Honor Parents • 2 Samuel 15:7-14
By Becky Brown
We continue our look at the life of King David in light of the Ten Commandments. Commandment numbers one through four speak to our relationship with God. Commandment numbers five through ten speak to our relationships with one another. This summation follows the outline of Jesus in the Two Great Commandments passage found in Matthew 22:37-40. Loving God and loving our neighbor in this way fulfills the whole law. Jesus said so.
Thus, in the “neighborly” section of The X, God begins with the home: “Honor your father and your mother that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.” Honor ascribes treasured value to a person. To honor someone means to hold them in high regard with genuine, deep respect. Length of days can specify duration of time. It can also mean the encouragement of leaving a legacy which perpetuates like-minded behavior.
God established home and family in the Garden of Eden. He provided Eve as a wife for Adam and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth. God’s plan was for man to fill the land with honorable homes that honored God, filled with children who honored God by honoring their parents. A little jealousy and a lot of anger led to Cain murdering his brother Abel. This was not a very honorable beginning. God’s plan, not always followed, was still best. Honor begins in the home where it should be TAUGHT by parents and CAUGHT by children. The greatest gift any person can receive is two parents who love God first, love each other second, and teach their children to do the same. I was blessed with a home like that. When my mom passed away one week shy of her 40th birthday, my dad did his best to establish another God-honoring home just like the first one. My sister and I were blessed with two godly mothers and a godly dad.
Perhaps you were raised in a home that did not fit this pattern. Perhaps abuse or neglect were prevalent, and love and honor were not. Please know that God’s grace extends to you! He would not want you to be trapped in a situation like that. You may not have had a home like mine but with God’s help, you can establish one! He will help you. He will give you the grace to forgive and the strength to continue to love those who have wounded you. His desire is wholeness and fruitfulness and peace.
King David was a great king but he was a messed up dad. In 1 Kings 1:6, we read commentary on his poor parenting skills with his son Adonijah: “…his father David had never crossed him at any time by asking, ‘Why have you done so?’” This was not a good pattern for parenting.
In 2 Samuel 13-19, we read a sad chronicle about three of the sons of David by different wives.
We will briefly summarize the sordid, tragic events. Amnon rapes Tamar, his half-sister. Absalom, Tamar’s full brother, takes vengeance on Amnon and has him put to death. David’s grief over his wayward sons has only begun, however. Absalom then proceeds to usurp the kingdom of Judah/Israel from his aging father. This political revolt results in the murder of Absalom by David’s loyal followers. David’s grief knows no bounds in this loss. Later in 1 Kings, his son Adonijah also seeks to be king in David’s place. In God’s plan, Solomon would become king. Solomon first shows Adonijah mercy but later has him executed for continuing to rise up against Solomon’s rightful, God-ordained throne.
David could have presented a conference on how NOT to raise strong willed children. Please do not forget that David, prior to these events, had committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged the murder of her husband Uriah. David’s sons obviously suffered from that horrific parenting example.
David DID score an “A” picking baby names! Absalom means father of peace. Amnon means trustworthy. Adonijah means my Lord is Yahweh. Solomon means man of peace.
David meant well, but he failed in so many areas of home and parenting. Even his son Solomon would tragically outlive the wisdom for which he had prayed and been granted by the Lord of all earthly kings.
Live honorably. Confess, repent, be forgiven. David did. Read Psalm, chapter three.
Brown is staff evangelist at First Church, Richland.
