Black & White Series: Honor and Dishonor

Black & White Series

Series Introduction 

Not all things in life are as simple as black and white, right or wrong, do or don't do; however, some things in life are, and I want to take some time to talk about some of those things. Let's journey together...

Catch up in the series by clicking below:
Do vs. Be
Sowing & Reaping
Love & Hate

Honor and Dishonor

This go around I want to touch on honor and dishonor. Since my last post about love and hate I have spent all of my time digging into the depths of love, as it pertains to God and Christianity--there is far too much to write about it comprehensively here, but I want to touch on a specific reference of love from 1 Corinthians 13:4, 5, "love...does not dishonor others." 

Honor

At times we view honor as a thing separate from love, but Scripture here would say that love defines honor. So, how do we define this type of honor? First, by how 1 Corinthians 13 describes it. It describes it as something it does not do, "dishonor others." Secondly, the implication here is that honor has kinetic energy behind it, meaning it does, it is an action in motion. The question then is, what does honor do? Let's take a look at Joshua 24:25-33:

On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oaknear the holy place of the Lord. “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.” Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance. After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel. And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants. And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim. 

I know what you're thinking, that sure did clear things up! Three major things need to be noticed here: 1) Joshua had established Israel in a covenant commitment before God, and 2) Israel lived in their own land through which they inherited through Joshua's life, and 3) Joshua's decedents buried him in the land of his inheritance. With that in mind, Exodus 20:12 will tie all of this together for us as it states, "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." Do you see the connection? What Joseph had fought for was gained by his descendants because they honored him. We see a literal fulfillment of Exodus 20:12 as Israel honor's Joseph and they inherit the land promised to them centuries before through Abraham (Gen 12:1-7; 13:14-17; 15:18). We see from history here that honor gains something it did not work for, it knows how to receive, and also care for those it received from--it does not forget where the blessing came from. 

Dishonor

Dishonor is easy to spot because there is no inheritance there; rather, there is only selfishness and independence. We see this in the life of two brothers in Scripture: one asks his dad for the inheritance due to him before his dad passes, and the other tries to work so hard that he becomes his dads slave (Luke 15:11-33). The common theme between these two brothers is that they both tried to build an independent life outside of their father's shadow, that left them living two separate lives that looked radically different from each other, which left them both in a position of independence and dishonor toward their father. In the end they both felt as slaves due to their own independence. What we see from their lives is that dishonor will leave us void of an inheritance. Let me explain...

Living in Honor

My father and I did not speak for about four years because of his destructive alcoholic behaviors. I set a boundary with my father, to not speak to him, but that boundary created a disconnect in relationship. Sometime after that decision, realizing the distance in relationship, I decided that I needed to reconnect with my dad and simply honor him, not because of the merit of his decisions, but simply for him being my father. Later, after reconnecting with him he told me that he had written me out of his will, but since our reconnection he was going to write me back in and give me a inheritance from his name. What is seen in my life is the same thing Israel saw when they honored Joseph—an inheritance. The principle is honor, and the promise is inheritance. It was true then, and it is true now (Eph 6:1-3).

We need to learn to move toward honor with people, not because of what they do or do not do to us, but because of who they are in our life. As we learn to love we will learn to honor. It's not a love based on the merits of the people around us; it's a love because on who they are in our lives. Doing so brings about the unconditional nature of love into the movement of honor in peoples lives. If we desire prosperity, then let us honor, for it allows us to participate in the blessings others have worked for, and also care for those who have blessed us with the same blessing that they have worked for themselves, which is the image of love--giving for the benefit of others, and caring for their needs. Love, through honor promotes the benefactor of the inheritance and the giver of the inheritance.