Episode 47: The Fourth Commandment

Episode 47: The Fourth Commandment

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The Fourth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.

Bible Passage: Matthew 22:39: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Ephesians 6:2-3: Honor your father and mother— which is the first commandment with a promise— “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

Romans 13:7:Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

  1. What is the Second Table of the Law? (Matthew 22:39)
    1. Love your neighbor as yourself.
  2. The Fourth Commandment is the greatest of the Second Table of the Law and is a bridge between the two tables.
    1. Luther from the Large Catechism
    1. The Fourth Commandment is the first and greatest of the commandments belonging to the Second Table of the Law. “Now follow the other seven commandments, which relate to our neighbor. Among them is the first and greatest: You shall honor your father and your mother that it may be well with you and you may live long upon the earth.” LC 1:102-104
    1. “To the position of fatherhood and motherhood God has given special distinction above all positions that are beneath it: He does not simply command us to love our parents, but to honor them.”
    1. “We must, therefore, impress this truth upon the youth [Deuteronomy 6:7] that they should think of their parents as standing in God’s place.” LC 1:108
    1. “They should remember that however lowly, poor, frail, and strange their parents may be, nevertheless, they are the father and the mother given to them by God. Parents are not to be deprived of their honor because of their conduct or failings. Therefore, we are not to consider who they are or how they may be, but the will of God, who has created and ordained parenthood.” LC 1:108
    1. “In other respects people are, indeed, all equal in God’s eyes. But among humans there must necessarily be this inequality and ordered difference.” LC 1:108
    1. “If I am to do good and holy works, I know of none better than to give all honor and obedience to my parents, because God has Himself commanded it.” LC 1:112
    1. “If, then, it is God who commands this and does not know how to appoint anything better, I will never improve upon it.” LC 1:113
    1. “Do this not because of the worthiness of parents, but because this work is included in, and controlled by, the jewel and sanctuary, namely, the Word and commandment of God.” LC 1:117
  • How does the Fourth Commandment teach you to love your neighbor?
    • Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3
    • submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:21
    • Romans 13:7-10: Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
    • The Fourth Commandment teaches me to love my neighbor by counting others more significant than me.

  • Ephesians 6:2-3 states that those who honor their parents will do well and will live long in the land. How does God bless you with parents?
    • [God] admonishes and urges by commandments that everyone consider what his parents have done for him.” LC 1:129
    • “Here, then, you have learned the fruit and the reward, that whoever keeps this commandment shall have happy days, fortune, and prosperity. On the other hand, you also have learned the punishment, that whoever is disobedient shall perish sooner and never enjoy life. For to have long life in the sense of the Scriptures is not only to become old, but to have everything that belongs to long life: health, wife, children, livelihood, peace, good government, and so on.”  LC 1:134


  • From where does all authority come?
    • Romans 13:1-7: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
    • From God.

  • What are the three estates? What three types of fathers does God give you?
    •  Domestic:
      • What do you owe your earthly father and mother?
        • Ephesians 6:2: “Honor your father and mother”
        • Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. Prov. 23:22
        • Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head and honor the face of the old man. Lev. 19:32

      • What do they owe you?
        • But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Timothy 5:8
        • Ephesians 6:4:Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
        • Deuteronomy 6:7: You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
        • “In addition, it would be well to preach to the parents also, and to those who bear their office. …First of all, they should seriously and faithfully fulfill their office, not only to support and provide for the bodily necessities of their children, servants, subjects, and so on, but most of all, they should train them to honor and praise God [Proverbs 22:6]. LC 1:167-169
        • “But for this purpose He has given us children and issued this command: we should train and govern them according to His will. Otherwise, He would have no purpose for a father and a mother. Therefore, let everyone know that it is his duty, on peril of losing the divine favor, to bring up his children in the fear and knowledge of God above all things [Proverbs 1:7].
        • “For all authority flows and is born from the authority of parents. Where a father is unable alone to educate his rebellious and irritable child, he uses a school master to teach the child. If he is weak, he gets the help of friends and neighbors…” LC 1:141
        • Parents should provide for their children, discipline, and instruct them in the teachings of the Lord.


    • The State: What are civil fathers? What do you owe the government? (Romans 13:7)
      • Civil fathers are those in authority over you in government. You should honor them, respect them, and pay your taxes.
      • See Romans 13:1-7 above.
      • “So also men are called fathers in the Scriptures, who in their government perform the functions of a father and have a paternal heart toward their subordinates. … nations called the masters and mistresses of the household ‘housefathers’ and housemothers.’ They called their national rulers and overlords ‘fathers of the entire country” LC 1:142
      • “Therefore, let everyone who allows himself to be advised remember that God is not joking. Know that it is God who speaks with you and demands obedience. If you obey Him, you are his dear child [John 14:23]. But if you despise obedience, then take shame, misery, and grief for your reward. The same should also be said about obedience to civil government.” LC 1;149-150
    • The Church: What is a spiritual father?
      • “So we have two kinds of fathers presented in this commandment: fathers in blood and fathers in office. Or, those who have the care of the family and those who have the care of the country. Besides these there are still spiritual fathers.” LC 1:158.
      • “St. Paul boasts his fatherhood in 1 Corinthians 4:15, where he says, ‘I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.’” LC 1:159
      • For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.1 Corinthians 4:15
      • A spiritual father is someone, who teaches you the word of God, such as your pastor.
  • What do you owe spiritual fathers?
    • What the Hearers Owe Their Pastors
      • The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. 1 Cor. 9:14
      • Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Gal. 6:6–7
      • The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” 1 Tim. 5:17–18
      • We ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 1 Thess. 5:12–13
      • Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. Heb. 13:17
      • “But those who keep God’s will and commandment in sight have this promise: everything they give to temporal and spiritual fathers, and whatever they do to honor them, shall be richly repaid to them.” LC 1:164
      • You owe your pastor respect and you should make sure he is taken care of.

  • God acts through earthly authorities in the Church, State, and at home. When you obey these authorities, you obey God. Must you always obey earthly authorities? If not, when should you disobey? (Acts 5:29; Daniel 3:16-18)
    • But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29
    • Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. …” Daniel 3:16-18
    • “For if God’s Word and will are in force and being accomplished, nothing shall be valued higher than the will and word of parents, as long as that, too, is subordinated to obedience toward God and is not opposed to the preceding commandments.” LC 1:116
    • No. If the earthly authority orders us to disobey God, then we should disobey the earthly authority.
  • Why does God give you a father, mother, pastors, teachers, government, and others in authority over you?
    • for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Romans 13:4
    • Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Hebrews 13:17
    • You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deuteronomy 6:7
    • God gives us these authorities in life for the sake of our body and soul, so that we may be brought to Him.

“You are to honor and obey
Your father, mother, ev’ry day,
Serve them each way that comes to hand;
You’ll then live long in the land.”
Have mercy, Lord! (Martin Luther, These Are the Holy Ten Commands, LSB 581:5)

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