Parents Have Honor! No. 178
Leviticus 19:3, “Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father… I am the Lord your God.”
God has given honor to the status of parenthood. God is a Father and He wants His children fathered in the anointing of His fatherhood. God also has a maternal heart and He has ordained that mothers should mother with the anointing of His mother heart.
God gives many Scriptures to remind us of the honor He has placed upon parents.
Exodus 20:12, “Honor thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land…”
Deuteronomy 5:16, “Honor thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee…”
So that we do not forget, this command is repeated in the New Testament in Matthew 15:4; 19:19; Mark 7:10; 10:19; Luke 18:20 and Ephesians 6:2-3.
I am always astounded by the Scripture mentioned at the beginning. Not only are children commanded to honor their parents, but to fear them. The word ‘fear’ that is used here is the same word that is used to ‘fear’ God. Do you also notice that the mother is mentioned first? Children often have a healthy respect for their father’s authority but fail to honor their mother’s authority. This is not God’s intention. He wants children to have an awe and reverence for their mother too.
How can we experience this? I believe that we must be reminded of the truth that God has given honor to parents (including mothers) and because He has given us this honor, we must walk in the anointing of it. Perhaps you feel as though you have no honor. You feel a total failure. You feel overwhelmed. You feel you can’t make it. You feel hopeless as a mother. It’s certainly easy to feel like this, isn’t it?
However, God doesn’t see you like this. He has put honor upon you as a mother. The role of mother is a high status in God’s eyes. In Ezekiel 19:10-11 it states that it is an exalted career. It is to be honored and revered. When you understand the honor that God has put upon you, you can begin to walk in it.
The other day I read a Scripture in Jeremiah 22:5 (Knox) that talked about God bringing judgment upon Israel because of their sin. “Disobey, the Lord says, and my own honor is engaged to make, of this place, a ruin.” God was bound by His own honor to bring judgment because of their sin. Because God is holy, He had to judge them, or He would no longer be a God of honor. He has to honor who He is, a God of righteousness and holiness who cannot tolerate sin. Of course, He is also a merciful God who forgives and forgets the moment we repent.
We too, who parent in the likeness of God, must not give into disobedience and rebellion in our children. We must discipline, because of the honor we have as parents. We cannot fail the honor that has been given to us. It is our right for our children to obey us. Of course, as with God, forgiveness and mercy are coupled with judgment.
Each morning you wake, acknowledge the honor God has given to you as mother. See yourself with God’s honor upon you and mother your children accordingly.
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
PRAYER:
“Lord, thank you for reminding me that you have given honor to me as a mother. Help me to walk in the anointing of this honor as I mother my children. Amen.”
AFFIRMATION:
I will uphold the honor God has given to me.
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