Honors And Obeys His Parents

Honors And Obeys His Parents

A HERO’S TALE

King Solomon was filthy rich.

He was virtually tripping over gold in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 10:14-22). But he was also an incredibly wise ruler. In fact, he wrote several of the Bible’s “wisdom books,” such as Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. The book of Proverbs, in particular, is filled with godly wisdom. Its 31 chapters are chock-full of golden treasures of biblical knowledge.

Of all the wise sayings Solomon could’ve chosen to begin Proverbs, check out what he wrote: “My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck” (Proverbs 1:8-9).

Solomon, the wisest man on earth, who wrote more than 4,000 songs and proverbs (see 1 Kings 4:29-34), considered honoring and obeying one’s parents to be of the highest importance.

DECODING THE MESSAGE

“Yes, Mom.” “Yes, Dad.”

Those four words are each one syllable, even possible for two-year-olds to pronounce. Yet they are four of the hardest words to say in the English language!

It’s no secret —obeying your parents isn’t always easy. Do you know why? It’s because you have a sin problem. From the moment you were born, your heart was naturally bent against God. And if it’s tough to obey your Creator, it will be tough to obey your parents, too.

If you’ve ever been around toddlers who are learning to speak, you’ve probably heard them say, “No!” to their parents. (Maybe one of those toddlers is your younger sibling!) Do you think their parents taught them to do that? No, of course not! Children’s sinful desire to rebel was born inside them.

In his infinite wisdom, God has given you parents to love you and protect you. But they are also there to train you in godliness. After all, how can you obey God (whom you can’t see) if you can’t obey your parents (whom you can see)?

In fact, obeying your parents is so important that God included it as one of the Ten Commandments, right up there with “Worship God only,” “Don’t steal,” and “Don’t murder.” Exodus 20:12 says, “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Your parents are a wonderful blessing from God! Solomon, the wisest of kings, understood how important it is to obey parents. You should understand that too.

BATTLE PLAN

When your parents tell you to do something, get into the habit of saying, “Yes, Mom” or “Yes, Dad” right away. It’s a great way to start obeying!