promise" since the second part of the verse reads: "so that you may live long . . ." While that may be the case, I think this commandment is also one of those rules that you follow for your own good!
Just like the odds of living a long life are better when you don't play in busy streets and such, you're more likely to live a long life if you're not ticking off your parents all the time. Even though Bill Cosby is exaggerating when he says to his son, "I brought you into this world and I'll take you out!" his material is funny because parents can relate to that feeling of getting so angry with their kids that they feel like resorting to violence.
So it makes perfect sense that God would tell the children of Israel, "Look, if you want to live a while longer, make sure you respect the parents I've put over you . . . you know, they've always wanted to kill you."
I realize that things are a bit different today than they were during the time of Moses. Back then, children who blatantly disrespected their parents in public could receive capital punishment. Today, people are offended by the notion of parents spanking their kids. Nevertheless, God does not say, "Honor your father and mother only if they deserve it or because you're afraid they might kill you otherwise."
We should honor, respect, and obey our parents because they are the ones God has put over us. And if you do that, life at home will be a lot better. Think about it, wouldn't things be a lot easier around the house if the kids and the parents were able to get along instead of yelling at each other all the time?
Furthermore, kids who have a good relationship with their parents are less likely to try drugs/alcohol, get involved in gangs, wind up in prison, etc. And people who don't get mixed up in stuff like that typically live longer lives. So the next time someone is making fun of you for obeying your parents, think about where they might be in the next 5-10 years: Rehab? Prison? Maybe even a coffin?
Colossians 3:18-21 gives us a picture of what a Godly household looks like:
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
This is how God wants us to live: in a caring family where people respect one another and treat each other unselfishly.
Are you always going to get along with your parents? Probably not. But if you stop worrying about being cool for a moment and think about it, you'll realize that your life will be better (and probably longer) if you learn to respect and honor them like God says.
And that's the bottom line, what God says is always right. If you still have a problem with the idea of honoring your parents, take it up with Him and tell me how that works out for you.
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