Eph 6:2

[Scott Bushey]

Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise; ) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him. 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

I have read most of the commentaries on the passage. What do you believe Paul meant when he wrote: 'which is the first commandment with promise"? I understand that the 5th commandment has a promise attached, do this and you will get this.......but what did he intend when he calls it the first commandment?

 

[Larry Hughes]

The first regarding love toward neighbor (love your neighbor as yourself, in this case parents and children) and an earthly promise, not salvation.

1 - 4 are toward God (love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.)

 

[bob]

I've always taken the phrase to refer to the fact that that he is appealing to the fifth commandment as the first one that has a specific promise attached to it upon condition of obedience.

"12 ¶ Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."

Bob

 

[Larry Hughes]

No disagreement at all, nothing lost either way I think.

L

 

[Scott Bushey]

Hendrickson says that Paul would have never meant the first commandment of the second tablet; a Jew would have never seperated the tablets; they always saw them as one document.

 

[gwine]

One document although two tablets. If (and I don't know) the first four commandments are on one tablet and the last six are on the other, I could understand the human propensity to call the fifth commandment the first commandment of the second tablet, just as one could call the fourth commandment the last commandment of the first tablet. It's probably the engineering mind at work.

Paul said it, and he was a Jew, and it is in the Scriptures. Maybe Hendrickson is wrong.

 

[Scott Bushey]

Originally posted by gwine
One document although two tablets. If (and I don't know) the first four commandments are on one tablet and the last six are on the other, I could understand the human propensity to call the fifth commandment the first commandment of the second tablet, just as one could call the fourth commandment the last commandment of the first tablet. It's probably the engineering mind at work.

Paul said it, and he was a Jew, and it is in the Scriptures. Maybe Hendrickson is wrong.

Hendricksons premise is that Paul is a Jew and for that reason alone, he didn't mean that.

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Matthew Henry:

Honour thy father and mother (Eph 6:2), which honour implies reverence, obedience, and relief and maintenance, if these be needed. The apostle adds, which is the first commandment with promise. Some little difficulty arises from this, which we should not overlook, because some who plead for the lawfulness of images bring this as a proof that we are not bound by the second commandment. But there is no manner of force in the argument. The second commandment has not a particular promise; but only a general declaration or assertion, which relates to the whole law of God's keeping mercy for thousands. And then by this is not meant the first commandment of the decalogue that has a promise, for there is no other after it that has, and therefore it would be improper to say it is the first; but the meaning may be this: "This is a prime or chief commandment, and it has a promise; it is the first commandment in the second table, and it has a promise." The promise is, That it may be well with thee, etc.,

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Fisher's Catechism:

QUESTION 66. What is the reason annexed to the Fifth Commandment?

ANSWER: The reason annexed to the Fifth Commandment is a promise of long life and prosperity (as far as it shall serve for God's glory, and their own good) to all such as keep this commandment.

Q. 8. Why is the Fifth Commandment called the First Commandment with promise? Eph. 6:2.

A. Because it is the First Commandment of the second table, and the only commandment in it, that has an express promise annexed to it.