“Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.”
“for this is well pleasing to the Lord”
Obedience to parents is the key to children’s relationship with the Lord. If a young person disobeys his parents, he will experience deep vexation, breaking his relationship with the Lord.
God marks obedient children with special approbation or favor. Obedience within the divine institution of the family pleases the Lord. In Ephesians 6:1, God calls obedience to parents “proper,” “just,” or “right.”
Ephesians 6:2 adds that it is not enough for children to obey their parents; they must also “honor” them. Children must esteem their parents if they are to please God. Honoring parents is the first commandment with promise (Eph. 6:2); it will be well with children, and they will live long on the earth. This promise is the fifth of the Ten Commandments.
Obedience to parents is “well pleasing” or commendable to the Lord. The child should not worry about justice or injustice, or malpractice. The child should do this as unto the Lord. The words “well pleasing” are translated as “acceptable” in Romans 12:1,
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
We also find “well pleasing” in Hebrews 13:21,
“make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
If you want to please the Lord, obey your parents. This is one of the few places in Scripture where the Bible states that something pleases the Lord.
One reason obedience pleases the Lord is that parental authority gives security to the child. If children do as they like, they will find themselves insecure. If they do as they ought, that brings the protection they need. We are free from disease when we obey the laws of health. We cannot expect mental health if we violate the laws of mental hygiene. Authority serves the young person’s best interests. Mastery of self is possible only through yielding to authority.
Children should gradually grow out from under their parents’ absolute authority if the home is healthy. As a baby, the child should be under the parent’s absolute jurisdiction because the child lacks decision-making capacity. As the child gains some understanding of the laws of life, the parent gives away some jurisdiction. Later, as the teen learns to apply these laws and manage himself independently, the parent gives the teen more authority.
The older a young person becomes, the more independence he should have, all else being equal. Parents who are balanced in their authority welcome growing independence in the young person. Eventually, the young person may develop his own management (by character) in several areas of his life.
Principle:
Obedience to parents is a commendable ideal in God’s eyes.
Application:
Do you want the special favor of God? Obey your parents.
