Is there anything I can do to guarantee myself a long life?

How vital is the need for simple, faithful obedience to the Word of God! Thus, the path of consistency begins with the instruction not to forget God's laws, but rather to simply allow the heart to keep His commands. For the heart of the believer is disposed to obey God, so that it is simply proper to let the heart follow this proper bent. Normally, such obedience will result in a long and peaceful life (v. 2).

The first four commandments clearly refer to Israel's responsibility toward God. The following six (vv. 12-17) are toward people. The fifth, therefore (v. 12), requires honor toward parents. This respect for proper authority would result in (normally speaking) prolonging one's life on earth, for it would involve respect for God's authority too. One of the sad marks of the last days, even in professing Christendom, is “disobedience to parents' (2 Tim. 3:1-2). Actually, no-one should need a law to lead them to respect their parents, and certainly Christians need no such law, for such things are written in their hearts. On the other hand, unbelievers in Israel constantly disregarded such laws (Matt. 15:3-6).

(1) The tendency of all godly, righteous conduct is to bring about a result in blessing even in the present time. "Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." (1 Tim. 4:8.) "Children obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on the earth." (Eph. 6:1-3.) Surely this quotation from the law is not without much meaning.

The last six commandments deal with Israel's responsibilities toward others. Thus the fifth commandment is "Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you" (v.16). Ephesians 6:1 refers to this as "the first commandment with promise." Israel soon sadly failed in this, as is exampled in Absalom, son of David, who rebelled against his father and sought to kill him (2 Sam.17:1-4). His days were not long on the earth. It may be that a father is hard and cruel, but his children are still to honor him; a mother may be even irresponsible, but her children are to honor her that is, to show proper respect. Though this is not a legal commandment for believers today, yet Ephesians 6:1 shows it to be of moral importance still. Our motives are not to be those of submitting to legal demands, but of delighting to please God.

The honouring of both father and mother is the one positive command. In God's ordering of human society the family is the fundamental unit, and of that unit the father and mother are the responsible heads, and to be recognized and honoured as such. If they are not so honoured rapid disintegration sets in, and all the relations of life are adversely affected. Proof of this stares us in the face today. Men of wholesome mind — magistrates, and others — join in deploring what is called "juvenile delinquency," as directly traceable to the break-up of home life. In most cases the parents themselves are mainly to blame. Obsessed with the pleasures of sin, parental discipline is neglected, and the children left to their own devices.

The Apostle Paul points out in Ephesians 6:2 that this is "the first commandment with promise;" the promise being long life in the land which was to be given to them. Conversely, the flouting of this command was to entail severe penalty, as we see in Deuteronomy 21:18-21. The penalty pronounced against the "stubborn and rebellious son," who would not, "obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother," may seem to us very drastic, but it serves to emphasize the great importance of this fifth commandment in the thought of God. Were it faithfully and universally observed, there would be very little infringement of the remaining five commandments.

49 Verses 2, 3. Paul refers to this promise, which has often been a difficulty to some, as though temporal promises now belonged to a certain line of conduct. The citation only shews us how much God estimated obedience under the law. However, I believe there is a blessing belonging to obedience to parents. But in the order of the government of God, in the ways of God with us personally in this world, there are important things which modify this. The Jewish system was the expression of the government of God in this world, and the blessing belonged to him who honoured his father and mother.

Some have found difficulty in the Spirit's use of the fifth commandment in this place, as apparently sanctioning the placing of Christians under the law. This is not so, for the word of God never contradicts itself. Christians have been delivered from the law by the body of Christ, having died to that wherein they were held, and have a new and higher standard set before them for walk below, even a heavenly Christ. To turn back to law is to build again the things we have destroyed, to place ourselves under the curse, to be removed from Him Who called us in the grace of Christ to another gospel. But what the apostle shows here is that God has always insisted on due honour and obedience being rendered to parents, under the law as truly as under Christianity; so important, indeed, is it with Him, that Jehovah added a promise to the commandment (the first with such an attachment) "that it may be well with thee and that thou mayest live long on the earth." This is stated to show what the promise was; strictly, of course, in keeping with the calling of Israel. The Christian is called to heavenly blessing, he expects trial and difficulty, and perhaps persecution in this world; though it is not denied that there is present blessing in the government of God for those who do His will.

"Honour thy father and thy mother" (ver. 4) is the first commandment with promise. Yet it would be a gross thing indeed to think that when a person is now left here to a great age it is because he honours his father and mother. A Jew was blessed according to his dispensation — dispensation of the law. A Christian is blessed with every kind of spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ, for now is the economy of grace. Yet is there blessing attached to this fifth commandment. The apostle said to depart would be far better, but to "remain" to help the saints was "worth his while." The tradition of the elders diverted the honour due to the parents from the children, by the acknowledgment of the offerer's "gift." What would have been the parents' portion is denied them under the ostensible plea of a "gift" to God, in contravention of His law! Thus were the sons delivered from all responsibility to their parents by this tradition, making the word of God of none effect. It was the best possible case to bring their conduct home to them, for anyone can see the hollowness of such behaviour. It makes the word of God utterly void.

If this is so, then the normal result is that our days will be multiplied and years added (v. 11). Of course, there are exceptions, for a godly person may be taken away virtually in youth, as was John the baptist; and in fact, the Lord Jesus died at a comparatively young age.

Since God has so worked by His grace and power on behalf of Israel, every evidence was before Israel's eyes that "the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. There is no other" (v.39). This being so, it was only right that Israel should keep God's statutes and commandment's (v.40). Such obedience was the means by which things would go well with them and with their children, to give them longer days in the land. He does not say that this would keep them interminably in their land, for he knew that eventually they would disobey and be scattered out of their land.