The 4th Commandment:

Honor your father and mother.

Chain the Catechism: A topical study through the Lutheran confessions

Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders…Romans 13:2 Therefore whoever resists…Romans 13:7 Pay to all ...

Colossians 3:20 Children, obey…Ephesians 6:3 “that it may go well…

Memorization Verses:

Authority was made to rebel against, right? Create a flowchart of the power in your life.

What are ways you have caused authorities unnecessary grief?

What are their greatest lessons (with or w/o flaws)?

What are ways in which we can honor them? Create (or explain) a tribute for one.

Mother May I?

Popcorn: Dear Father, thank

you for putting ________ in my life because…

Prayer Activity

D-AA|FEFG#|A.aFA|GAFE|D.aBB|

1. Oh, blest the house, whatever

befall,

Where Jesus Christ is all in all!

For if he were not dwelling there,

How dark and poor and void it

were!

 

2. Oh, blest that house where faith

is found

And all in charity abound

To trust their God and serve him

still

And do in all his holy will!

 

3. Oh, blest that house; it prospers

will!

In peace and joy the parents dwell,

And in their children’s lives is

shown

How richly God can bless his own.

 

4. Then here will I and mine today

A solemn covenant make and say:

Though all the world for sake his

Word,

My house and I will serve the

Lord.

 Innocuous as this may seem, it is the only commandment that comes with an inducement instead of an implied threat. This perhaps has the slight suggestion of being respectful to Father and Mother in order to come into an inheritance—the Israelites have already been promised the Canaanite territory that is currently occupied by other people, so the prospective legacy pickings are rather rich. Again, why not propose filial piety as a nice thing in itself?

Discussion Quote

K1m@e)i-t)ew: K1ybi)f-t)e db@'k@a 12 hmfdF)jhf l(a K1ymeyF Nw@krI)jyA N(amal; s .K7lf Nt'nO K1yhelo)v hwFhy:-r#$e)j r#e$)jk@a K1m@e)i-t)ew: K1ybi)f-t)e db@'k@a 16

Dt N(amal; K1yhelo)v hwFhy: K1w@:c hmfdf)jhf l(a K7lf b+ayyi N(amal;w@ K1ymeyF NkuyrI)jyA

s .K7lf Nt'nO K1yhelo)v hwFhy:-r#$e)

Give weight to/honor your father and your mother in order that your days may be long upon the cultivated land which the Lord your God [is] giving to you.

4th Commandment: Exegesis

db@'k ((Piel): Give weight to, opposite of “Take lightly”

First positive promise in the Decalogue (Eph. 2:6) “That your days may be long on the land”Refers to the theological and economical

importance of inheritanceCovenant Promise is taught by the parentsThe promise land is cultivated and given to the

childrenFailure to uphold this line of inheritance results in

leaving the land.

4th Commandment: Exegesis

Yahweh Promises to:

Give us our daily bread through family, community and proper governance

Teach His people through His word and by the authority given to Pastors, parents, and the Church

Discipline us through a godly fear of punishment, as well as to instill a right spirit to do good works

4th Commandment: Promises

In the research teams, after discussing your verses and notes for the week:1. Create a 5 line mosaic

(poem) summarizing the section

2. Draw a picture in your notes of each line.

3rd Commandment Mosaic

Questions:Who are parents and other

authorities?What does God forbid in the

4th?What does God require in

the 4th?What promise does God

attach to the 4th?

Teams:SS: Parents are…M: What is forbidden…T: What is required: Honor

and ServeW: What is Required: Love

and ObeyTh: What is Promised

Research Teams: The 3rd CommandmentHonor your father and mother.What does this mean?We should fear and love God so that we do not despite or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.

We believe: Parents are fathers, mothers, and guardians; other authorities are all those whom God has placed over us at home, in government, at school, at the place where we work, and in the church.

1 Timothy 5:17-18  Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.  For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Romans 13:1-7 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.  For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,   for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.  For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.  Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Matthew 22:21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”

1 Timothy 2:1-3 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,  for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

Titus 3:1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,

1 Peter 2:13-14 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,  or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

Ephesians 6:1-3 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.”

Ephesians 6:5-8 Slaves,  obey your earthly masters  with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

Ephesians 6:9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

1 Peter 5:5-6 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

 

SS. Who are parents and other authorities?

Pray: O God, here I learn to recognized You as my Creator. How wonderfully You have made me, both in body and soul. You have given me life through my parents and have given them kind hearts to serve me, their child, with all their strength. They have brought me into the world, nourished me, waited on me, cared for me, and trained

me through great diligence, anxiety, danger, effort, and labor. Up to this time You have guarded me against countless perils and needs and have often helped me, Your creature, in body and soul. You have done this as though creating me new every hour, while the devil begrudges every moment of my life. Amen (Luther)

SS. What is the Sabbath day? Does God require us to observe the Sabbath and other holy days of the Old Testament?

We believe: God forbids us to despise our parents and other authorities by not respecting them or angering them by our disobedience or by any other kind of sin.

Prov. 23:22 Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

Rom. 13:2 He who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

The sons of Eli grieved their father by their wickedness (1 Sam. 2:12, 23, 25).

Absalom rebelled against his father and king (2 Samuel 15).

Pray: I acknowledge and confess to You my painful disobedience and sin.

Contrary to this commandment of my God, I have not honored my parents, I have been disobedient, often grieved and offended them, received their parental correction with impatience, complained against them, despised their well-meaning admonitions, and have quickly followed the advice of immoral friends and of troubled-makers. You justly curse such disobedience children and deny them a long life. As a result, many go down and perish miserably before they mature. For anyone who does not obey father and mother, must obey the officers of the law, or else wretchedly lose his life through the wrath of God. Al this grieves me, and I pray for grace and pardon. Amen (Luther).

M. What does God forbid in the 4th?

We believe: God requires us to honor our parents and other authorities by regarding them as God‘s representatives; to serve our parents and other authorities by gladly providing what they need or require;

Eph. 6:2-3 "Honor your father and mother'!--which is the first commandment with a promise--"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.“

honored his father (Gen. 46:29). King Solomon honored his mother (1

Kings 2:19). Elisha honored his teacher (2 Kings

2:12).1 Tim. 5:4 If a widow has children

or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.

Rom. 13:7 Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Joseph provided for his father (Gen. 47:11-12).

Jesus provided for His mother (John 19:26).

T. What does God require of us in the 4th Command?

Pray: I pray to You in behalf of myself and all the world, grant Your grace, and richly pour Your blessing upon the home and the state. Help us from now on to be devout, to honor our parents, obey our rulers, resist the devil, and refuse to follow his temptations to disobey and to fight. Enable us by our deeds to improve our homes and nation and to preserve peace for Your praise and glory, for our own benefit, and for extending everything that is good. Grant that we may acknowledge these gifts and give thanks to You for them. A men. (Luther).

I thank You, my bountiful and generous Creator, speaking for myself and all the world, that in this commandment You have established and made secure the reproduction and the preservation of the human race, together with the home and

nation. Without these two institutions the world could not endure for one year, since there is no peace without earthly rulers. Where there is no peace there can be no home. Where there is no home, the protecting care of father and mother would completely stop, and children will not be properly born and raised. In this commandment You support and protect both home and nation and order obedience on the part of children and citizens. You also provide that this my be done; and where it is not done, You will not permit us to go unpunished. If it were otherwise, children would long ago have broken up the home through disobedience, and citizens by their rebellion would have destroyed the state, for they are far more numerous than parents and rulers. Therefore this protection is an unspeakable blessing. Amen. (Luther).

T. What does God require of us in the 4th Command?

We believe: God requires us to obey our parents and other authorities in everything in which god has placed them over us; to love and cherish our parents and other authorities as precious gifts of God; and to show respect to the aged.

Col. 3:20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Titus 3:1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good.

Acts 5:29 We must obey God rather than men!

Jesus was subject to Mary and Joseph (Luke 2:51).

Jonathan disobeyed his father in order to spare David's life and thus obeyed God rather than man (1 Sam. 20:31-33).

Prov. 23:22 Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

Ruth loved and cherished her mother-in-law, Naomi (Ruth).

Lev. 19:32 Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God.

W. What does God require of us in the 4th Command?

Pray: Give parents, employers, and rulers the wisdom and understanding to provide well and to rule peaceably. Guard them against tyranny, rage, and madness. Divert them from these wrongs. Help them to honor Your Word and no persecute or injure anyone. For where these principles are not put into practice, the devil is the chief master, and his rule is wicked and destructive. Amen. (Luther.)Dear Father, You have honored me with Your name and office and would have me esteemed and

called a father. Grant me Your grace and blessing to rule and support my wife, children, and employees in a godly and Christian way. Give me wisdom and strength to train them well. Grant them good hearts and wills to follow, and be obedience to Your precepts. For both children and their welfare are Your gifts. Help us to be well mannered and continue in that which is good. Otherwise a home will be nothing but a roughhouse, a school for rascals, as is found among godless and rude people. Amen. (Luther).

W. What does God require of us in the 4th Command?

We believe: Scripture says to obey this command so:

... that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. Eph. 6:3

Pray: O Lord, ever living God, in whose hands are the issues of life and death, and who alone knows the number of my days, which Your Wisdom has concealed from me. I know O Lord, the hour will shortly come. It’s flying to me quickly upon the wings of time, when I must resign my breath, and quit this lower habitation for an endless one in

eternity. Let the sense of my own weakness, add to the strength of my faith, and the abilities of my soul grow more intense, the nearer my body approaches the grave. O! Let nothing be able to disturb and terrify me. Have me in Your care, O holy Father! For nothing can take m out of Your hands. Give Your holy angels charge to stand about me, to guard and receive my poor soul at my departure, and to conduct and carry it to the blessed places of rest and pace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Johann Gerhard, 1582-1637).

Th . What promise does God attach to this commandment?

Questions: Who are parents and other

authorities? What does God forbid in the 4th? What does God require in the 4th? What promise does God attach to the

4th?Answers Parents are fathers, mothers, and

guardians; other authorities are all those whom God has placed over us at home, in government, at school, at the place where we work, and in the church.

God forbids us to despise our parents and other authorities by not respecting them or angering them by our disobedience or by any other

kind of sin. God requires us to honor our parents

and other authorities by regarding them as God‘s representatives; to serve our parents and other authorities by gladly providing what they need or require;

God requires us to obey our parents and other authorities in everything in which god has placed them over us; to love and cherish our parents and other authorities as precious gifts of God; and to show respect to the aged.

We believe: Scripture says to obey this command so: ... that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. Eph. 6:3

Conclusion

The 5th Commandment:You shall not murder.

Next Week…