Editor’s Note: Joel Renner is the CEO of RENNER Ministries. Alongside his father, Joel has actively participated for many years in nearly every facet of the daily operations of the ministry. Joel resides in Moscow, Russia, with his wife and two sons.

Honor

I have been reading a book called “Decoding the Torah” by Rabbi Schneider, and it is an amazing book. In this book, Rabbi Schneider explains how the Old Testament commandments apply to Christians today, and I find it very interesting, so I wanted to share some of it with you.

Today, I was reading about the commandment to honor your father and mother. The Bible says in Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”

This is not only a commandment, it is a promise. If we honor our parents, then we may have a prolonged life, yet it seems like today, people are forgetting this commandment.

For example, when children call their parents by their first name, it is dishonoring. We only have one set of parents, and we should honor them enough to set them apart by calling them Dad and Mom. Children are the only ones who can call their parents Dad or Mom, and that should be cherished. Another example is when children argue, yell, and scream at their parents instead of loving and respecting them.

I understand that not all situations are the same, and for some children, it can be very difficult to show honor to their parents, but we can still decide not to dishonor them.

Here is an example. Noah had three sons — Shem, Ham, and Japheth. In Genesis 9:18-29, we hear a story about how Noah got drunk one day and became uncovered in his tent. Ham discovered his father uncovered and drunk, and in that moment, he could have honored his father by covering him and leaving, but instead, he did something dishonoring, and for this dishonor he was cursed.

When the two other sons, Shem and Japheth, learned about their father’s situation, they decided to cover their father. They were so respectful that they walked backwards to cover him so they would not see his nakedness, and for this they were blessed.

Today let’s think of ways we can show honor to our parents, because the Bible says our days may be prolonged for doing so, and we all want God’s blessing on our lives.

God bless,

Joel Renner