Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
The Hebrew word translated "honor" means, in context, caring for parents, especially as they age. This first starts our with a parent caring for their children, and then children rewarded their parents by caring for them. However, if parents were abusive, children had the right to shun their parents.
The Fifth Commandment is repeated in Colossians 3:20-21 KJV:
Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers here to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission of children. This highlighted word ultimately refers to a secure attachment between parent and child in the family home. This secure attachment comes from parent submission, where parents are to perform good works for children, with children resting in the good works of parents. Good works here refers to doing good things for children, meeting children's every vulnerable need, expecting absolutely nothing in return. See Matt. 22:35-40, 25:31-46; 1Cor. 13:4-8
The Fifth Commandment, as most commonly interpreted, is a common excuse for parents punishing children. The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It isn't enough to avoid punishing your child when they talk back - you need to avoid offending your child in any way, even if they talk back. The only way around this commandment is to be willing to make a meaningful apology, especially if you lose your cool. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and Tenth Commandments, and was intended by the Apostle Paul as a moral statute prohibiting the pagan custom of patrias potestas, meaning the "right" of fathers to enforce law in his home, including through spanking and punishing children. Roman law prohibited attachment parenting, but the Early Christians obeyed God over men, and practiced attachment parenting anyway.
The Fifth Commandment does not refer to simply speaking against parents. Instead, the Fifth Commandment simply means that adult children are to care for their aging parents. However, children who were abused were permitted to shun their parents. Child abuse was defined as entitlement in a parent resulting in offense in a child, meaning whatever the child perceived as abusive.
The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Any comment that
1. Endorses child abuse (including pornography of such)
2. Imposes want to the point of imposition, meaning entitlement.
3. Contains self-entitled parent rhetoric, to the point of self-victimization
will not be published. Flexible application. Debate is allowed, but only civil arguments that presume the best of intentions in their opponent, on both sides.