Whether you’re young or just young at heart, the Bible has plenty of wisdom to offer when it comes to honoring our mother and father. In this devotional, we’ll read the Best Bible Verses about Obeying Your Parents and discover how following this commandment gives us the guidance and encouragement we need.
The relationship you have with your earthly parents is a direct reflection of the connection you have with your Heavenly Father. So, when you honor your parents, you’re also honoring God.
God’s Word is full of verses that speak to the importance of honoring and obeying your parents. It’s more than just the right thing to do, it’s a commandment from God, and one that holds a special promise. But we’ll get to that in just a minute.
First, let’s read the top Bible verses about obeying your parents.
Top Bible Verses about Honoring Your Parents
These scriptures on honoring your parents show us that when we obey our parents, we’re pleasing God and living in a way that’s consistent with His will. They’re the very best verses about honoring parents, including the fifth commandment in the Ten Commandments.
Let’s take a look.
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Exodus 20:12 ESV
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.
Colossians 3:20-22 NIV
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
Proverbs 1:8-9 King James Version
‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
Matthew 19:19 NKJV
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,
Galatians 3:26 NIV
A wise son hears his father’s instruction,
but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
Proverbs 13:1 ESV
Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 19:3 NIV
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Psalm 139:15 NIV
A Biblical Command to Obey Your Parents
Obeying your parents isn’t a suggestion, it’s a direct command from God.
But it also holds a promise from God. When you obey your parents, it leads to a long and prosperous life filled with wisdom, prosperity, and a closer relationship with God. So, in the long run, it’s beneficial for you.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-4 ESV
Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Deuteronomy 5:16 KJV
My son, do not forget my law,
But let your heart keep my commands;
For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you.
Proverbs 3:1-2 New King James Version
A wise son makes a glad father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
Proverbs 15:20 ESV
Listen to your father who begot you,
And do not despise your mother when she is old.
Proverbs 23:22 NKJV
The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise son makes a glad father,
But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
Proverbs 10:1 NKJV
The Importance of Obeying Your Parents
When we’re young we resist following our parents’ rules, like cleaning our bedroom or washing the dishes. Then in our teenage years, we take it even further by spreading our wings and possibly even defying our parent’s rules. Finally, we grow up and realize they were right all along.
But obeying your parents isn’t just about following rules, it’s a sign of love and respect toward them.
The Importance of Honoring Your Parents
Honoring your parents is a life-long event. It doesn’t end when you celebrate your eighteenth birthday. In that way it’s a little different from being obedient.
Maybe you no longer have to do what your parents say. However, it shows them that you value their guidance and wisdom as you navigate life.
And as a Christian, you’re always obligated to obey God’s commandment to honor your mother and father, no matter what age you are.
Just as they had the responsibility of raising and guiding you in a way that pleases the Lord.
My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
Proverbs 6:20-21 ESV
Find out how Serving Others will have a positive impact on your life in this Bible Study!
Consequences of Not Honoring Your Parents
God has given your parents authority over you. And disobeying your parents can lead to serious consequences including damaging your relationship with them or causing them pain. So, show your parents sincerity and grace by honoring them and following their guidance.
In the following Consequences for Disobeying Parents Scriptures, God warns us about the dangers of disobedience.
And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
Exodus 21:15 NKJV
Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.
Exodus 21:17 ESV
For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.
Leviticus 20:9 ESV
‘Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt.’
“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
Deuteronomy 27:16 NKJV
If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 ESV
If one curses his father or his mother,
his lamp will be put out in utter darkness.
Proverbs 20:20 ESV
The eye that mocks a father
and scorns to obey a mother
will be picked out by the ravens of the valley
and eaten by the vultures.
Proverbs 30:17 ESV
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
Romans 1:28-31 ESV
For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’
Matthew 15:4 ESV
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 ESV
And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God) then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
Mark 7:9-13 ESV
Young people who obey the law are wise; those with wild friends bring shame to their parents.
Proverbs 28:7 NLT
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Bible Verses about Discipline
If you’ve ever disobeyed your parents, you know discipline is on the way.
Growing up, my mom used the fly swatter to get her point across. A quick swat on the leg was never fun, but it always worked.
And it might surprise you to learn that this kind of discipline is Biblical.
God instructs parents to discipline their children so that they will grow up knowing how to behave. In the same way, God teaches us the best way to live and shows us His unconditional love through discipline.
Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6 NKJV
Whoever spares the rod hates their children,
but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.
Proverbs 13:24 NIV
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The rod of correction will drive it far from him.
The rod and rebuke give wisdom,
But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
These Bible Verses about Humility will help you live a more meaningful life today!
Biblical Examples of Obeying Parents
As you’ve already seen, the Bible emphasizes the importance of obeying your parents. And the Scriptures have numerous examples of people who obeyed their parents and were blessed as a result.
Whether you are a child, a teenager, or an adult, it’s the right choice to honor and obey your parents. By doing so, you’ll please God and be blessed.
Let’s explore some of these Biblical examples of obeying your parents now.
Old Testament Examples of Obeying Your Parents
In the Old Testament, we see several examples of individuals who obeyed their parents. Let’s look at two of the most well-known.
Isaac
Isaac obeyed his father when God asked Abraham to sacrifice him.
And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
Joseph
Joseph obeyed his father Jacob and went to check on his brothers while they were tending the flocks.
And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.”
So he said to him, “Here I am.”
Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.
Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”
So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.”
And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.
Genesis 37:13-17 NKJV
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New Testament Examples of Being Obedient
These New Testament scriptures are great examples of following God’s commandments.
The Apostles
The apostles obeyed God rather than men when they were commanded not to preach the gospel.
But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.
Acts 5:29 NKJV
Caring for Your Household
The book of 1 Timothy teaches us that caring for those in our household is pleasing to God and a way of obeying Him.
But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.
1 Timothy 5:4 NIV
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Obeying Leaders
God instructs us to follow our leaders with a joyful heart, whether they’re parents, teachers, political leaders, or others in authority over us. Here are a few Bible verses about submitting to authority.
Obey your leaders and submit to them for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account so that they may do this with joy, not groaning; for this would be unhelpful for you.
Hebrews 13:17 NASB
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:5 ESV
The Example of Jesus
In the Gospel of Luke, we read that Jesus Himself obeyed His parents.
When He was twelve years old, Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with His parents, Mary and Joseph. When they left, Jesus stayed behind in the temple unbeknownst to His parents. When they came back for Him, He was obedient and went with them back to Nazareth.
As Christians, Jesus is our ultimate example. So, let’s read about His obedience, plus some more of His teachings on the important topic of obeying.
Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Luke 11:11-14 NKJV
If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
Luke 14:26 NKJV
For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
Remember that obedience doesn’t always come easy, but it’s a choice you make. It requires humility, self-control, and a willingness to submit to authority. However, it’s worth it in the end.
If you struggle with obedience, follow the example of Jesus. Pray for God’s help and guidance. Seek the advice of trusted mentors or pastors who can provide wisdom and support. Surround yourself with positive influences who encourage you to do what is right in God’s eyes.
I truly pray that these Bible Verses about Obeying Your Parents have encouraged you today! And as you continue to grow in your faith, you’ll strive to obey all of God’s commands, including obeying your parents. Because with His help, you can overcome any obstacle and live a life that honors Him.
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