©2011-2026, David E. Robinson: At the Gates of Yerushalayim Ministries

Lessons from the Wilderness, Volume 71

…The Sole Commandment and its Promise [i] [ii] 

(Exo 20:12)

"Honor your father and your mother, that you may live a long time in the land the LORD your God is giving to you. 

(Eph 6:1-3)

Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment accompanied by a promise, namely, "that it may go  well with you and that you will live  a long time on the earth."

 A dear daughter of the Most High God went to be with the Lord today, and so we bless the memory of Kachie Robert. She is survived by those who love her, but I’d like to take my time today to lift up one of her daughters, Sabrina and of course, her siblings.

 I know Sabrina – she is family to me. We have a history, but more than that, Sabrina showed grace and comfort to my wife when she had to return to Chuuk to lay her brother Alafanso to rest. When the time comes, I will speak more of him, but this is personal, meant for Sabrina.

I did not know Kachie, I met her on a video chat, but by her daughter, I know she was a good woman. Why? Because her daughter Sabrina exhibited an upbringing that reflected her mother’s spirit. From all I know, she was a good mom, a good wife, a daughter of God. Those of you who know her best, please remember her. For myself, I  I just want to speak to Sabrina, and by extension, her siblings.

 The title of our lesson today may seem odd, “The Sole Commandment and its Promise.” The verse quoted from Exodus is found in Chapter 20 and is a part of what we call “The Ten Commandments”. Allow me to repeat them to you as understood by our Jewish brethren (I have numbered them for clarity):

 (Exo 20:2-17)

1)      "I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.”

"You shall have no other gods before me.”

2)     "You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything 

that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water below. 

You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations of those who reject me, and showing covenant faithfulness to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

3)      "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold guiltless 

anyone who takes his name in vain.”

4)      "Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as holy. For six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”

 5)      "Honor your father and your mother, that you may live a long time in the land the LORD your God is giving to you.”

 6)      "You shall not murder.”

7)      "You shall not commit adultery.”

8)      "You shall not steal.”

9)      "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

10)  "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, 

nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor."

 

In Hebrew, the “Ten Commandments” are called Aseret ha-Dibrot. The words d'varim and dibrot come from the Hebrew root Dalet-Beit-Reish, meaning word, speak or thing; thus, the phrase is accurately translated as the Ten Sayings, the Ten Statements, the Ten Declarations, the Ten Words.

 

These “Ten Words” represent the categories that the 613 commandments found in Exodus fall under.  The first category is found here in Exodus 20:2 : “…I am Adonai your God…”  Now, before we look any farther, you might ask, “Commandments” or “Words” – what’s the difference?  The difference is in the concept, in the construction of what these words mean. 

 Take the word “commandment”: what does that mean to you? Perhaps it just means a command, a rule, a law. Now ask yourself this: when was the last time you broke a command, a rule or a law?  How about driving today?  Did you stay within the posted speed limits?  If not, why not? That rule, that law is there for a reason. Maybe ask yourself why didn’t you “feel” compelled by the command of the sign to obey it?  You would if you see a police car wouldn’t you?  It is the threat of consequence that keeps you from going 100 miles an hour in a 60 mile an hour zone isn’t it? 

As long as there is no danger or consequence to getting caught, we break laws and rules every day. We forget that the Father put rules into place for our own good; we forget or we just do not want to acknowledge that our actions are watched and weighed every moment by a Holy God – and one day there will be a reckoning, a  recompense for all that we say and do.  There is danger in ignoring the warning signs of God’s word.

 One aspect of this can best be seen in the concept of a “low bridge” sign.

 

 The sign says maximum height for vehicles going under it is twelve feet… What happens when a truck that is taller attempts to go under the bridge?   Reality happens. You see, when you break a law, or a rule, eventually consequences catch up with you.  You may go eighty miles-an-hour in a sixty mile-an-hour zone every day for a year, but one day, it will be your turn to get a ticket.

                  You may break the law, but as this driver found out, a reality will break you.

 Now what does this have to do with the “Sole Commandment that has a Promise”? Here in Exodus 20:12 we see the first or sole commandment given by Yahweh that carries with it a promise. This verse carries such an important promise that it is repeated throughout Scripture many times:

 ·         Lev 19:3    ‘Every one of you shall reverence his mother and his father, and you shall keep My sabbaths; I am the LORD your God.

·         Matthew 15:4     “For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’

·         Mark 7:10    “For Moses said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER’; and ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH’;

·         Luke 18:20     “You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’ ”

·         Eph 6:2     HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which again, is the first commandment with a promise),

·         See also Dt 5:16, 33, 6:2, 11:8, 9, 27:16; Jer 35:18, 19; Mt 19:19; Mk 10:19

 It is all about honor. And what is honor? The Hebrew word for honor " kā·ḇēḏ ", literally means heavy. To the modern reader this might not make sense, until we realize that in the ancient times, the Jews bought and sold by weight. Even their money, the shekel, was based on weight.

 How does this apply to us today?  We live in a world where relationships are often based on feelings. When we say that we love someone, we are usually talking about a feeling. But the Biblical concept of love is based on the value of the object of our love.  The feeling may follow the value, but honor is much more than a feeling.

                                               Value changes your actions.

 How does value change our actions? Great value changes everything.  This is a basic precept of God's Kingdom. 

The Bible says in Matthew 13:44 - 46 that...

 Matthew 13:44-46 (ESV)

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

              Honor changes you. Honor transforms lives and relationships, not to mention cultures and communities. Honor opens the door of our hearts. Honor is concrete and abstract at the same time. Concrete because of the actions we can perceive and measure that show value is being attached to ourselves or others. Abstract because it takes our mind and heart to process this worth that is being assigned.

 If you have ever been treated with honor, then you have experienced the weight, the heaviness of that honor, even if it but for a fleeting moment.  The Hebrew word for honor agrees with the Scriptures about the impact this value brings to our life. When we are valued, we open our heart and our soul. 

                 Sabrina and her siblings were honored and valued by Kachie. She in turn was honored by those who cared for her at the end of her mortal life. She attached value and weight to her husband and children, they in turn, did the same.

                 This sole commandment carried with it a promise, that if one values and honors the mother and father, then God will make your life a blessing. Do not look at what you do not have – but look to the greatest gift that God gives: long life with peace, love and honor. God promises that for all who love and honor their mother and father, His love will be returned to them.

                 A Reality, any one of the commandments, can either make or break a soul. I believe Sabi, that when it is all said and done for you and yours, you will see Kachie again, and you will hear those blessed words from our Father in heaven:

 “Welcome unto thy rest, thou good and faithful servant.”

 May the Lord bless and comfort you all in this time, 

and may His honor and Love Abide to all, Amein and Amein.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

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