Read today’s texts first: 1 Kings 2; 1 Chronicles 29; Psalms 95; 2 Thessalonians 1
“Obey your parents [and grandparents]… that you may enjoy long life on the earth” - a promise or a threat?!
Jan and I take care of our precocious grand kids when their photographer parents travel to destination weddings. I used to invoke the fifth commandment a lot when we were raising our own kids, but by using a little “Hebrew original language” word study I was able to convince them the command applied to us as well: Children, obey your parents [and grandparents]… so that it will go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth (Ex. 20:12; Eph. 6:1-3). It’s said to be the first command with a promise, but when uttered with the right tone of voice, it sounds more like a pretty serious threat!
It does make sense. When I was at a playground with the kids, I noticed the other parents and grandparents were from many different nationalities and socioeconomic backgrounds. Yet it was obvious that they had one thing in common - they all loved their children and wanted to protect them from harm!
Like King David and his farewell speech to his son, Solomon, these parents also want to pass on their collective wisdom to spare their kids from having to learn their lessons the hard way? I had a mini moment like that with Kaitlyn, who I accompanied to the playground washrooms. She rode her scooter into the ladies room but came out without it. Standing by the door, I asked, “forget something?” Her “oops” suggested she knew what I was talking about, but when I heard the water running followed by the hand dryer, I knew she was remembering something else, another good lesson she had been taught. We repeated the process again before the scooter came to mind. Sometimes it’s fun being the older, wiser one!
King David had a lot of life experience to pass on to Solomon. The incentive he offered sounded familiar: So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: walk in obedience to him.... Do this so that you will prosper in all you do and wherever you go (2:2,3). God then blessed Solomon for all that he did to honour his father’s words. Unfortunately the compromises he made later on meant that he would not be as successful in passing on his legacy to his son.
“Lord, I am so grateful for my godly parents and the wise words they passed on to me. As I watch these wonderful children of my children, playing, laughing, making friends, preparing for the harsh world waiting for them, I pray for wisdom for us and their parents and the grace to successfully pass it on, that their days may be long on the earth!”
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