The Fifth Commandment
Image via Wikipedia “ Honor your father and your mother , that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” - Exodus 20:12 Negative commands in any law code tell people what not to do, while positive commands describe how they must live as citizens. As an elaboration of the basic code of the kingdom of heaven (love of God and neighbor), the Ten Commandments include both positive and negative laws. The fifth commandment is a positive command — we are ordered to honor both father and mother ( Ex. 20:12 ). When we consider the fifth commandment and what it is designed to accomplish, we see that it has benefits for both parents and children. Scripture recognizes the family as the basic building block of a well-functioning society, using it as a metaphor for the covenant community when it speaks of one’s brothers and sisters and of the adoption we enjoy as children of God ( Deut. 10:9 ; Rom. 8:15 ). Families where there is consistent discipline and the