Deuteronomy 5:11 – 16 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
APPLICATION: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.” In the time of Moses, calling upon the name of a god amounted to calling heaven and earth to witness that what you were about to say was true. Calling on a god to witness your statements was also a form of worship; you were acknowledging that this god had power over you. To use God’s name to curse someone or to use it carelessly would be an act of anti – worship.
What’s the difference between an act of worship and an act of anti – worship? God promises throughout His Word that worshiping Him will bring blessings. On the other hand, if we scorn God and use His Name as a curse or even as a casual exclamation (OMG!), we are graphically demonstrating that we do not respect God nor do we worship Him. Does this mean that we need to be careful about our language? Yes.
Honoring the Sabbath has gone out of style in the last few decades; however, this commandment was made for our protection. Each one of us needs rest; if our jobs require us to work on a weekend, we still need to have off days some other time during the week. The amazing thing about this commandment was that its provisions extended to children, servants, animals, and even to “the foreigner within your gates.”
God wanted this rest to be comprehensive, knowing that human and animal bodies need time to recuperate. Ignore this commandment and you are headed for burnout. Observing this commandment also constitutes an form of worship and respect for God, both for his act of creation and also for his deliverance.
“Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” OUCH! At first, for some of us, this commandment might appear to be impossible. While some families have Hallmark movie kinds of relationships with loving parents and children, others are quite different. What do you do if one or both of your parents were absent (emotionally or physically or both), neglectful, or even physically or emotionally abusive?
You need to recognize the truth of your relationship with your parents. Generally, babies are born with normal affections and normal reactions. You were a normal child; you were not defective. At the same time, parents generally repeat the parenting style they experienced when they were children.
Some parents may never had had any affection whatsoever and therefore do not know how to be affectionate. Children of such parents are likely to blame themselves, sometimes becoming people pleasers in an effort to gain affection their parents cannot give. Some parents received harsh physical discipline when they were children and know no other means of training a child. Parents who abuse drugs or alcohol may act according to the state of their addiction.
The first step in honoring a difficult parent is to see yourself as a child of God, not just of your parents. Whether or not your parents could give you love, God loves you unconditionally. Because God loves you unconditionally, you can love your parents in the same way. Ask God for help.
The second step is to find anything good that you can think of about your parents. Sometimes this might be nearly impossible; ask God to help.
The third step depends on your situation. Are you still living with your parents? Are you in danger? Are you out of the house, but your parents are trying to suck off resources that you or your own family need? Honoring your parents does not mean that you have to endanger yourself by remaining in an abusive relationship. Again, ask God for help and guidance. If God has given you this commandment, He has a perfect way that you can fulfill it.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to celebrate Sabbaths, even if we have to do it on some day other than Sunday. Help us to find ways to honor our parents, even the difficult or wicked ones. And help us to honor Your Name in all of our speech. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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