Well, you can turn with me in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter five. We're continuing our study in the 10 commandments tonight. The fifth commandment, Deuteronomy 5.16, but I wanna read the section beginning in chapter five at verse six. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me. but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work, you nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. These words, the Lord spoke to all your assembly in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud and the thick darkness with a loud voice. And he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father in heaven, we thank you for the written word of the living and true God. We thank you for these 10 commandments. We thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit that you have given to us to see them and to enjoy them. And Lord God, hopefully to apply them in our own lives. As well, we see these commandments function in Your hand as a means to show sinners their sin and their need for the Savior. And God, we pray that such would take place even tonight, that Your Holy Spirit would be at work in hearts, old hearts and young hearts, showing us where we fall short and how desperately we need the Redeemer, even our Lord Jesus Christ, that Blessed One in whom there is forgiveness. Father, we just thank You for Him. We thank You that there is mercy to be had with You. And we pray that you would pour it out in abundance even tonight. And we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, we have concluded the first table of the law, and now we continue with the second table of the law, which is our duty toward men. And I don't think it's accidental that the fifth commandment is the first one, rather, with reference to that second commandment. If we have problems with authority vis-à-vis our parents, we're going to have problems with authority or with anybody in society. And as society continues on the particular trajectory that it does, we see the dissolution of family. Family is the basic building block of society. And when that dissolves, we ought not to be surprised when society around us crumbles. God has given a particular command to regulate the family, the fifth commandment. It's a blessed commandment. It's a wonderful commandment, and it's a commandment that children and adults need to take to heart. Now, with reference to this particular commandment, there are two sections that we find. In the first place, the command is stated, honor your father and your mother as the Lord your God has commanded you. And then secondly, there is a promise given or a promise attached. And that's in the latter half of the verse, that your days may be long and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you." So that's how we will proceed in the exposition tonight. In the first place, the statement of the command. Secondly, the promise given by God to those in Israel and those Gentiles as well who comply with God's commandment. We see that the apostle Paul takes this commandment in Ephesians chapter six, and he applies it to Gentile children. That is another indicator or another proof that the 10 commandments are binding today. They are perpetual, they are still in play, and the people of God must take them seriously. We cannot maintain that the commandments of God vis-a-vis the 10 commandments were simply for Israel and that Gentile church is somehow under a different law code. That is heretical. Well, I don't know if I'd say heretical. Yeah, let's go ahead and say heretical. I don't mean damning, but I think it's false, it's wrong, and it really does create a lot of mischief in the professing church. So let's look first of all at the command stated, and there's three things we want to consider here. First, the explanation of the command. Secondly, the scope of the command. And then thirdly, the sanction related to the command. But in the first place, note the specific duty. It says, honor your father and your mother. Now, the particular Hebrew word here means to be heavy, to be weighty, to be burdensome or honored. Now, the connection between heaviness and honor is clear. We're not to treat our parents lightly. We are to esteem them. We are to revere them. We are to honor them as the passage demands. Later on in the prophet Ezekiel, one of the reasons why Israel was ejected from the land under Babylon was for this very reason. They made light of parents. They did not take seriously this fifth commandment. When the fifth commandment breaks down or obedience to it breaks down, that then has repercussions for all of society. Most children today need more discipline. That's my observation as an outsider. It's not the case that they need less. It's not the case that they need less hands-on. Rather, they need to be helped and nurtured and cherished and loved and cared for. Discipline, all of that, is absolutely requisite on the part of parents to their children. But with reference to the children, they are to treat with respect, with dignity and honor, their parents. Now, in terms of the connotation in this particular passage, it means to make honorable, to honor and glorify. And interestingly, always father and mother are included. It's not just the father, but it's father and mother. It's not a sexist document. It's not a chauvinistic document. It's not the case that children don't have to submit to their mother because their father is the head of the house. That is absolutely positively contrary to the word and will of God. It is both father and mother that carry this authority, and as a result, children are to honor their parents. Now, if you look at Deuteronomy 4, 40, you will see the covenantal focus with reference to this particular commandment. In Deuteronomy 440, it says, you shall therefore keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land, which the Lord your God is giving you for all time. In other words, this is to regulate their conduct in the land. If they despise this, if they reject this, if they treat their parents with contempt or they treat them lightly, they are going to break that covenant that they are in. This was foundational with reference to Israel's life as the covenant people of God, to maintain faithfulness in the family. One commentator says, the close parallel between these words, the fifth commandment, and 440 indicates that the basic issue involved in the commandment was the continuity of the covenant. Parents were responsible to teach their children concerning the covenant, and by so doing, both children and parents would prosper in the land and see the fulfillment of the covenant promise of God. But to teach effectively, there must be a receptive audience. If children did not honor their parents and were rebellious and self-centered, they would not be able to learn about the covenant relationship with God, which had been so central to the lives of their parents. And as a consequence of dishonoring their parents, they would not prosper in the promised land. For they would not know intimately the Lord of the covenant promise." In other words, this was in fact foundational to Israel's life. Not just their religious life, but political, ethical, everything. And as I said, the prophet Ezekiel, among various sins, highlights the reality that they held in contempt their own parents. This was one of the reasons why they had been cast out of the land. In fact, in the book of Deuteronomy in chapter 27, there's a series of curses for disobedience in the land. And one of the curses is upon those who despise their parental authority, those who reject their parents and do not honor them and do not obey them. Now, in terms of that particular duty, there are other places that we ought to reflect on that cover this particular command. Turn over to Exodus 21. just to see that this is not an isolated theme in Scripture, that the Scripture highlights this reality, not just in the Old, but in the New Testament as well. And as I said, the Apostle Paul universalizes this particular commandment in Ephesians chapter 6, that it may be well with you as you live in this world. In Exodus chapter 21, specifically at verse 15, and he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. And then verse 17, and he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. So you see it's a capital offense in this particular era, this particular covenantal expression. I'm not advocating that necessarily, though for reasons that I don't want to get into. But with reference to this particular statement, you see how important it was for the children of Israel to maintain this relationship to their parents. Leviticus chapter 19. Leviticus 19 verse 3. Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father and keep my command, my Sabbath rather. I am the Lord your God. And then again in Leviticus chapter 20 at verse 9. For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him. And then you can turn to the book of Proverbs. This is some of the some of the material we covered when we went through several themes of the book of Proverbs. I just want to highlight a few passages. Proverbs chapter 15. Proverbs chapter 15, verse 20, a wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother. Now kids, it might be the case where you have peers or friends that are unkind to their parents. That's not funny, that's not cool, that is transgression against the law of God most high. Do not ever begin to think for a moment that it's okay to treat your parents lightly, to hold them in contempt, to not honor them or to not obey them. That is never okay. In fact, God in his word condemns such a mindset consistently. Proverbs 17 and verse 25. A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him. A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him. Children are a blessing from the Lord. The scripture testifies to that. But brethren, you have to put some work into it. If you don't discipline them, if you don't correct them, if you don't help shape them, and mold them, and nourish them, and love them, and shower them with affection, and do the sorts of things that God calls you to do, they're not gonna rise up to be a blessing. They're gonna rise up to be undisciplined, unkind, ungracious, and hold you or treat you with contempt. We need to take seriously not only the responsibility of inferiors, children to their parents, but the responsibility of superiors, their parents to their children. We'll deal with that as we move on. Notice in 1913, Proverbs 19.13, a foolish son is the ruin of his father, and the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping. That latter part of the verse demands its own sermon, but we don't have time for that. Ladies, just don't be that kind of a wife. The contentions of a wife are a continual dripping. That is not meant in a positive way. I personally like to hear the sound of rain, but that one kind of a beat of a drop of water gets very irritating. And Solomon says, that's how a contentious wife is. Don't do that to your man. Come on. Don't make him live in a position where he'd rather dwell on the roof or out in the wilderness. Love your man. 1926. And of course, husbands love your wives. That's not the point of that passage. 1926. He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother is a son who causes shame and brings reproach. Notice as well in Proverbs 30, Proverbs 30. And again, there are several others. I'm just looking at some of the key ones. Proverbs 30, verse 17, the eye that mocks his father and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out and the young eagles will eat it. And then turn to the New Testament. So you can see that this is not confined to the old covenant, theocratic nation of Israel, but rather it is binding on the people of God in the new covenant as well. Ephesians chapter 6, verse 1. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with you and you may live long. Notice, not in the land. It's not talking about the land of Canaan. He's talking about the earth. So if there is a difference or differentiation with reference to old and new covenant application relative to the fifth commandment in the old covenant, it was that you may live long and prosper in the land. When Paul comes to deal with a Gentile church, he says in the earth itself, which again highlights or indicates for us that the fifth commandment, the first one with a promise is contained among others. Those commandments of God are not only for the Old Covenant nation of Israel, but they are for the New Covenant people of God because they are moral law. Reflect who God is. It's always binding. It is trans-covenantal. Wherever we find ourselves in redemptive history, we are under obligation to obey these Ten Commandments. So children are addressed in verses one to three, but then fathers in verse four. You fathers do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. That statement itself reflects the fifth commandment. Again, in a moment, I'm gonna define for us that it's not only inferiors towards superiors that has to take heed to this commandment, but superiors must conduct themselves in a godly way toward their inferiors. That is demanded by the fifth commandment also. Notice as well in Colossians 3, Colossians 3, verse 20, parallel to Ephesians 6, a little bit different. Colossians 3, 20, Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. Again, we need to give the qualification in all things that are lawful. If a parent tells the child that they need to smuggle drugs across the border, they must obey God rather than men. If a parent commands a child to do something that is a transgression of the law of God, it is in that arena that they can say no. But those times, hopefully in our church, aren't going to be a lot. I hope none of you are asking your kids to be drug mules or any sort of a thing like that. But we always need to qualify obedience to a lawful superior insofar as the lawful superior commands that which is consistent with the law of God. When the lawful superior commands that which is inconsistent with the law of God or is a transgression thereof, we must obey God rather than men. That's the mandate we see in Acts 4 and in Acts 5 when the Jews tried to stop the apostles from preaching the gospel. No, that would then be to disobey God. We need to obey God. We always have God as the higher authority. Now, if it is the case where you must disobey because of that, do it in a way that's consistent with the Word of God. Don't whine, don't cry, don't grumble, just say, hey, this is not what God would have me to do. Now, in terms of Ephesians 6 and Colossians 3, we notice specifically that children are to honor or reverence their parents. In other words, there's supposed to be a good attitude of heart toward the parents. And kids, we're on to you. We know when your hearts aren't right. We know that when you are complying, at least externally, there may be something outlandish internally. So it's not just the external compliance to the command, but it's also this attitude of heart. This is what Paul's point is in Ephesians chapter six. Children, obey your parents in the Lord. That's the external activity for this is right. Honor your father and mother, verse 2, which points to the internal disposition. So you honor from a right place. You honor because it's right. You honor because you love and esteem and revere them. As well, we might extend this commandment to children to provide for their parents in old age. This was an issue with reference to our Lord. He's challenged in Matthew chapter 15, and he highlights a particular practice that the Pharisees would engage in, where they would take monies that should have been given to their parents, but put it back into the temple. Now you say, well, that's pious and that's godly, but it's also self-serving. See, the Pharisees would get that money back. It was a means by which they no longer gave the reverence to their elderly parents that they should have. When you get to 1 Timothy chapter 5, who's the first line of defense in the care for widows? It's the family. The family must look after her widows or their widows. It's the family that's tasked with loving and esteeming their older parents or grandparents. This is getting more appropriate for me as I get aged. I want my kids to hear this sermon. Just kidding. They're my retirement plan. Really, just kidding. But you see, this is what the text stipulates. We are to provide for them. We are to care for them. We are to look after them. As well, we need to obey them. That means to submit to their authority, engage in the right actions toward parents. We've got the internal heart disposition of honor. We've got the external compliance of obedience to the commands that they give us. And then to give thanks to them and for them. I mean, it is a blessing. As far as I know, every kid in this church has both parents. And I think I can say that with confidence, but you never know, right? There might be something that I forget. Some of us were not brought up in that way. Some of us did not have two parents in the home. Some of us came from broken families. That's not a good way to live. I would suggest if you kids have both parents in the home, and your parents are the parents that I know them to be, you ought to be very thankful to God Almighty. This is a great and rich and splendid blessing. I find it to be quite joyful that amongst my grandchildren, they have bunches of grandparents. They got grandparents everywhere. Again, when I was growing up, all of my grandparents were dead. I don't remember having any interaction, say, with my mother's mother on, you know, one or two occasions. I'm not saying that so you'll go home and cry for me. That's not the point. The point is that if you have parents, if you have that family unit, You are blessed immeasurably. This is a wonderful gift from God Almighty. And instead of being a whiner and a grumbler and a complainer, which Paul says don't be, praise God Almighty from whom all blessings flow, namely mom and dad. It is a great gift from Jehovah if you've got parents. You ought to esteem them, you ought to revere them, you ought to treat them as heavy, not because they are physically, but because they have dignity and worth and they are over you. Now notice, in terms of the scope of the command, it's not just children to their parents, it's also parents toward their children. It's the relationship between superiors and inferiors. Now, before you report me to the prime minister for saying mean things, this is language that didn't used to cause any problems in society. When you said superior and inferior, nobody attached a bunch of maliciousness to it and said, oh, he thinks he's on a power trip. No, it's just a category of function. There are those over others, there are those under others, and that's what the commandment highlights. There are superiors and there are inferiors. Now, note that the commandments delivered at Sinai and Moab were primarily addressed to parents. So, it's not the case that parents having children are somehow not obliged to the fifth commandment. We all find ourselves in a position where we need to submit to superiors. We see it in the family, we see it in the workplace, we see it in the church, we see it in the commonwealth. The Westminster Larger Catechism defines this well. Who are meant by father and mother in the fifth commandment? By father and mother in the fifth commandment are meant not only natural parents, but all superiors in age and gifts, and especially such as, by God's ordinance, are over us in place of authority, whether in family, church, or commonwealth. So it's not just you children that are inferiors to the superiors, which are your parents. Your parents are inferiors to superiors that are over them. And the fifth commandment regulates that conduct for each and every one of us. Now notice, the family, it's obvious. We see that here in the fifth word. But if you're in Ephesians or still near there, look back at Ephesians 6 to see the workplace. to see the workplace. This is another expression of the fifth commandment. If you're the whiner, the grumbler, the complainer at work, you are disobeying God Almighty. Let me just make that very clear. If you're the guy that's late, or you're the guy that's a whiner, or you're the guy that's never happy, and you're the guy that doesn't do his job, your problem is ultimately theological. You are transgressing God's holy law. God does not take this lightly. God does not say, oh, it's okay, just express yourself however you want at the workplace. No, God says, do exactly what you're paid to do. If you don't do exactly what you're paid to do, you're a thief, and you are a malingerer, and you are lazy, and you are derelict in your duty. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. There's no way you can come from reading the scriptures or having an understanding of the analogy of faith, and think that God does not approve hard work. God most certainly does approve hard work, and God tells us that over and over again in Scripture. But let's look specifically at this superior-inferior relation in Ephesians 6, 5. Notice, there's a specific responsibility for each. not with eye service as men pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. That is the duty of an inferior at work. You're supposed to work. You're supposed to do what you're told. You're supposed to engage in an honest day's labor for an honest day's pay. And he says, as to Christ. But then notice there's duty for superiors, verse 9. And you masters do the same thing to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own master also is in heaven and there is no partiality with him. So if you happen to be management or the owner, you don't crack the whip on your slaves. You show them respect and dignity, and you be a superior that it's easy to be an inferior under. If persons worked on their particular roles, I think this life would be a whole lot better. If husbands loved their wives the way they're supposed to and wives submitted to their husbands the way they're supposed to, it would be a most blessed thing. If parents looked after their children the way they're supposed to and children submitted the way they're supposed to, it would be a blessed thing. But we live in a sin-cursed world. We live in a world where there are marred relationships. We live in a world where there is selfishness. We live in a world where there is laziness and apathy. We live in a world where we have to fight against these tendencies and be regulated by the Spirit of God according to the written will of God, which we find in His Word. So the workplace indicates this. You can turn to Colossians 3. This highlights this as well. Probably not a bad idea to spend a moment longer here. And parents, we need to teach our kids to work. It's a blessed thing about living in a Dutch community. You guys are good at that. Praise God. It's a good thing. A good, solid work ethic. That is absolutely, positively crucial. You will fail in life if you do not have a good work ethic. If you're a kid that's lazy, you need to change. Now, I don't mean you need to go out back and make big rocks into little rocks for all of your life, pounding rocks. No, that's not what I'm saying. But when your parents tell you to get up, go outside, get some fresh air, run around, do that, which is contrary to this day. I mean, it's devices. It's screens. Fresh air, sunshine. We need vitamin D. You've got to get outside. You've got to listen to your parents. You've got to be physically fit. You've got to do the things so that you're not a sluggard, so that you're not lazy, so that you don't fail ultimately in life. Now, I know that sounds harsh, but it's true. Notice in 322 in Colossians, bond servants obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye services, men pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord, you will receive the reward of your inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ, But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality. Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven." So that's the family, and then the workplace. Notice the church. Look at 1 Timothy chapter 3. Again, just showing there are superiors and inferiors in all stations of life. And we need to take seriously our responsibility in those stations of life. In terms of the eldership, the eldership is not authoritarian, but there is authority. And in Paul's language, the pastors, the elders of the church, they take care of, they steward the house of God. That's a very difficult proposition when the people of God don't want to be stewarded, when the people of God don't want to submit, when the people of God want to sort of do their And again, this is tough to preach because I don't want to sound like an authoritarian or an autocrat, but there is this structure in the church, and it's for the good, ultimately, of the church and the glory of God. Notice what Paul says, 1 Timothy 3.1, this is a faithful saying, if a man desires the position of a bishop, overseer slash elder slash pastor, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, but covetous, or not covetous, one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence. Now note, parenthetically, for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God? Now there's a shift in terms of the language. He rules his own household, but he does take care of the church of God. But there is analogy, there is a parallel, and there is this superior-inferior relationship. Again, that doesn't mean that the superior gets accolades. It simply means it maintains order and decency in the very house of God that is absolutely crucial. And then turn over the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 13, two passages there. superiors, inferiors, not only in the family, but in the workplace and in the church. Hebrews 13, 7, Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. And then in verse 17, obey those who rule over you and be submissive for they watch out for your souls. He's not talking about civil authority. He's talking about ecclesiastical authority. The civil government doesn't care about your soul. The civil government doesn't pray for you each day. The civil government couldn't care one bit about your communion with God Almighty. This is a passage speaking about pastors. They care about your soul. They pray for you. They are concerned about your communion with Christ. And so as a result, the apostle Paul gives this admonition, obey those who rule over you and be submissive for they watch out for your souls as those who must give an account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief for that would be unprofitable for you. If your pastor is miserable, it's ultimately going to be unprofitable for you. And then, of course, the commonwealth. We looked at this last week, so we won't duplicate our efforts. Romans 13, let every soul be subject to the governing authority, for there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. So does everybody follow this, superiors and inferiors, in family, workplace, church, and commonwealth? The fifth commandment is comprehensive. It doesn't just speak to children, it speaks to parents. It doesn't just speak to parents and children, it speaks to workers. Masters, or what's the word? Employers. It speaks to those in the commonwealth. It speaks to those in the church. Now, notice, finally, with reference to the statement of the command, the sanction related to the command. In other words, when God gives a command, there's penalties attached. God's not like some parents where they say, if you don't do this, I'm going to do this. And instead of actually doing it, then you start to count. If you're a counter, you should stop that because that's going to exasperate your kids. Kids need clear-cut, well-defined boundaries. They don't need to know that you can count to 10. And if you count to 10, you have gone way too far in your demand for obedience. If you've counted to three, you have gone way too far in your demand for obedience. Don't be a counter, be a discipliner, be a lover, be one who showers affection, do what Solomon says in the book of Proverbs. You can turn back there just to see the first stage of the penal sanction attached or owing to this fifth commandment. Proverbs 13. Proverbs 13, verse 24. He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly. That's the reality. If you don't discipline your kids, the scripture tells us you hate them. Remember that study in bad parenting. This guy got the worst father of the year cup. He didn't get the best father of the year cup. He got the worst father of the year cup. That was the man Eli in the book of 1 Samuel. His sons were terrible. His sons were priests. They served in the tabernacle and they would steal sacrifice and they would lay with temple prostitutes. They didn't know the Lord. Now, Eli couldn't make them know the Lord. We are Calvinists, brethren. We are Reformed. We believe in the doctrines of grace. With men it is impossible to save a soul, but with God all things are possible. So we cannot fault Eli for not being able to save his children. He couldn't do that. But in 3.13, the demand is, by God concerning him, that he will be held to account. Why? Because he did not restrain them. He couldn't save them. He couldn't impart grace. He couldn't make them believers. He couldn't make them knowers of the Lord. But he could have restrained them from stealing sacrifice and laying with prostitutes. And he didn't do this. Perhaps he was one of those lazy ones. Perhaps he was one of those ones that said, well, they're so lovely. I don't ever want to spank them. I don't ever want to discipline them. You have to do this. This is what's commanded in scripture. Now be cautious. We live in a situation and a context where judiciousness and wisdom are absolutely crucial and necessary, when your neighbor can dine you out and have social services all over your life just because you're trying to faithfully execute your role as a parent. So be wise, be cautious, but be obedient to the word and will of the living God. He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly. Notice as well Proverbs 19. Proverbs 19, specifically verse 18. Chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction. I remember reading Bridges on Proverbs. I'm sure I commended that book as we went through the Proverbs. And he had a footnote at some place, I don't know if it was this particular text, but he said the fathers, the church fathers thought that if you didn't have your children's will conquered by the age of two, you had failed. Now, I'm not convinced that that's absolutely altogether right, but I am absolutely convinced that that's altogether the way we should think. It's easier to deal with rebellion at that stage than rebellion at 16. It's easier to deal with the snake when it's still in the egg than when it's this great big python that has the ability to wrap itself around you and squeeze you to death. You need to understand that when the children are little, you need to obey God. You need, as a superior, to follow God's Word in this regard. Notice in Proverbs 22 at verse 15. Proverbs 22 at verse 15. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. The rod of correction will drive it far from him. That's God's Word. Proverbs 23, 13 and 14. Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod and deliver his soul from hell. So the first stage or the first aspect of penal sanction attaching to the fifth commandment is the rod and reproof. There are times when you don't necessarily need to use physical corrective discipline. You ought to be able to say things to your kids and they, by God's grace, should obey and comply. Hopefully, it doesn't need to be stepped up in terms of corporal discipline. But turn back to Deuteronomy for just a moment. Deuteronomy chapter 21. Now, I don't cite this, again, to say this is the way it ought to be in our generation, but I cite this to highlight the actual transgression involved in this particular commandment. God does not take it lightly. And I also want to treat this passage because I think as believers, we need to know how to deal with Old Testament passages that are an offense to people around us. And Deuteronomy chapter 21 is offensive, probably not just to people around us, but it could be offensive to people within us. Inside the church, persons roll their eyes at passages like we find in Deuteronomy 21, 18 to 21. Let's read the passage and I'll make a few observations. If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, this son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey our voice. He is a glutton and a drunkard. Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones, so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear." Now perhaps you've heard persons say, well, I can't believe the Bible. I would never submit to the Bible, because after all, God says that little kids ought to be stoned to death if they don't eat their peas. That's not what this is. That is absolutely positively not what's in view. This does not apply to a naughty two-year-old. You do not deliver up a two-year-old to the city elders and then ultimately watch the city people stone that two-year-old to death. He's a glutton and a drunkard. This is an adult rebel son. This is an incorrigible son. Notice as well, the family has inflicted on him rightly paternal pressure. They had disciplined him. They did try to squelch this in their son. They did try to keep him from gluttony and drunkenness. Again, those are symptomatic. The problem with this rebel is that he's a rebel. He is a transgressor against the fifth commandment. He does not esteem his parents. He does not revere his parents. He does not treat them with heaviness and respect. He rather treats them lightly. He holds them in contempt. He is a rebel adult, and it's in that instance that he is delivered up for the execution applied in the law. The parents bring their sons to the elders, but neither the family nor the church have the right to inflict capital punishment. I think this underscores the seriousness of the Fifth Commandment. It underscores how essential this was to maintaining the theocracy in the land. It shows as well by extension how important it is to maintain society in the earth today. When the family breaks down, brethren, it looks akin to what we're seeing. If we do not take seriously our responsibility, we're ultimately contributing to the decay and to the decline of society as a whole. Let me just read one modern author on this passage. Again, I think that this kind of passage, maybe not this one, I've heard it. I've heard people say, well, that seems horrible that God would command the execution of a rebel son or of an incorrigible son. It is intriguing that Jesus cites this in that Matthew 15 passage, and he doesn't hyper-qualify, and he never says, oh no, we shouldn't even think that way. No, he understands what the law demands. But Verne Poythress, in a helpful book called The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses, he says the death penalty for wholesale violation of parental authority may seem harsh to modern sentiments. But I would argue that it is not only just, but realistic. Parental authority, even if very imperfectly exercised, takes place in the context of personal relationships and natural pressures in the direction of love. Parents have many advantages over the state. If a person does not receive instruction from parents, the chance of receiving instruction from the state's more impersonal discipline are nil. If the kid doesn't respond to father and mother, why is he going to respond to Justin Trudeau? If he doesn't respond to father and mother, why does he care about the RCMP? If you have taught him or her how not to obey authority in the home, they're never going to obey it outside the home. Oftentimes, brethren, we are complicit in creating rebels because we do not do what God commands. He goes on to say, the person who rebels in wholesale fashion against parents will also rebel against the state and create general destruction and disorder until eliminated. It is mere sentimentality to refuse to come to grips with this reality. Again, I'm not sanctioning or advocating necessarily for this. I think it is, however, and it underscores the seriousness and the gravity of the offense of violating the fifth commandment. Now, in terms of the promise stated, we'll just quickly look at that in Deuteronomy chapter 5. He says, that your days may be long and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Now, this is not formulaic. I want a good life, therefore I obey my parents. That's not the way you're supposed to do this. You're supposed to obey your parents because it's right. You're supposed to obey your parents because God commands you to. You're supposed to obey your parents because they're worthy to be obeyed. Now, as a corollary or as a benefit or as a sideline result, it may go well with you in the land, not necessarily positively. If your life is miserable, you shouldn't say, but you know, I obeyed my parents. Why is my life miserable? Again, it's not formulaic. God or Yahweh is not Baal. We don't put in the requisite amount of obedience and get out the requisite amount of blessing. But it's a general principle. It's a general maxim. I think sometimes people falter with the Proverbs at this point. They think that each of the Proverbs means universally, positively, always, if I do this, then good will happen. No, they're general maxims. It's for the most part this way. In a moral universe governed by a glorious God, for the most part, if you do what you're supposed to, life goes well. Again, it's a general statement. You do what you're not supposed to, typically life does not go well. Solomon says the way of the transgressor is hard. What can we infer by way of implication? The way of the righteous isn't hard. The way of the righteous, yes, there's affliction. Yes, there's disappointment. Yes, there's sorrow. Yes, there's hardship. But the overarching thing with reference to those who comply with God is blessing. He is a good father. He is a kind father. He is a gracious father. So we see this extended from land, Old Covenant, to earth, New Covenant. Ephesians 6.3, that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth. Charles Hodge says this is the usual course of his providence. The usual course of his providence. Again, that's the way you should interpret the book of Proverbs, and that's the way you should interpret these sorts of statements. Yes, for the most part. Are there exceptions? Yeah. Are there persons that were obedient and compliant and they grow up and their lives are miserable? Yeah, that happens. I'm sorry to say that. But for the most part, the usual course of God's providence is if you obey, God blesses. John Eady echoes that. He says it is a principle of the divine administration and the usual course of providence. Everybody understand that? Usual course of providence. If you treat things like a formula, you're treating Yahweh as if He's Baal, and you're not supposed to do that. Now, in conclusion, in terms of the positive aspects of the command, the inferiors are to render honor, obedience, and gratitude toward their superiors. That's it. That's what the fifth commandment demands. That is requisite. That is required. Inferiors are to render honor, obedience, and gratitude toward their superiors. And then with reference to the superiors, superiors are to govern in a righteous manner. If you are stationed as a superior, do your job well, effectively carry out your particular task. Again, let's look at the husband-wife analogy. Wouldn't life be easier for a wife to submit to her own husband as unto the Lord if he was exercising Christ-like loving leadership and headship to his wife? So I got this zany idea, brothers and sisters, that as believers in Christ, we try to help each other. I know that seems odd, but we should try to help each other. I should try to help my wife by being the kind of husband that she wants to submit to. I should get the help from her that she's the kind of wife that I'm able to love. If we have children, we ought to raise them the way that God says to help them be all that they can be. And you kids ought to be subordinate to your parents, not whiners, not grumblers, not complainers and snivelers, but those who do what they're told. That's how we ought to function and operate in a civil society, especially when we come into the life of God's church. Westminster Larger Catechism, 129, what is required of superiors toward their inferiors? It is required of superiors, according to that power they receive from God and that relation wherein they stand, to love, pray for, and bless their inferiors, to instruct, counsel, and admonish them. countenancing, commending, and rewarding such as do well, and discountenancing, reproving, and chastising such as do ill, protecting and providing for them all things necessary for soul and body, and by grave, wise, holy, and exemplary courage to procure glory to God, honor to themselves, and so to preserve that authority which God has put upon them. So again, fifth commandment, two heads, superiors and inferiors. Now in terms of the sins prohibited by the command, the failure of inferiors to honor, obey, and express gratitude toward their superiors. And with reference to superiors not carrying out their duties the way that God calls them to do. Now, finally, we come to the threefold use of the law. Remember that? Everybody nod, because I know I've said that ad nauseum in this series, and we're only at the fifth commandment. There's three ways we use the law of God. The first use is what's called the civil use. God has given a law to restrain creatures from being as bad as they can be. The law cannot change the heart, but it restrains the heart less, in the language of a man who lived in the 60s. It cannot change the heart, but it can restrain the heart less, and that is the civil use, or also called the political use of the law. The third use of the law is the normative. The normative use simply means how do we use God's law normally as blood-bought children of God? Those justified freely by grace, those who have been cleansed in the precious blood of Jesus, those who have been forgiven, those who have received the righteousness of God or the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone, we now have the Spirit. The law of God is the marching order in a life that is pleasing to God. So normatively, as superiors and as inferiors, we are to comply. We are to obey. We are to do what God calls us to do. Now, the second use of the law is called the pedagogical. Pedagogical simply means child tutor. In other words, the law tells us how bad we are. The law tells us how sinful we are. When I read this statement, kids, I want you to internalize it. Do you render honor? obedience and gratitude towards your superiors? Is this the disposition of your heart? Is this how you function? Is this how you carry yourself each and every day? I'm going to take a stab at this and say, probably not. You've got sin in your heart, and this law should expose that sin. This law should amplify this sin, and this law should show you your need for the law keeper, which is Jesus Christ. See, Jesus continued in subjection to Mary and Joseph. Imagine that. Have you ever thought about that? Well, I don't want to submit to this government because it's wicked. I don't want to submit to this man because he's wicked. I don't want to submit in this arena because they're wicked. Couldn't Jesus say that? Joseph and Mary were sinners. Joseph and Mary were imperfect. And yet our Lord, according to his humanity, continued in subjection to them. The law of God shows you your need for that one who continued in subjection to his parents. You need Christ. You need forgiveness. You need blood. You need atonement. You need cleansing. You need what Christ brings in the Christian gospel, and the preaching of the law is necessary to show that sin, to show the need for the Redeemer, or the remedy, and that being in the Redeemer himself. Let this law do its work in your heart. Let it show you your need for Jesus Christ. John Calvin said those who abusively or stubbornly violate parental authority are monsters, not men. This is how the old boys typically responded to the sorts of disobedience that has been commonplace or is commonplace rather today. a lack of respect for parental authority, it ought to break our hearts. Certainly, if it's happening in our homes, it ought to break our hearts to the point where we seek, by God's grace, to recover and to remedy that situation and get it in order. But look around us, look at society all around us. Isn't there signs of this decay where parental authority is not esteemed, where it's not revered, where persons are not honored? If you're found out here this evening and you're a child or a young person, flee to Christ, flee to the law keeper, flee to the one in whom there is forgiveness and there is a righteousness given that avails with God. Well, let us close in a word of prayer. Father, thank you for this fifth commandment. Thank you for not only creating, but giving us law, giving us those things that help in a civil society. And God, I pray that you'd help us in the church to take these things seriously. Our particular response as superiors or inferiors, whatever the case may be, certainly we all find ourselves in one position or another or both at many times and places in our lives. So help us to seek the Holy Spirit's aid, to help guide us and direct us relative to these things, and grant us grace to bring glory to You. And again, I pray for children, I pray for young people, I pray, God, that You would indeed show them their sin and show them their need for the Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray in His most blessed name. Amen.