Word of the Week: Alphabet
This summer we’ve been studying through the Ten Commandments together and this past week represented a shift. The Bible tells us that God wrote the Ten Commandments on two tablets before giving them to Moses. Historically, Christians have often thought that the first tablet contained our responsibilities to God and the second tablet contained our responsibilities to each other. That meant commandments one through four were on the first tablet and five through ten were on the second.
It’s hard to know if there’s any truth to that division, but it makes sense, doesn’t it? The Fifth Commandment marks something of a shift, calling us to honor our parents as the first human authority in our lives. This sets the pattern for honoring all the other authorities we’ll encounter in our life: teachers, bosses, coaches, etc.
On Sunday, I compared it to the alphabet. If you don’t learn the twenty-six letters that make up the alphabet, you’ll never have what you need to spell words. Without words, you can’t form sentences. Without sentences, you’ll never be ready to write paragraphs. So, the Ten Commandments start by giving us the alphabet. Honor your father and mother.
We need this foundation in place if we’re going to keep the commandments that follow. If we don’t show honor, we may be inclined to dehumanize people and even commit murder. If we don’t honor authority, we’ll never keep the vows we make. I could go on – but that’s kind of the point of the next five sermons, isn’t it?
Our call as Christians is to follow Jesus and that means honoring authority. Jesus, the sinless child, submitted himself to Mary and Joseph, even though they were sinners like you and me. Jesus honored his Father by laying down his life to save sinners. If honoring authority wasn’t beneath Jesus, why should I think it’s beneath me? That puts it in perspective, doesn’t it?
Brothers and sisters, as you go about your week, what are some simple ways you can show honor to the authorities in your life? How can you honor God your Father by honoring the people he has put in authority over you?