Apr 23
9
Baptist Catechism 68 – 71
Q. 68. Which is the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment is, “Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” (Exodus 20:12)
Q. 69. What is required in the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment requireth the preserving the honor, and performing the duties, belonging to everyone in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals. (Lev. 19:32; 1 Peter 2:17; Rom. 13:1; Eph. 5:21,22; Eph. 6:1,5,9; Col. 3:19-22; Rom. 12:10)
Q. 70. What is forbidden in the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment forbideth the neglecting of, or, doing anything against the honor and duty which belongeth to everyone in their several places and relations. (Prov. 30:17; Rom. 13:7,8)
Q. 71. What is the reason annexed to the fifth commandment?
A. The reason annexed to the fifth commandment is a promise of long life and prosperity (as far as it shall serve God’s glory and their own good), to all such as keep this commandment. (Eph. 6:2,3; Prov. 4:3-6; 6:20-22)
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 4
“Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” (Proverbs 4, ESV)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
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Introduction
I have come to really love and appreciate the instruction that our catechism provides on the Ten Commandments. One thing that I appreciate is the breadth of the interpretation. Our catechism does not give us a narrow interpretation, but a broad one. In other words, these commandments are teased out. And it is right for the Ten Commandments to be teased out, for this is what the scriptures do, and this is what Christ himself did. The Ten Commandments are to be viewed as a summary of God’s moral law. And you know what a summary is. A summary provides a brief account of something but does not tell the whole story. The Ten Commandments contain God’s moral law, in summary.
So, the fifth commandment, which is, “Honor thy father and thy mother”, does not merely require little children to respect their parents. No, properly understood, it requires us “to preserve the honor, and perform the duties, belonging to everyone in their [various] places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals.” Stated negatively, it forbids “the neglecting of, or, doing anything against the honor and duty which [belongs] to everyone in their [various] places and relations. In other words, respect is to be shown to all people. And it is to be shown to all people taking into consideration their place in relation to you as either superiors, inferiors, or equals. So it is not only superiors — like parents — who are to be respected but equals and inferiors too, each in a way that is fitting.
And where is this behavior first learned? In the home. It is in the family environment where children are taught to honor others. First, they are to honor their parents. Second, if they have siblings, they are to honor them as equals. And third, they are to take this responsibility with them out into the world to apply in every realm. “The fifth commandment requireth the preserving the honor, and performing the duties, belonging to everyone in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals.”
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Baptist Catechism 69 & 70
Notice that the fifth commandment is the first commandment of the second table of God’s law. The first table of the law (commandments 1-4) has to do with our relationship to God and the worship of his name. And the second table (commandments 5-10) has to do with our relationships with our fellow man. The fifth commandment, just like the first commandment, is foundational then.
Where do we start if we wish to relate to our fellow man in the right way? We start with honor. And the very first people we must learn to honor are our parents.
My time is very limited in the afternoon, and so I will not expand upon this much. But think of how devastating the breakdown of the family is to society. Think of how devastating it is for God’s moral law to be abandoned and suppressed within a society. If God’s law is not honored, and if children are not taught to honor God and man within the home, then do not be surprised when that society grows very harsh and sinful. If we are to learn how to relate well to our fellow man, we must learn to show honor to everyone in their different places. And this is to be learned first all in the home as children are raised, ideally, by father and mother.
Notice that our catechism says that we must “preserve the honor” of others. Does this not imply that men and women possess a certain dignity by nature? Yes, and this is because they have been made in the image of God. And add to this the place that God has given them in the world. Each place — be it low or high — requires a certain kind of honor. This honor is to be preserved. Does this not also imply that we, because of our sinful condition, do tend towards dishonor? Throughout the history of the world, the weak have been exploited by the strong. This cannot be. And men do also slander other men. This also is a great evil. Not only are we to show honor to others who have been made in God’s image, we must also seek to preserve their honor. So this may involve standing up for the weak and oppressed and rebuking the slanderer to preserve the reputation of another.
Next, our catechism speaks of “performing the duties, belonging to everyone”. When I think of the instruction to preserve the honor… belonging to everyone”, I think of defense. We must defend the honor of others. But the words, “performing the duties, belonging to everyone”, communicates that we are to positively and proactively give to others the honor that is due to them.
Children owe their parents honor in the form of respect and obedience. Children, honor your parents. You must. God commands it. And when you fail to honor your parents, you must learn to repent. That means that you must learn to confess your sin to God, for you sin against him when you dishonor your parents. You must ask him to forgive you in Christ Jesus. And you must also learn to ask your parents to forgive you, for you have done wrong to them. You have failed to give them what they deserve as your parent — respect and obedience. And lastly, you must ask the Lord to help you to not stumble again. Children owe their parents honor in the form of respect and obedience.
Citizens owe respect to governing authorities; congregants owe respect to their ministers; wives owe respect to their husbands; employees owe respect to their employers. On and on I could go. But I do love this little phrase, “ in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals.” It helps us to remember that honor is owed, not only to those who are over us, but also to those who stand beside us and are under us.
Husbands, honor your wives, therefore. Am I now contradicting the scriptures which say, “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” No! I am only drawing your attention to what is said next in that same passage — “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.” So do you see that there is a special kind of honor that a wife owes to her husband, and there is a special kind of honor that a husband owes to his wife?! Yes, the husband has authority in the home, but honor is to be shown to all. As Peter says, “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7, ESV)
In a similar way, governors owe a certain kind of honor to their citizens. Bosses owe a certain kind of honor to their employees. And parents are even called to honor their children. “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged” (Colossians 3:21, ESV). “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4, ESV).
I hope you are able to see, brothers and sisters, that the fifth commandment is foundational. It sets the standard, not only for the relationship between child and parent but for all human relationships. Honor is to be shown to all in a way that is fitting. Or to use another term, love is to be shown. And I’m sure you remember how Christ summed up the whole law with the word love. Love God with all you are, and love your neighbor as yourself. In fact, listen to the way he summed up the second table of the law as he spoke to a rich young man who was covetous. “And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 19:18–19, ESV). The law, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”, is the sum of the entirety of the second table of God’s moral law.
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Baptist Catechism 71
In the remainder of our time together I would like to briefly consider Baptist Catechism 71 which asks, “What is the reason annexed to the fifth commandment?” “Annexed” is simply an old-fashioned word for added. “What is the reason [added or attached] to the fifth commandment?”
This is a question about the promise attached to the fifth commandment itself, which says, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12, ESV). So there is a blessing attached to the fifth commandment. In Ephesians 6:1 Paul says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’”, and then he adds, “this is the first commandment with a promise” (Ephesians 6:1–2, ESV).
So what is this promise all about? Our catechism gives this answer: “The reason annexed to the fifth commandment is a promise of long life and prosperity (as far as it shall serve God’s glory and their own good), to all such as keep this commandment.”
The little qualification, “as far as it shall serve God’s glory and their own good” is meant to keep us from assuming that this is a guarantee. In other words, we should not take this to mean that every child that honors his parents will live a very long and prosperous life. No, life doesn’t work that way. The righteous do sometimes die young.
Instead, we are to take this as a general rule. In fact, the Proverbs are filled with things like this. They are not promises, strictly speaking, but general principles. Those who obey God’s law and pursue wisdom will be blessed in life, generally speaking. And you know this to be true. Wise living does usually produce good things. But not always. As I said, sometimes the righteous do suffer. In fact, I think that is one reason we have the book of Job. That book shows us that the righteous do sometimes suffer. But what is the general principle in this promise attached to the fifth commandment?
Well, we should remember that the ten commandments were originally given to Israel as a nation. If Israel were to obey this law, they would be blessed in the land. But Paul does also apply this same law to New Covenant Christians who do not have a homeland. And to us, he says, “‘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 6:2–3, ESV).
Here is the principle. Though it is true that God may have other plans and purposes, in general, it is true that keeping this commandment will be rewarded with good things in this life. Good things will come to you because the blessing of God is on you. And also good things will come to you because of the so-called natural consequences of your actions. Those who are rebellious will most often suffer difficulty, whereas those who honor God and their fellow man will most often enjoy the blessings that come with that way of life. You have witnessed this, I’m sure.
And indeed this is true when it comes to all of God’s commandments. There is a blessing in them. There is life in them. No, we do not keep them perfectly, so we need a Savior. But God’s law is good. God’s law is not burdensome.
Proverbs 4, which was read at the start of this sermon, speaks to this reality. It begins, “Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching.” And then later it says, “Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown. Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many.”
And I would like to show you this same principle in Paul’s instructions to husbands. He says, among other things, “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself” (Ephesians 5:28, ESV). Oh, how true that is. Brothers, do you want good? Then love your wives with the love of Christ. And sisters, do you want it good, then honor your husbands in the Lord. Children, do you want it good? Then honor your father and mother — indeed, give everyone the honor that is due to them.
As I have said, there are no guarantees, but generally, this principle is true. Keeping God’s law does bring about much that is good and pleasant. And certainly, it will produce good and pleasant things in the life to come where we will enjoy life eternal with our Maker and our Savior. And really, I think that is the ultimate point.
