One great mark of the degeneracy of the age in which we are living is “disobedience to parents” (2 Tim. 3:22For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (2 Timothy 3:2); Rom. 1:3030Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, (Romans 1:30)), and this lies at the threshold of a sinful, unhappy and dishonored life. The first sin was that of disobedience, and thus it is the parent of all sins.
Children are exhorted to obey their parents because “it is right.” God takes pleasure in obedient children, and His blessing, as we learn from the scripture quoted above, rests upon them even in this world.
The blessing of prosperity and a long life was attached to it under the law, and though the Christian is not now to look for success on earth as a special mark of God’s favor, yet under God’s government earthly blessing still follows children who are obedient to their parents.
The Lord Jesus Christ in His youth set us this example perfectly, being in all things subject to His earthly parents, and if children follow in His footsteps they will in their measure, as He did, “grow in wisdom, as in stature, and in favor with God and man.”
We have already seen that honor and obedience to parents is constantly inculcated all through the Scriptures, and the reverse invariably brings sorrow, and involves the displeasure of God.
The children of Christian parents are born into a place (the family) where all is specially under the authority of Christ as Lord, hence they are enjoined to obey “in the Lord.” They cannot escape the authority under which they find themselves, and where they are also placed by the will of their parents. To disobey their parents, is to disobey the Lord, and it is a comfort for them to know His eye is always upon them to sustain and support them in well doing, and to save and protect them from evil.
He sees them when they are away from home, and not under their parents’ eye and personal care, and He will ever regard their cry for help and protection.
How blessed it is, dear children, to remember the words prophetically spoken by the Lord Himself, the, great secret of His own perfect walk as a Man on earth, and which may be taken up by each of us in whose heart is the fear of the Lord,
If we ever keep this in mind, we shall not be easily led astray by the enemy of our souls.
ML 06/05/1927