Godly Hacks: Honour

Hi Guys! Good Morning! It’s Tuesday which means Godly Hacks day on LFC and this week’s topic is Honour. And really why honour? Personally, I find Honour to be a particularly interesting topic because our understanding of honour differs from culture to culture, even within the same Country. Take Nigeria for instance, what’s respectful for a Yoruba person holds no value for an Edo Person and what will fly as being honourable for an Igbo person will absolutely not fly for a Calabar person.

 Even as Christians, this is the one area where we can’t pretend that culture doesn’t inform our understanding and execution of honour more than the word of God does. Maybe it’s because we don’t necessarily know all of what the word says about Honour. Or maybe it’s that the cultural consensus on honour is more reinforced even in churches than the biblical view point. I’d argue that this is likely the case, even to the point where many of us can’t tell the difference between cultural and biblical honour. Sure the latter may have greatly influenced the former and the former the way we execute the latter. So the tendency is to view them as one and the same and while that may not always be a bad thing, sometimes it really is. The flipside is also a tendency to assume that when a person is speaking to you on Godly standards of honour, they are doing so from a cultural viewpoint. I think this is particularly true in our environment particularly on questions of financial honour (and yes apparently there is such a thing.) and honouring our elders.

So now that we get the gist of it, what’s the solution? I say we defer to Scriptures for some good old fashion resolution.

GOD EXPECTS US TO HONOUR HIM

"Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honour Me."- Psalm 15: 14-15

GOD RECIPROCATES HONOUR

“But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honour me I will honour, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. “ – 1 Samuel 2:30

WE OUGHT TO HONOUR OUR ELDERS

“Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the LORD.” – Leviticus 19:32

“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.” – 1 Peter 5:5

  

“Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father.” – 1 Timothy 5: 1

HONOURING YOUR PARENTS ISN’T CULTURAL, IT’S SELF-PRESERVATION

“Honour 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. – Deuteronomy 5:16

“Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. – Exodus 20:12

GOD EXPECTS US TO HONOUR HIM WITH OUR FINANCES

“Honour the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce;” - Proverbs 3:9

Ps: Now you can claim this is Old Testament but the word of God is valid for all circumstances so it’s really a question of faith.

GOD EXPECTS US TO FINANCIALLY HONOUR OUR SPIRITUAL LEADERS

“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The labourer deserves his wages.” – 1 Timothy 5:17-18

THEN HE EXPECTS US TO STRAIGHT UP HONOUR THEM

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” – Hebrews 13:17

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” – Ephesians 6:1

GOD ALSO EXPECTS US TO HONOUR OUR POLITICAL LEADERS….EVEN THE ONES WE DON’T MUCH CARE FOR.

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but too bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. “– Romans 13:1-7

HUSBANDS OUGHT TO HONOUR THEIR WIVES

“Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honour to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” – 1 Peter 3:7

“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” – Ephesians 5:21

"'Yet you say, 'For what reason?' Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant." – Malachi 2:14

WE ARE EXPECTED TO BE HONOURABLE & GIVE HONOUR TO WHOM IT IS DUE

“Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honourably in all things.” - Hebrews 13:18

“Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honour to whom honour is owed.” - Romans 13:7

EVERYONE IS DESERVING OF HONOUR

“Honour everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the emperor” - 1 Peter 2:17

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour.” – Romans 12:10

THE EXCEPTION TO THAT LAST STATEMENT WOULD BE FOOLS

“Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honour is not fitting for a fool.” - Proverbs 26: 1

WHICH EXPLAINS WHY BEING TAUGHT OF THE LORD IS A PREREQUISITE FOR HONOUR

“The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honour” – Proverbs 15:33

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honour him.” – John 12:26

THE REWARD FOR SEEKING AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS AND KINDNESS IS BOTH OF THOSE THINGS PLUS HONOUR

“Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honour.” - Proverbs 21:21

BEING HONOURABLE IS ESSENTIALLY A CHOICE

“Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honourable use, some for dishonourable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonourable, he will be a vessel for honourable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 2: 20 - 21

“A gracious woman gets honour, and violent men get riches. “- Proverbs 11:16