The Fifth and Sixth Commandments
Exodus 20: 12 - 13
The fifth commandment is usually emphasized, especially in Asian culture. Those who like to emphasize it are often the parents. From this, we can see that there is a danger when we use the Word of God. Instead of using the Word of God to correct ourselves, we often use it to correct others. For example, a father may use this commandment to remind his children to honor him, instead of reminding himself that he also needs to honor his own parents. So the basic question here is: how do we position ourselves when we read the Word of God? Because the attitude of our hearts will determine the growth of our faith.
Israelite society is a patriarchal society. However, in this commandment, it is stated that we should honor not only our father but also our mother. Here we can see that equal importance is given to honoring both our father and our mother. We can’t, for example, honor only our father because he is the breadwinner, or only our mother because she is more caring towards us. This commandment corrects our tendency to honor one-sidedly.
The Bible uses a word which is translated to English as “honor”, which has a wide-ranging meaning. One commentator said this word “honor” covers “in all dealings with parents, respect, esteem, having regard and concern for, showing affection, considerateness, and appreciation.” To understand the context of why this word is used, we can reconstruct the settings of that time. Most likely, the elderly parents of that era, including those among the Israelites, were prone to being abused, misused, and disrespected. However, because Israel is God’s chosen people, God wants them to be different from other nations. The Torah is given so that Israel can stand apart from nations that do not know God. While in other nations the elderly were not honored, the Israelites, as a nation that knows God, should honor the elderly. This is an important distinction. Of course, we shouldn’t understand this in a way that leads to self-righteousness. Instead, we should understand this as God’s grace.
Why are elderly parents prone to being abused, disrespected, and so on? The likely answer is that they are no longer productive. In a world that views money as power, the elderly who no longer generate money are seen as powerless. This situation is made worse when they are not only weak physically but also mentally. This is the reality in a fallen world. The world has its own methods to address this problem. For example, a wealthy parent might delay giving their children inheritance, fearing they will be disrespected once it is given. But isn’t it sad that parents are only honored because they still have wealth? In fact, this shows that what is being honored is not the parents themselves, but rather the wealth they possess.
The solution offered by the Bible is for the children to learn to honor their father and mother, even when they are no longer productive. Conditional honor based on productivity is not from the Bible. We should avoid this trap of the world, which teaches us to honor someone based on their productivity, wealth, power, achievements, and so on. This practice is characteristic of nations that do not know God. Though in our modern times, this has become more complex as some responsibilities are assumed by the government or institutions. For example, there are pension funds or retirement homes. However, Fretheim suggests that we need to examine this carefully, because even though some responsibilities are taken on by other institutions, they ultimately remain the responsibilities of the children.
God’s people are distinguished by their ability to honor those who no longer have merits, achievements, or success. We must learn to honor our parents, who cared for us when we were children, even though they may now become a burden to us. Why is it important for us to willingly and wholeheartedly do this? Because otherwise, if we value our parents only when they are functional or beneficial for us, then we are just opportunists. Being a Christian and being an opportunist are never compatible.
The next part of the verse says: “that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” Is this a strict promise or formula that if we do this, we will receive that? Does it imply that the honor we give to our parents is not genuine, because we ultimately benefit from it? There may be a simpler and more natural way to understand this. We often think in terms of how our actions benefit us individually and tend to forget that what we practice impacts society as a whole. To illustrate, if as children we don’t honor or take care of our parents in their old age, it is likely that they will not have a long life. If our children observe this, they may learn by example and, in turn, not take care of us when we grow old. This cycle could continue through generations, resulting in a society where no one lives long. In this sense, we can see how this can shape the culture in a society. In a society where elderly parents are not cared for, no one will enjoy a long life, and vice versa.
There are many burdens in our lives. However, what distinguishes Christians is their willingness to lovingly accept and care for their parents, even when they may be seen as burdens. God loves us, cares for us, and bears us as burdens to Him. As God’s people who know Him, we should also be willing to bear the burdens placed upon us.
The sixth commandment states, “You shall not murder.” Some commentaries suggest that a better interpretation is, “You shall not kill.” What is the difference? The term “murder” implies a specific intent, while “kill” could refer to anything that we do that results in someone’s death. For example, when we are consumed by intense carnal anger or harbor deep hatred in our hearts, we may express this through violent actions that, though unintentional, result in someone’s death. This is the meaning conveyed by “You shall not kill” and it is much more radical. Another example is when we have so much greed that for personal gain we are willing to ruin the lives of others, driving them to poverty, sickness, and ultimately death. Can we classify this as murder? Definitely not. However, we can categorize this as a form of killing because the death is a consequence of our greed.
Therefore, the opposite of “kill” is not merely to be indifferent. Rather the positive form of this commandment “You shall not kill” is to participate in the lives of others and to bring life to them. From this we can understand why Jesus radicalized this commandment in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5: 21-22). Jesus wants to emphasize that the substance behind the deaths of others is often found in our greed, envy, hatred, anger, and so on. Therefore, we must be cautious that when our lives are controlled by anger or hatred, we actually bring about the power of death onto others. Conversely, the opposite is to bring about the power of life. If the power of death is driven by anger or hatred, then the power of life is driven by love and sacrifice.
Look at the life of Jesus and how he brings about the power of life through his love and sacrifice on the cross. He is the one who died, not the one who caused others to die. Through his death, he brings life to others. This is the uniqueness of Christianity found in the life of Christ. This is not only about not killing or murdering others in the narrow sense; rather, we must understand this as an invitation for us to live like Jesus Christ, who sacrifices himself to bring life to others. Only those who have the conviction that they have eternal life in Christ will have the courage to have their bodies broken for others. They know that when they are broken, they do not perish forever because they are broken together with Christ and thus will experience the power of the resurrection with him.
What do we use our wealth and our time for? How about our family? Are they only for us, or are they also to bless others? Our jobs and studies, whom are they for? And lastly, our church, is it only for our own warm fellowship exclusively for us, or is it also to bless others in other cities. This is an invitation for us. May God bless us so that in our abundant life we can channel it outward for others. It is impossible to talk about the ten commandments without Christ because the positive forms of the negative commandments here are found in the very life of Christ himself, which should be lived out in every one of us. May God bless us all and give us growth. (S.W.)