Ephesians 6:2 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

Navigator

Ephesians 6:2

Comments

Quoting from the fifth commandment, Paul shows how his instruction agrees with the eternal moral law. First of all it teaches all people to honour their parents. The word ‘obey’ is not included in the words of the commandment, but the broader word ‘honour’ or ‘reverence’ is. When Christ quoted this commandment to the Pharisees, he addressed adults and yet its obligation still applied to them. It is not then a commandment only for childhood but lasts as long as our parents are alive in this world. The Pharisees had failed to keep this commandment by failing to support their parents in their time of need. The word ‘honour’ means ‘to be heavy’, or in this context, to clothe with importance. But included in the command to honour is the requirement that children should obey their parents while they are still minors. This is the form which honour will take in early life. Later on we will honour our parents, especially if they are believers, by consulting them, by taking an interest in their lives, and by helping them in whatever ways are appropriate. At the end of their lives, they may become more dependent and it is right that they should look first to their own children for support, to those who have benefited from their care and nurture at another time of life.Honour of course is not terror but is closer to love and shows that this obedience is to be rendered in the framework of a close and tender relationship, not a distant cold one. Hendriksen also adds that the same honour is to be shown to both parents for, as far as the child is concerned, they are equal. The commandment also includes respect for all who are rightfully in authority over us, including teachers, governments, and employers. All due honour is to be given to those to whom it is due in society, and the Christian, even though he belongs to another kingdom, must be foremost in paying all these dues in life.

Application

Paul calls this ‘the first commandment with promise.’ He says this to encourage us to obey it, by pointing to the blessing that comes from the Lord in keeping it. There should be deep love between parents and their children, and there is new wisdom to be passed from parents to children even in the last stage of life. The communication is two-way and parents also learn about and take a deep interest in the lives of their children.

Questions

Some see the statement that this is ‘the first commandment with promise’ as a problem, since they note what they believe to be an earlier promise attached to the second commandment: ‘For I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.’ This is explained in various ways. It is said that Paul does not mean that the fifth commandment is the first in order of the ten, but that it is the first in order of importance. This however weakens his statement and puts the commandments in an order of importance which the Scripture does not assign to them. Another solution is to see that the statement attached to the second commandment is not a promise, but is a description of the character of God. His name is not to be taken in vain because he is such a God. Further evidence that it is not a bare promise comes from noting that it carries a negative as well as a positive statement about God, and the negative comes first. Nor is it worded like the promise attached to the fifth, in which man is told do something and then a promise is added for his encouragement. Furthermore, the fifth commandment is positive, ‘Honour …’, while the second commandment is a prohibition, ‘You shall not make … you shall not bow down …’, to which no promise can be attached directly, but only a threat. The merciful side of God’s character comes after the warning and is addressed to those who out of respect for God’s name would do the opposite of what is forbidden in the commandment. Of course everything about the character of God can be expected to have an encouraging effect on our behaviour, but according to this explanation, Paul is entirely correct in calling this the first commandment with promise.

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

Ephesians 6:2 Commentary and Bible Study

The meaning of Ephesians 6:2 explained