PragerU – Page 3 – REACHING HURTING WOMEN MINISTRIES

REACHING HURTING WOMEN MINISTRIES OFFERS FOUR TOPICS FOR CONTEMPLATION EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR. EACH TOPIC IS A 12-MONTH STUDY SERIES ASSIGNED TO A SPECIFIC FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH. IN MONTHS WITH FIVE FRIDAYS I’LL BE REVIEWING VARIOUS INSPIRATIONAL MEDIA.

On the first Friday of each month in 2022 we’re studying the Ten Commandments; why we need to know, memorize and obey them.

Regard (treat with honor, due obedience, and courtesy) your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God gives you. ~ Exodus 20:12 (AMPC)

HONOR: to revere; to respect; to treat with deference and submission and perform relative duties to. ~ Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary

GOD’S FAMILY PLAN

From the beginning God had a plan for His People. He designed a family to have two parents: a man and a woman. Together, with God’s blessing to be fruitful and multiply, they would create the human race. The responsibility of the children fell to the parents. The responsibility of the children was to obediently submit to the authority of their parents.

It’s no secret in today’s world, the destruction of many nations began with the breakdown of the family. With Biblical values declining in our schools and homes and out of control divorce rates, the majority of children no longer have both parental figures in their lives. The concept of honoring anyone, much less your parents is almost unheard of. And we wonder why our world is in the state it is.

“As the family goes, so goes the nation, and so goes the whole world in which we live.”~ Pope St. John Paul II

THE PROMISED REWARD

The fifth commandment teaches us that God designed our parents to be honored and obeyed in the same way that we would honor and obey God, our heavenly Father. But this commandment is about more than just how we treat our parents. It flows to all areas of community life. When a child knows how to honor their parents, they will be able to respect others in authority as well: teachers, police and other officials.

While this commandment has often been taught as the only one with a promise. I would agree with Dennis Prager in the video below and Alistair Begg who wrote that the fifth commandment is given as a promise not just to individuals but to a society in general.

“So the principle in the promise is this: children who are taught to obey God by honoring their parents will grow up to be responsible citizens, and responsible citizens make for a strong nation, which in turns helps to provide a context in which life can flourish.” ~ Alistair Begg

NEVER TOO LATE TO OBEY GOD

There are many who would say our world is a lost cause, that it’s too late to teach these principles to make serious changes. However, scripture teaches us God will keep all His promises. I believe with the Holy Spirit’s power backing up our obedience, God will honor that obedience and keep His promises to achieve what He desired them to accomplish.

My word, which comes from my mouth, is like the rain and snow.
It will not come back to me without results.
It will accomplish whatever I want
and achieve whatever I send it to do.” ~ Isaiah 55:11

The prophet Isaiah made it clear that when God spoke a Word it would not return to God until it had accomplished the purpose He sent it to achieve. This assures us that even the fifth commandment’s promised reward has the same backing. God’s Word always finishes what He calls it to finish to the glory of His Name.

UPDATE YOUR MEMORY

Our memory aid for the Fifth Commandment shows us the image of two loving parents in the shape of a 5. This is a good reminder for us to honor, obey, respect and be courteous to the people who gave us life.

Take a few minutes and glean wisdom from Dennis Prager’s teaching on The Fifth Commandment. Be blessed!

RESOURCES:

The Evidence Bible

Thompson Chain Reference Bible

New Living Parallel Study Bible*

Spirit-Filled Life Bible

The Rational Bible: Genesis by Dennis Prager

The Rational Bible: Exodus by Dennis Prager

The 10 Commandments: What They Mean, Why They Matter, and Why we Should Obey Them by Kevin DeYoung

Pathway to Freedom: How God’s Laws Guide Our Lives by Alistair Begg

The Ten Commandments: Reasonable Rules for Life by Dwight L. Moody

The Evidence Bible: Ten Commandments Memory Aid

REACHING HURTING WOMEN MINISTRIES OFFERS FOUR THEMES FOR CONTEMPLATION EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR. EACH OF THE FOUR POWER-PACKED THEMES ARE A 12-MONTH STUDY SERIES ASSIGNED TO A SPECIFIC FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH. IN MONTHS WITH FIVE FRIDAYS I REVIEW INSPIRATIONAL MEDIA.

TODAY WE’RE LOOKING AT AN AMAZING SERIES OF BOOKS.

The Rational Bible: Genesis by [Dennis Prager]

Dennis Prager has spent most of his adult life teaching the Torah. I can think of no one more qualified to write a line by line commentary on the Torah. One of the things I most enjoy about Dennis Prager is his straightforward way of teaching.

The format Dennis uses is excellent. He not only goes line by line in the Scripture explaining the verses. But also he offers insightful essays that delve deeper into various topics throughout the books. Here are a few samples of some intriguing essay titles:

From Genesis:

- The Belief People Are Basically Good Is Foolish and Dangerous
- Faith Demands Sacrifice
- Can We Expect God To Protect Us

From Exodus:

- The Moral Significance of Fearing God
- Do All Believers In One God Believe in the Same God?
- We Are Not Commanded To Love Our Parents

I’ve been using The Rational Bible: Genesis and Exodus for the last several months as references for some of my columns and I’ve learned so much. I’m looking forward to getting the recently released The Rational Passover Haggadah and The Rational Bible: Deuteronomy which is coming in October 2022. I encourage you buy and read these valuable commentaries.