Theme: THE SIN OF DISOBEDIENCE
Text: “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” – Exodus 20:12.
Comments: God’s divine instruction that fathers and mothers should be honoured means that one should not disobey their godly instructions – in that parents have been charged to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. – Ephesians 6:4.
Therefore, a child who refuses to obey the righteous instructions of his parents is invariably refusing to be spiritually nurtured in the way of righteousness and hence will not be in favour with God. The case of the Rechabites in Jeremiah Chapter 35 readily comes to mind. The man Jonadab, son of Rechab, instructed his children that they should not drink wine, nor build houses, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, but that they should dwell in tents in the land where they were strangers. Though these instructions may be considered unwise in the reasoning of some persons, yet the Rechabites kept it to the letter and God blessed them for faithfully keeping to their father’s instruction. (Jeremiah 35:6-10,18,19) King Solomon, advising on the need to keep the instructions of fathers and mothers declared “My son, keep thy father’s commandment and forsake not the law of thy mother: bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee, when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee” – Proverbs 6:20-22; 1:8-9.