“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 that children obey their parents but that they “honor” them. Children must esteem their parents if they are to please God. This is the first commandment with promise (Eph. 6:2); it will be well with children, and they will live long on the earth. This 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” is 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 something as pleasing 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 grow progressively out from under the absolute authority of their parents if the home is healthy. As a baby, the child should be under the parent’s absolute jurisdiction because the child has no capacity for decision-making. As the child gains some understanding of the laws of life, the parent gives away some jurisdiction. Later as a teen learns to apply these laws managed by himself independently, the parent gives more authority to the teen.
The older a young person becomes, the more independence he should have if all things are 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 to God.
Application:
Do you want the special favor of God? Obey your parents.
