SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/6/2019 10:55 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 “The
Submission of Children”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians
6:1-3
Message of the verses: “1 Children, obey
your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which
is the first commandment with a promise), 3 SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU,
AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.”
I
stated in our last that we will look at some more Greek words as we begin this
SD and the first one is “Dikatos”
which is translated “right” and this refers to that which is correct, just,
righteous—to that which is exactly as it should be. MacArthur writes “For children to obey and
honor their parents is dikaios,
exactly as it should be. For children to
obey and honor their parents is declared of God, ‘Then Thou didst come down on
Mount Sinai, and dist speak with them from heaven; Thou didst give them just
[or right] ordinances and true laws, good statues and commandments’ (Neh.
9:13). ‘The precepts of the Lord are
right, rejoicing the heart,’ David said; ‘the commandment of the Lord is pure
enlightening the eyes’ (Ps. 19:8).
Another psalmist wrote, ‘I know, O Lord, that judgments are righteous,’
and ‘I esteem right all Thy precepts’ (119:75, 128). Hosea closed his message with these beautiful
words: ‘Whoever is wise, let him
understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the
righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in them’ (Hos.
14:9).
“Now
the “right” attitude behind the right act of obedience is “honor” (timao), which means to value highly, to
hold in the highest regard and respect.
In both its verb and noun forms the word is often used as a term of
reverence, preciousness, and honor regarding God the Father and Christ (1 Tim.
1:17; 1 Pet. 2:17; Rev. 4:9, 11; 5:12-13; etc.)
It is also used by the Father in reverence to the Son (Heb. 2:9; 2 Pet.
1:17).”
The
first time that God introduced His written law is in the form of the Ten
Commandments which are seen in the book of Exodus, chapter 20. From that we learn that the first law
relating to human relationships was “Honor your father and your mother, that
your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you” (Ex.
20:12). This is the law that Paul is
referring to in verse two of Ephesians six.
This is the only commandment given in the Ten Commandments that refers
to the family, and the reason is because that one principle alone, when obeyed,
is enough to secure the right relationship of children to their parents. It is not only that, but it is the key
principle behind all right human relationships in society. A person who grows up with a sense of respect
for and obedience to his parents will have the foundation for respecting the
authority of other leaders and the rights of other people in general.
When
Moses wrote “He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to
death,” and also “He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to
death” as seen in Exodus 21:15, 17 we can see that the respect for parents is
of great importance to the Lord.
I
have mentioned that it was probably in the mid 1970’s that John MacArthur
preached the series on Ephesians that this commentary was written from, and he
states that in the United States at least eight million serious assaults are
made each year by children on their parents.
I would have to say that this number has greatly increased. I can remember a case when I was working at
my regular job some 25 years ago that a person that I worked for was killed,
along with his wife, and many thought that their son did this but it was not
proven when it went to trial. I also
worked with the man’s brother and he did not believe that the son was at
fault. The killing was with a knife
which shows many times of great anger while killing someone.
As
I look at our country today and if this one commandment was kept by children
then our nation would not be in the terrible shape that it is in at this point
in history. God gave the Ten
Commandments, and we know that Satan will try and have people break them.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I think that at least some of my
grandchildren are ready to understand the teachings that Paul gives here in
Ephesians 6:1-3.
My Steps of Faith for Today: It is my desire to have my life clean in
order for the Holy Spirit to fill me, which will cause me to be humble.
A very short quotation from “Love in
Action” for today:
“But when the Comforter is come….
John 15:26 KJV”
9/6/2019 11:34 AM
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