“The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures.”
Proverbs 30:17

Wow! That outcome of a child’s disrespect for parents should teach her or him to beware! Those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers are wicked! It is not good to mock a father or to scorn to obey a mother. So vile is this behavior in the Lord’s eyes that the Lord presents a horrific scene to discourage children from being hateful and disobedient. That imagery is so vivid that I am reminded of the parent who warns a child about getting hurt. “Go ahead, break your leg, but then don’t come crying to me!” Perhaps these warnings are issued for their shock value!

I much prefer what we read in Exodus 20, regarding the fifth of the Ten Commandments. “Honor your father and your mother so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (12)

Or in Deuteronomy: “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (5:16)

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for parents … for those who gave us birth, for those who became parents through adoption, and for those who assumed a parental role in our lives. Keep us mindful that it is not easy to be a parent. Inasmuch as we are all sinners, parents and children err. Forgive us! We ask forgiveness when we have not given our parents the honor and respect they deserve. If we cannot ask for their forgiveness, hear us as we ask for Yours. Help us to honor our fathers and our mothers so that our days may be long and things will go well with us for all our days. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.