1 Samuel 26: A Man of Honor

“Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12 (The Fifth Commandment)

Centuries before Freud had anything to say about parents, Jewish and Christian scholars have noticed the connection between the way we relate to our parents and the way we respond to authority. “Never give a person spiritual authority who has outstanding issues with his father,” is colloquial wisdom for ministry. Why? If you cannot honor your parents who have carried authority over your life for your most formative years, you will not be able to carry your own authority with the kind of respect it deserves.

The fifth commandment is the first part of what scholars have concluded is the second tablet of the law. The first tablet was foundational for loving God. The second tablet was foundational for loving others. The fifth command, ‘honor your parents,’ is the starting point for a life that can love others. What does that have to do with David and Saul?

David is a man who respects authority. Saul, by his constant folly, selfishness and evil scheming, has done nothing but accumulate evidence against his worthiness to rule. David is worthy to rule in Israel and must bear under the pressure of Saul’s folly and hatred. David’s respect for the authority that God had established overrules Saul’s apparent forfeiture of credibility. Therefore, as he is running for his life, he constantly seeks to make himself right with the authority that has made him an outcast.

I could ask the question, ‘have you honored your parents,’ but the real question is, ‘do your parents feel honored by you?’ More applicable for us may be the question, ‘do you honor those in authority over you by the way you think, the way you speak, and the way you act?’ Your employer may be unqualified but they are an authority in your life (not the ultimate). Your church is an authority in your life and will be held accountable for the way they shepherd you (Heb 13:7, 17). Your government is an authority in your life as well. Honoring does not mean wholesale, mindless submission, but rather active, passionate and deliberate submission whether you agree or not. Many of us will give a gift to the next generation by modeling this kind of respect in the face of disagreement.

Posted by Marc