Proverbs 30:17
|
The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.
|
Such a strong stand on parental reverence is lost today, though our grandparents knew it well. And the results of rebellious, dysfunctional, selfish, and lazy young people should not surprise us. A prime theme of entertainment today, and a daily occurrence in most homes, is flagrant disrespect of parents. This proverb sounds Neanderthal in our world.
But it is the infallible word of Jehovah God, and the man who treats it lightly will eat the fruit thereof - trouble and pain from his children and the LORD (13:15; Is 1:19-20).
The use of "eye" is a synecdoche for facial expressions, but especially the looks and attitudes. He means more than just the muscle and mucous membrane that resides in one of your sockets. For no eyeball shows disdain for authority without the heart directing it. If the eye is the window to the soul, there had better never be irreverence seen through it.
Mocking is haughty disrespect by ridicule or scorn. We call it "rolling the eyes" in disgust or resentment. It is now done commonly, and the thought of punishing looks and attitudes was rejected long ago. And everyone suffers accordingly. But God hates it.
Despising to obey a mother is facial expressions of saucy refusal to honor her requests.
God pictures this rebellious brat as buzzard bait, with the hooked beaks and talons of these birds ripping out eyeballs and eating them. Politically incorrect in our effeminate society, it graphically shows God's opinion of disrespectful children. Such fools will live and die under the harsh judgment of a holy God, Who defends all His ordained offices.
Both parents are included. Mothers should be esteemed and reverenced comparable to fathers, and a wise father will demand and enforce such respect for his wife at all times.
Dear reader, the holy God of heaven set capital punishment for speaking lightly about parents. Are you well established and agreed with God about this matter? Or do you think such harsh provisions of Moses' law are long outdated, extreme, and without value?
Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Deuteronomy 27:16
Wouldn't this text from Moses make great responsive reading for a youth conference? Amen! Why doesn't James Dobson have it or our proverb quoted at the beginning and end of "Focus on the Family"? It would create real focus on training a godly family!
Godly readers must be one with the LORD on this subject. He prescribed the death penalty for stubborn and rebellion children (Deut 21:18-21). Homes would be happy and parenting easy, if executions were done in public for all to see and fear! But He also prescribed it for cursing parents (Ex 21:17; Lev 20:9) and hitting parents (Ex 21:15).
When Absalom presumed to oppose his father and sovereign, the LORD hung him by his own hair in a tree and gave him the despicable tomb of a pile of stones (II Sam 18:9-18).
When forty-two little children mocked Elisha, he cursed them in the name of the LORD; and God honored him with two she bears to tear them for their jesting (II Kings 2:23-24).
We live in the perilous times of a generation given to self-love and child rebellion (II Tim 3:1-5). And this describes Christians, not the pagan world at large, where it is also very true (Rom 1:29-31). God's few ministers must use the Bible hammer on such thinking.
Dear parent, starting young, you must train children God's way. From the earliest days of conscious understanding, children must be taught to reverence parents. Even slight indications of a rebellious spirit - shown by looks, gestures, or attitudes - must be dealt with immediately and severely. There is no room for compromise on this point.
Disrespectful speech, rolling of the eyes, tossing of the head, looking away with the eyes, slamming of doors, blazing eyes of rebellion, wrinkled noses, sullen eyes of disregard, saucy answers, and foolish eyes of jesting disrespect cannot be tolerated. Correct it early, and your children will give you rest and peace (19:18; 29:15,17).
If we compromise, we offend the Creator of parents and bring upon ourselves the just consequences of neglecting our duty. May the good Lord save us from such folly.
Fulfill our assignment from heaven, and we prepare children to serve nobly under all authority. And they will be much happier themselves, finding that secure, peaceful, and respectful relationships are much superior to anger, bitterness, and rebellion.
Our Lord Jesus taught the honor of parents, and He repeated the death penalty warning (Matt 15:4). Paul repeats the duty two more times (Eph 6:1-3; Col 3:20), and he assumes reverence of fathers (Heb 12:9). While a great promise of a blessed life is for those honoring parents (Eph 6:2-3), our proverb promises great judgment on those who do not.
Even slight disrespect of parents must be punished severely. God hates even irreverent looks, gestures, and attitudes toward parents, which is the first authority He sends in life. So this proverb is added to the condemnation of verbal offences against parents (30:11).
www.letgodbetrue.com
