Leviticus 1:2-3 reads, “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy; for I Jehovah your God am holy. Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father; and ye shall keep my sabbaths: for I am Jehovah your God.” This command to Moses tells us a great deal. Leviticus is the record of many requirements that God gave to Israel for them to be holy. Right after His initial command to be holy, God told each Israelite to fear his or her mother and father. The fear is a reverential submission. There is a special relationship that parents have with their own children.
God gives responsibilities to parents. It is their role to make sure their children reverence God. For children to understand a reverence for God they need to understand first a reverence for their parents.
Notice that in our verses above the term “man” is used, not “child.” Moses was not instructed to only tell young children to fear their parents. He was instructed to tell “every man.” Every adult listening to Moses was to understand the requirement to reverence parents. It is a lifetime submission. This does not mean that the parents can command an adult child what to do. The stages of life change the parent-child relationship in the way the parent and child interact. However, change does not do away with the fact that there is a submission and honoring.
There is much more that could be said on this topic. Keep studying your Bible to learn more about this. For now, learn that part of being holy is reverencing parents. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
