So in case you’ve been following the blog for a while, or stumbled upon it by accident – I’ve also written a book! I’d love for you to check it out, and send me your thoughts!!
On that note – my daughters wanted to help me tell you a bit about the book…they’re pretty good little ad copy writers…
It’s not simply sitting down to eat once in a while, smiling at how quaint these other generations are. It’s recognizing that we are not whole without them! We are called the “Body of Christ” collectively, not as individuals.
Titus chapter 2 verses 2 through 8 give us a great breakdown, admonishing older men, older woman, younger men, and younger women to live as part of one community. That together, united in Christ, they form the Body of which Christ is Lord, the head.
Romans 12:4-5 remind us: “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
When one member of the body of Christ pulls away, it’s not simply that member that is impacted by the distance from a covenant community. It’s the entire body, because we are no longer whole. In the same way, we don’t look at a member of our body that is suffering or experiencing brokenness and think less of them than ourselves. We see them as a part of our collective whole, and want to do whatever we can to help bring healing and wholeness to the body.
Are we beginning to see why saying “Honor your father and mother.” to the 7 year olds is missing out on a lot of what God is 
saying here?
The covenant as described in these verses has 3 primary aspects:
1. So that you may live long. – We’ve talked about how this is an obvious effect of a community that treasures and cares for it’s elders. We’ve also noted that this isn’t simply talking about Canaan – as part of the law fulfilled in Christ, this is pointing us to living long forever with Christ after we’ve experienced the transformation of resurrection!
2. That it may go well with you. – This comes from the reading of the same commandment in Deuteronomy 5:16, and Ephesians 6:2. This doesn’t mean that we’ll experience comfort and all the pleasures of this world – as some would love God to prosper them. Rather, it talks about this being “right” or “good”. This connects closely to what we would call the “right-ness” or “righteousness” of God. When we live in these ways, as Deuteronomy points out with several of the commandments, this is “right”. It may actually get us persecuted, as many in the New Testament and even today found out. But standing up and living differently than the world, according to the ways God has revealed to be our design, is always right, satisfying, and fulfilling. And when God returns to reveal His Kingdom completely, those who are living this way will find a very pleasant transition into the promised New Creation.
Which leads us to our final aspect of God’s covenant here, as we live as people who honor their father and mother:
3. In the Land the Lord your God is giving you. – We talked about how this is sooo much more than Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey; and not a drop less. This also points to the inheritance of sharing in New Creation with Christ after receiving our resurrection bodies. This is a land that even those who are currently in Paradise with Christ look forward to, all of Heaven and Earth made new and joined together as never before.
Just as the people of God, receiving God’s word from Moses had a choice in how to respond – so do we. Over the rest of the Old Testament, we see there were times they trusted him, and lived according to His ways. Then there were times they chose their own way, and things did not go well.
We are called by God to announce a new way of living has been opened up to us! This is the promise and event we celebrate at Easter, and every Sunday throughout the year! The resurrection of Jesus declares Him as Lord over all creation, and through faith in Him we share in the inheritance and covenant of Abraham, and all of his descendants after him. We can be free from ourselves.
We can be free from the brokenness of sinful lives, and having our lives ruled by the impact of the sins of others. “Honor your father and mother” is just the beginning, and an exciting one when we realize it’s not a rule to be followed – it’s the offer of a life and community transformation.
Do you desire to be transformed? Are you willing to let go of choosing your own way, and follow His? Will you carry the covenant of God into a world, bringing with you the healing power of Jesus Christ???
I encourage you to make this your testimony. That you are accepting God’s covenant. That you will not simply follow His rules, but you want your entire mind and heart to be transformed by the presence of His Spirit. Be prepared, it may not be an easy road, but it WILL go well with you….
All of this also places a high responsibility on the mothers and fathers, and those of experienced generations themselves. That they would live as people who are receiving honor, and share their lives with those of the generations following in their footsteps. Not to close themselves off from those who are younger, or to seclude themselves in lives dedicated to the things they enjoy. But as those who have lived receiving God’s covenant, to turn now and share it with future generations!
But these verses aren’t all about how to live and share in the covenant for this life-time. Just as with Abraham, and how the covenant God was making pointed toward Jesus and ultimately New Creation, these verses contain that similar thread.
When Exodus 20:12 talks about “living long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” – yes, to the people of Israel this meant the area of Canaan, the promised land. But not many of us are looking for real estate in the middle east, so what do we make of this aspect of verse 12? We believe this points to the promised future “New Creation” that we will cross over into someday when God returns to make all things new. When Heaven and earth are brought together, as two halves of one whole, and reality as we know it will have become transformed by the full presence of God.
As we’re living out the covenant, honoring the generations who came before us, we will naturally be passing down what it means to live a life transformed by God’s Spirit. As New Creations train the generations after them to becoming New Creations, we all look forward to one day walking into that amazing new environment God has in store for us. When we will be clothed with our new bodies, and exist in a way never before imagined – that is the “land your God is giving you.”
What are some of the characteristics of that land?
Revelation 21:1-5a:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “Look! God’s dwelling is here with humankind. He will dwell with them, and they will be his peoples. God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no more mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I’m making all things new!”
That definitely sounds like a land I would like to inherit, wouldn’t you? But as we receive this truth, we realize it’s not about collecting God’s rules in notebooks to keep in a backpack everywhere we go. It’s not about following the Jews in wearing a prayer shawl with tassels on it, one for every Levitical law. It’s about receiving the big picture of what God is saying in these commands…this is the new way of life for God’s people. A way that will transform who they are as individuals and as a community.
This also points us to another important truth: These are NOT the ways of the world.
The fact that God had to give these commandments, etch them in stone personally, speaks heavily to the fact that the people were not naturally inclined to live these ways. It’s the same in our world today. We don’t naturally worship God alone. Many times we find a new God just about every hour, whether it’s work, or sports, or fashion, or music, or entertainment.
Even in the world of religion, we’re tempted to “use God’s name in vain”, declaring that this is His will, or that is His will. Doing so justifies any amount of action, in our heads at least.
But let’s focus primarily on the commandment in verse 12 at this point. Most of us would be aware there is a “generational gap” in our culture. There are many reasons for this gap, some obvious, and some take a bit of study. But whatever the reasons, it exists.
But what God declares to His people, and to the Church today, is that here in this community especially – would be a place where such gaps are being bridged. That’s why our churches must strive to connect across generations, meeting and sharing testimony with people who are usually meeting in other Sunday School classes than ourselves. To do regular events as a church in the same way a large family gathering would happen. Sharing meals together are a great time to break bread and realize there can often be 3 generations represented at one table!
But there’s so much more to it than eating together! Come back tomorrow as we conclude our time in these important words…
words from wick 