73_Honour your father and mother Ex 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Deut 5:16 “‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. A traveler stood at the edge of a deep, rushing river. He couldn’t cross it alone, and there was no bridge in sight. A local villager offered to carry him across on his back. Halfway through the journey, as the waters grew deeper and stronger, the traveler began to complain about his discomfort. He attempted to shift himself into a better position. The sturdy villager stopped and said, “I’m carrying you because you cannot cross on your own. If you forget your need and think only about how uncomfortable you are, you may fall into the river!” This story mirrors our relationship with our parents. They carry us, often at great cost, through the waters of life until we are strong enough to walk on our own. Yet, how often do we forget their sacrifices and focus instead on the problems and issues in our relationship? None of us choose our parentage. It is of God. Ps 68:6 “God settles the solitary in families.” Ps 139:13, the Psalmist says “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.” God made that choice in his sovereignty and in his wisdom. For this reason, when we honour our parents, with love and care, we honour the sovereignty and wisdom of God. It is God’s plan that we find our immediate identity in our family, as much as by the position or achievements that come later. A lot of ground in the Bible is earmarked for genealogies, as God shows where people belong. Acts 17:26 “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.” David was a man after God’s own heart, a great and good king, prophet, and sweet psalmist of Israel. Yet when the Holy Spirit spoke of him centuries later, he was described as the son of Jesse. Compared to the fame of David, Jesse was obscure. Jesse does not shine even on the occasion when David was anointed as king. It was only when Samuel prodded Jesse that David was hastily brought home. Yet David’s primary identity was as Jesse’s son. Acts 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ ” God’s people were known only as the children of Israel, or Jacob. Individualism is not part of the plan of God. We did not come into this world by our own efforts, but through our parents. For that very