Importance of the Fifth Commandment

(I originally wrote and posted this in my previous blog on 02/24/2007.)

Reading: YirmeYahu (Jeremiah) 34-36

Jer 35:18 And Yirmeyahu said to the house of the Rekabites, "Thus said YHWH of hosts, the Elohim of Yisra'el, 'Because you have obeyed the command of Yonadab your father, and guarded all his commands and done according to all that he commanded you,
Jer 35:19 therefore thus said YHWH of hosts, the Elohim of Yisra'el, "Of Yonadab son of Rekab there shall never cease to be a man to stand before Me." ' "

In chapter 35 we are given a picture of the Rekabites. It sounds like they may have been Nazirites because they did not drink wine nor plant vineyards. They also lived in tents, and all this was at the instruction of their forefather, Yonadab, son of Rekab. They honored their father and were faithful to obey his instructions.

Yonadab helped Yehu put an end to the reign of the wicked Ahab (husband of Izebel [Jezebel]) and "destroy Ba'al out of Yisra'el" (Melakim Bet [2 Kings] 10:15-28).

Yonadab's descendants were held up as an example by YHWH because they "obeyed their father's command", which is what Yehudah should have done, but they did not obey their Father, YHWH--"I have spoken to them but they did not listen, and I have called to them but they did not answer."--so they were going to have to face all the evil coming against them.

It is important to honor and obey our parents because that is how we learn to honor and obey our Heavenly Father. If we won't honor and obey someone we can see, how are we going to honor and obey Someone we can't see?