What the Bible says about Dishonoring Parents leads to Immaturity
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Proverbs 20:20 This verse soberly warns that children who treat their parents lightly or contemptuously, who pay them and their word no heed, are headed for failure that may include death. They are putting themselves "behind the eight-ball" by developing habits of disregard of those who are more experienced and wiser. John W. Ritenbaugh The Fifth Commandment (1997) Related Topics: Despising Wisdom | Dishonoring Parents | Dishonoring Parents leads to Death | Dishonoring Parents leads to Immaturity | Fifth Commandment | Honoring Parents | Parents, Honoring | The Fifth Commandment

Proverbs 20:20 This verse ought to give any person who has some measure of respect for God's seriousness about a child's responsibility toward his parents pause to think about things. Modern translations often choose to render "obscure" as pitch or complete. "His lamp shall be put out in pitch darkness (or in complete darkness)." It means in an area where there is no possibility of seeing anything, utter blindness. God's warning indicates utterly dark. If a lamp is snuffed out, extinguished in the darkness, how will a person see where he is going? A lamp puts forth light, and light is a biblical symbol of truth. Therefore, God is in reality speaking of having correct guidance and direction. He is saying that if children curse their parents, the death penalty may not be not executed, but following right on the heels of this, God says He will remove the guidance that He would ordinarily make available. This proverb, then, is saying that God will not necessarily put one to death. Instead, the penalty for cursing parents is that one will receive no guidance from Him. This imagery comes close to the punishment that is reserved for demons—to be able to see and desire greatly but to be able to do nothing about it. John W. Ritenbaugh Sanctification and the Teens Related Topics: Cursing of Parents | Despising Wisdom | Dishonoring Parents | Dishonoring Parents leads to Anarchy | Dishonoring Parents leads to Death | Dishonoring Parents leads to Immaturity | Fifth Commandment | Lamps as Metaphors | Light as a Symbol | Light as Metaphor of Truth | Sanctification of Children | Sanctification of Teens | Spiritual Blindness | Spiritual Darkness | The Fifth Commandment

Isaiah 3:1-5 The issue in this context concerns adults in positions of authority, but these adults never truly matured. When dishonoring parents is taken to an extreme, it produces an anarchy that will reach out to infect the community as well. "Anarchy" describes an absence of government; it defines general disorder, a time when each person does what is right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). Those trained in the home to dishonor parents will resist authority on every front, whether civic authorities, supervisors on the job, teachers in school, or coaches of a team. Self-centeredness stands at the foundation of this action. Those so created will pay little attention to honoring community standards because they do not respect them. Thus, they will not discipline themselves to submit to them. They always think that they know what is best for them—and for everybody else too. They will follow whatever impulse drives them, regardless of how it affects others. This rebellious liberalism first produces an irritated grumbling in others, but it can soon build into general disorder and confusion. Ultimately, if unchecked, chaos results. In due course, a whole culture's energies are expended merely to survive, effectively destroying the development of spiritual, creative, and intellectual qualities essential to an individual's and to society's well-being. This is the very path America is following. Immaturity is a direct result of not honoring parents. People of this mindset have a hard time cooperating because their minds are filled with insecurities, they feel they are being taken advantage of, or they feel driven to compete in everything. As they age, they feel put upon, and thus become quite defensive. Because such children are not made to respect their parents' advice, they grow up not understanding what truly works, so they lack wisdom. This failure reveals itself in self-will and self-indulgence that can be taken to the point of sheer rebellion. It condemns children to learning the lessons of life through the hard, harsh experiences of personal warfare. John W. Ritenbaugh The Fifth Commandment Related Topics: Anarchy | Chaos | Confusion | Dishonoring Parents | Dishonoring Parents leads to Anarchy | Dishonoring Parents leads to Immaturity | Disorder | Honoring Community Standards | Immaturity | Liberalism | Self Centeredness | Self Discipline

 

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