Why is the 5th commandment so important?

THE 5th COMMANDMENT

EXODUS 20:12

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

This is a stepping-stone from the first four commandments to the last five.Our Lord laid great stress upon this commandment (Matt. 15:5-7; Mark 7:10; Luke 18:20), as did Paul (Eph. 6:2).

      The family is the foundation of the nation. We move out from our homes to our fellowmen, and it is essential that a right basis be established here. Parents are the gift of God and stand in place of God to their children. It is a solemn duty, then, for the parents to recognize the obligation and respondsibility of the authority with which they have been invested by God, and of which they must give an account to God.

      Some, in these days, teach that children should be allowed to follow the "bent" of their natures, but if children are to learn to reverence God and obey the laws of their country, they must be made to obey their parents. In the growing indifference to authority to the laws of the land, to the Bible, and to sacred things,lies the seed of anarchy. Therefore, parents who fail to maintain authority are enemies of the state. It is possible for parents to so live as to leave their children a rich heritage.

      This, as the apostle observes (Eph. 6:2), is the first commandment to which God has annexed a promise; and therefore we may learn in some measure how important the duty is in the sight of God.In Deut. 5:16 it is said, "And that it may go well with thee;" we may therefore conclude that it will go ill with the disobedient; and there is no doubt that the untimely deaths of many young persons are the judicial consequence of their disobedience to their parents.

      This commentary came from our Sunday school lesson and I thought I would share part of it with you. My first DC was of a rare type that was always very obedient & well mannered without much chastening. My next two DC are a different story having to be made to obey. We are working with them, praying for them, & sharing the Word of God with them. That's our house, I pray that it goes well with your house.

Prayers & Blessings;

Elton