An interesting fact: when it comes to family relationships, the Torah proposes to us only one commandment: the fifth. No, of course it doesn’t mean at all that the other nine are not connected with the relationships between members of the family. All of them, of course apply to everyone, and we can completely rely...
An interesting fact: when it comes to family relationships, the Torah proposes to us only one commandment: the fifth. No, of course it doesn’t mean at all that the other nine are not connected with the relationships between members of the family. All of them, of course apply to everyone, and we can completely rely on them, building relationship between people living under the same roof. But specifically, it is necessary to consider all the same family particularly the fifth commandment, which concerns the relationships between children and parents.
Maybe, it happened like this because it is particularly here that the qualities proper to the fallen human nature manifest themselves very clearly. And this is not surprising: because when it comes to relations between the spouses or relationship of parents to children, practically always manifest themselves here those natural ties, which need no explication, no justification to be acceptable. It is already another thing the relationship of the big children to parents: the natural ties in this case, generally, do not work any more, and such relationship can only rely on a spiritual basis.
But the spiritual basis, unlike the natural, does not appear by itself, it is necessary to take care of its appearance beforehand. And the apostle reminds about that to his readers: for, in the Christian family, that is in the family composed of persons, living in the Kingdom, such a care is obvious. And a respectful relationship of the parents to the children turns out here the basis of everything. It is not of course that the fifth command stops being valid, or that its action changes direction.
It is about the inadmissibility of the abuse of the parental power under the guise of the fifth commandment, what is unfortunately met in the fallen world very often. And the problem here is not only that such abuses provoke the violation of the fifth commandment or the calls to its violation, sometimes under the most specious pretexts, for example, under the pretext of "protecting the rights of children". The problem, above all, is that without a right relationship of the parents to the children, their mutual relationships can turn out incompatible with the standards of life in the Kingdom. And no formal observation of the commandment will fix that.
6
6:1 Children, obey your parents - In all things lawful. The will of the parent is a law to the child. In the Lord - For his sake.For this is right - Manifestly just and reasonable.
6:2 Honour - That is, love, reverence, obey, assist, in all things.The mother is particularly mentioned, as being more liable to be slighted than the father. Which is the first commandment with a promise - For the promise implied in the second commandment does not belong to the keeping that command in particular, but the whole law. Exo 20:12
6:3 That thou mayest live long upon the earth - This is usually fulfilled to eminently dutiful children; and he who lives long and well has a long seed - time for the eternal harvest. But this promise, in the Christian dispensation, is to be understood chiefly in a more exalted and Spiritual sense.
6:4 And, ye fathers - Mothers are included; but fathers are named, as being more apt to be stern and severe. Provoke not your children to wrath - Do not needlessly fret or exasperate them.But bring them up - With all tenderness and mildness. In the instruction and discipline of the Lord - Both in Christian knowledge and practice.
6:5 Your masters according to the flesh - According to the present state of things: afterward the servant is free from his master.With fear and trembling - A proverbial expression, implying the utmost care and diligence. In singleness of heart - With a single eye to the providence and will of God.
6:6 Not with eye - service - Serving them better when under their eyethan at other times. But doing the will of God from the heart - Doing whatever you do, as the will of God, and with your might.
6:7 Unto the Lord, and not to men - That is, rather than to men; and by making every action of common life a sacrifice to God; having an eye to him in all things, even as if there were no other master.
6:8 He shall receive the same - That is, a full and adequate recompence for it.
6:9 Do the same things to them - That is, act toward them from the same principle. Forbearing threatening - Behaving with gentleness and humanity, not in a harsh or domineering way.