Week 5 (Oct 6-12, 2019) 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. The Fourth Commandment begins a new division in the 10 Commandments. 1-3, the first table of the law, all point to our Loving God and His relationship with us. 4-10, the second table of the law, the focus changes to how we deal with our neighbors in this world. God is the first and supreme authority, and next, under Him are parents, specifically Man first them Woman. From parents and Godly families come other authorities that keep order in our world. In the readings for this week look for authority, who has it and how it is used.
Memory Work.
2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
- What does authority mean?
- What is the promise of this commandment?
- Please explain how that promise will affect you?
- List 4 other authorities we are to obey beside parents. LSC Question 54
- What do we do if an authority such as teachers, or our boss or even our parents tell us to do something that violates God’s Word? LSQ Questions 56-57
- What does authority mean?
Memory Work
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.
3 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.
- If you are not breaking the law, do you have anything to fear from the law?
- Is there any time when we are not to obey those in authority over us? If so when? LSC Question 56-57
- In each of the following Bible stories how was respect and honor shown?
- How did Joseph show honor and respect?
- To whom did he show honor and respect?
- How did King Solomon show honor and respect?
- To whom did he show honor and respect?
- How did Elisha show respect and honor?
- To whom did he honor?
- How did Elisha show respect and honor?
Luther’s Small Catechism table of duties p 33-36
- What is the summary of commandments 4-10? LSC (Luther’s Small Catechism)#16
- Commandments 4-10 are called the 2nd _________ of the __________.
- What is the summary of commandments 1-3?
- Commandments 1-3 are called the 1st _________ of the __________.
“Of Civil Government”
- When we rebel against the current authorities who else are we rebelling against?
“Of Citizens”
- Why should we pray for the President, Governor, and local rulers?
“To Husbands”
- What does it mean that a husband should treat his wife with respect?
“To Wives”
- What does it mean to submit to your husband?
“To Youth”
- What does it mean to act in humility toward one another and especially to those who are older?