Ephesians 6:1 - A Divine Slice of Heavenly Goodness

"The children, you be obeying the parents of you [in Lord].  For this is right.’

-Yes, children are included in these instructions from Paul, because they are included in the family (generally speaking they are precisely what God had in mind with that whole be-fruitful-and-multiply thing - Genesis 1.28, 9.1, 9.7).  Offspring.  Progeny.  They are entrusted to the parents, a divine slice of heavenly goodness, God's richest blessing in a soft, squirmy, crying mass of flesh that grows up all too quickly.  Born for trouble as sparks fly upward (Job 5.7), children must be taught to obey, and thus they are to obey their parents, their begeting-ones, these ones who bring them into being and who are tasked with teaching their children not only right from wrong but also to choose what is right (Deuteronomy 4.9-10, 6.7, 11.19 - more on this in verse 4).  Obey literally means ‘to listen under’.  In other words, the words go into the ears and register in the brain such that the wills are engaged to rank under the emanator, to submit to and comply with their words, to carry out whatever instructions or requests or commands were conveyed to them, in this case by their parents.  This is the first relationship, the most fundamental, the first line of authority for every child and that which lays the foundation for life and for every other relationship.  The child who fails learn to submit to the authority of their parents will most likely fail at life - growing up to be disrespectful and rebellious and self-serving in other relationships.  They will turn out like an unkempt, unpruned bush, an eyesore - wild, unsightly, coming up short of their God-given splendor.  So children, pay attention!  Listen to and do what your parents say.  Obey them because it’s a good idea certainly (next two verses), but also because this is right, it’s the right thing to do.  It is clearly how God wants it.  

-Paul doesn’t download this thought-train anywhere else in his writings.  What he has in mind is a passage from the torah, one of the ten commandments, one which we will unpack in the next two verses, but suffice it to say, he is not merely pulling some instruction out of left field.  He is not making this up.  This notion of obeying your parents is grounded in one of the most fundamental teachings of the mosaic covenant.  There is ancient wisdom in this teaching, and not only that, we are talking about God’s great plan and purpose for creation - men and women everywhere who are celebrating and spreading the knowledge of God’s breathtaking goodness because they have learned to do so from their parents, God’s blessings and ultimately His glory being spread throughout the world by families who know and fear and love Him.