Ninth Sunday after Pentecost – A Review of the Fourth Commandment – August 2, 2009

 

1 Samuel 2:12-17,22-25 - 12 Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord. 13 Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 14 He would plunge it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. 15 But even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.” 16 If the man said to him, “Let the fat be burned up first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would then answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.” 17 This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt… 22 Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. 24 No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear spreading among the Lord’s people. 25 If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death.

 

Honor and Obey

 

If there had been newspapers during their day, the weekly headlines might have read something like this: “Local Priest Robs from the Offering Plate” - “Sex Scandal in the Church!” - “Local Authorities, Church Authorities Do Nothing to Stop It!”

Here were two Israelite priests treating God’s house with contempt.  Here were two Israelite priests blatantly failing to give honor or respect to God.  Here were two Israelite priests with no regard for the rebuke of God’s representative.  Here were two Israelite priests who broke the fourth commandment in every way…and from their negative example, let us learn today what it truly means to Honor and Obey. 

          But how are we to do that?  What can we really learn from Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli?  After all, this was a totally different time in a totally different culture.  After all, we’re not that bad: we’ve never stolen from the offering plate!  We’ve never slept with a co-worker!  We still help around the house when mom needs it, or visit them in the hospital or nursing home!  Eli’s sons though, well they got what was coming to them.  THEY are the real law-breakers!

          We ought to know by now that when it comes to God’s commandments we are anything but innocent.  We better have learned that to try and prove our innocence by comparing ourselves to others is a hopelessly futile attempt and a spiritually fatal mistake.  But it is a sad fact of our sinful nature that as children, too often we try to convince ourselves that if we aren’t like the Hophni and Phinehas’ of the world then we’re doing ok.  And it is a sad fact of the sinful nature that as adults, too often we try to convince ourselves that this commandment doesn’t really apply to us anymore.  I’m not under dad’s roof!  Mom and dad aren’t even around anymore! 

          But Martin Luther explained how far this commandment reaches.  “First, then, learn what it means to honor parents as this commandment requires…The same is to be said concerning obedience toward earthly authority…Yet there is need to impress upon the people that those who want to be know as Christians owe it to God to regard those that watch over their souls as ‘worthy of double honor’ (1 Timothy 5:17).”   We break the fourth commandment when we fail to honor and obey, not just parents, but all those whom God has places in a position of authority over us – whether that be mom or dad, the babysitter they leave in charge, our pastor, governors, police officers, school teacher, or the president.  And why does God give them such honor?  Simple: Because they serve as his representatives.  If an ambassador visits a foreign nation, and he is received in a dishonorable way, being insulted and mistreated, it’s more than just an insult to the ambassador, but an insult to the very country that sent him!  It’s the same way with God!  Dishonor his representatives and you dishonor him.

          That’s how the bad example of our lesson can help us.  You see, Eli wasn’t just Hophni and Phinehas’ father; he was also their pastor, serving over them as the High Priest.  He wasn’t just their father and pastor; he was also their governor, serving as Israel’s judge.  They broke this commandment by the disrespect they showed toward every form of God’s representative. 

“Ok, ok, ok,” you say.  “I see how we can learn what not to do by seeing what Hophni and Phinehas’ did.  But how does it really apply to me?  I will admit I haven’t been a perfect son or daughter, but I do listen to pastor, and I’ve never had a speeding ticket or run-in with the law in my life.  I’m really not that bad!”  Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but out of love for you I must.  Let’s imagine for a second that you have obeyed God’s representatives.  Explain to me though, how do you obey them?  As we’ve seen in the other commandments, God’s not just interested in actions, but in attitudes.

Tell me, what do all these have in common?  Joe’s parents have given him a curfew of 10 p.m.  He obeys his parents, but he pouts about having a curfew and tells them it’s not fair because his friend’s parents don’t care if they stay out later.  Joe’s dad has to drive through a long section of town where the speed limit is 25 mph.  He obeys the speed limit, but he often gets angry as he drives and tells his boss how stupid the speed limits are.  Joe’s mom couldn’t believe that her friends would vote for that senator.  He was the worst candidate.  While she’d never dream of doing anything illegal, she would do all she could to ruin his name and make sure they didn’t vote for him.  Joe’s little sister has a Sunday school teacher who requires that she memorize a portion of the catechism and a passage every week.  She does the memory work, be when her mom reminds her to do it each week, she gets upset and whines about it. 

What do they have in common?  Each of them obeyed outwardly, but they certainly did not honor and respect and love the authorities that God had placed over them.  And if we’re honest with ourselves, neither do we.  God doesn’t just say obey, but honor and obey.  Honor them!  Respect them!  Love them – even if they don’t deserve it!  Why – because they are God’s representatives!  A sin against them is a sin against God.

The heart of the problem for Hophni and Phinehas was what is told us in verse 12: “they had no regard for the LORD.”  Their sin, it says, “was very great in the LORD’s sight.”  Literally, in the Lord’s face.  And so is ours.  Dishonor the parents he’s placed over us, disrespect the pastor or elder’s he’s called to serve him, grumble and complain about the government he has established and you dishonor, disrespect, and grumble and complain against God, saying, “I don’t care if they represent you, God!  In your face!”

And of course, we deserve to have God take away our parents, remove the pastors and elders who feed us with his Word, and lose the freedoms and blessings we have through our government.  In fact, we deserve to have God say, “You keep complaining and I’ll give you something to complain about!”  Luther gives us all something to think about when he says, “Everyone thinks these are such plain and simple words, words that in any case he knows well.  So he skims over them lightly and begins gawking at something else, failing to see and realize how greatly he angers God when he bypasses this commandment…Let everyone who can accept instruction therefore realize that God is not joking.  He is speaking to you; he is demanding obedience of you.  If you obey Him, then you are His dear child; if you despise His commandment, then take disgrace, misery, and anguish as your reward.”  For breaking God’s fourth commandment we deserve to have every blessing taken away and to be banished to hell forever!

But thanks be to God!  He hasn’t taken these blessings from us and he tells us we are not banished to hell forever.  Why?  Is it because we haven’t broken this commandment all that badly after all?  In our dreams.  It is because of Jesus.  Now if anyone ever had a right to complain about the authority over him, it was Jesus, wasn’t it?  He was perfect, but his parents were imperfect.  Yet, Luke tells us that he “went down to Nazareth and was obedient to [Mary and Joseph]” (Luke 2:51).  His government officials put him through a mock trial and condemned him to death, in spite of the fact that he was obviously innocent.  Yet he honored and respect the government, paying his taxes and telling others to give to Caesar what was Caesar’s. 

Finally, he obeyed his heavenly Father in all things!  He never rebelled, never talked back, never complained, but always respected him, honored him, and obeyed him gladly and willingly – even when obedience meant torture, death and hell for no crimes of his own.  How unfair!  He had every right to complain, but he never did.  Instead he prayed to his Father, “not my will, but yours be done” (Matthew 26:20). 

And why did he do all this?  He did it for you and for me!  He did it for the world!  He obeyed because he knew we could not.  He obeyed because he loved us so much!  He obeyed perfectly so he could be the substitute who could walk to the cross carrying our every complaint, disobedient act, and disrespectful thought and pay for them there.  He did this so that his perfect obedience could be given to you.  On the cross he removed our guilt in breaking the fourth and every commandment!  Through Jesus Christ you are perfect in God’s sight!  You are no longer hell-bound, but bound for an eternity of glory with your Father!

And he continues to bless us with his commandment!  With the fourth, he not only protects and blesses those in authority, but especially those under that authority!  And to this commandment he attaches a specific blessing, “Honor your father and mother that it might go well with you and that you might enjoy long life on the earth.” Not only did we receive body and life from our parents, but we were also fed and reared by them.  Without them, as Luther states, we “would have choked a hundred times over in [our own] filth.”  Through the government we are given safety and security, order, not chaos, blessings, not curses.  Through spiritual leaders he gives us the opportunity to hear his life-saving and life-giving word.

So go, dear friends, rejoicing in the grace of our Savior!  He saved us wretched sinners from ourselves and blesses us despite ourselves.  Serve your awesome Savior by listening to mom and dad and obeying them, not because they’ll ground you if you don’t but because they are God’s representatives and you long to serve him.  Don’t ignore your spiritual leaders, but give them respect.  Honor the leaders in the government, pray for them, yes, even the ones you don’t particularly like, because God has given them their authority.  Do all this for the sake of Jesus, thanking him for the forgiveness you have for every sin.  Amen.