Perhaps the rarest gem on earth is not a mineral, rather something far more valuable than can be seen with the eye. This treasure cannot be displayed in a case, or museum, but can only be observed in a living testimony. Few men have possessed it, been able to keep, or bequeath it to their children. Entire generations have come and gone without ever having seen it, or known someone with it in its purest form. A heart of honor is so rare that the eyes of the Lord run to fro throughout the whole earth seeking to show Himself mighty in behalf of the man whose heart is perfect in this way.
The Lord began the revelation of Him self to Israel by declaring His preeminence, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Jesus stated that the first and greatest commandment was, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with thy mind”. The Hebrew word for honor, and the Greek word for love, have similar meaning; both carry the idea of placing a high value upon. We always give the greatest attention, and concern to what we esteem as precious. Jesus made this clear when He stated, "For wherever a man's treasure is, there will his heart be also”. The Lord’s demonstrations of His power, might, provision, guidance, holiness, and jealousy, were all designed to create in the hearts of Israel a reverent fear and awe. He knew they must have this in their heart as the foundation of the covenant relationship. Eventually the people violated the covenant, and their failure was summed up in terms of their heart condition. Israel failed to comprehend the awesome character of Yaweh, and they perished for lack of knowledge. The individual or group who grasped God's honor were set apart for great callings. They received great honor themselves, such as Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Josiah, and Hezekiah; "Those who honor me, I will honor.” Men who forsook the honor of God were dethroned, rejected, and judged; like Eli, Saul, and Judas.
We need to ask ourselves if we have the genuine honor of God in our hearts, because many have gone before us deceiving themselves into thinking they honored God. Isaiah said, “...this people draws near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but they have, removed their heart far from me.” These people were sincere in their self-deception; we should not think they thought they could fool God; rather they had fooled themselves into thinking they were in right relationship with Him.
How concerned is God with His honor? Moses was forbidden to enter Canaan because, in his disobedience at the rock, he failed to sanctify God's name as holy before all the people. Eli's family line was cut off from the priesthood, because he chose to honor his sons more than God. Saul was rejected as Israel
Our favorite bible stories are almost always about the miraculous intervention God wrought in behalf of those who truly honored Him.
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and, Azaiah" experienced supernatural deliverance, because their situations involved the honor of God's name before their enemies. Men of faith were men of honor, who loved not their lives to death, but considered the honor of God more valuable than their physical life. It was written of Moses, "He considered reproach for the sake of Christ, of greater worth than the treasures of Egypt " Is it any wonder why God spoke with him as a friend, ‘face to face’ and honored him as one of the greatest servants He ever had? David was the greatest king Israel had because he had the deepest sense of God's honor of any king. The greatest aspect to his slaying of Goliath was not the size of his hand, but the condition of his heart. God could have dispatched any angel to do away with the Philistine giant, but David was the only Israelite on the scene whose heart burned because God's name was being blasphemed by an uncircumcised heathen. David's heart was perfect toward God, and that was his greatness!
How are we to acquire this kind of heart, for without it, we will never experience God like the men who honored Him with all their heart? We need begin to acquire this in our youth, while still in the home. Nearly all the great men of God came from a godly family. Consider the scripture's testimony of the parentage of the biblical heroes. How many outstanding men of God were set apart even as a child, and trained by godly parents? Moses' parents impacted his early years by not fearing the king's edict. This is how it is supposed to be, fathers and mothers instilling in the hearts of their sons and daughters a heart of honor toward God. Here is where we are failing, hoping that grace will overcome our own shortcomings. We wring our hands as the imperfect heart of our children is manifest more and more; then we comfort ourselves that God can still make grace abound where sin has abounded. We need to be reminded that "Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” The role of every father and mother in molding a heart of honor in their children can't be understated; there are no shortcuts, or guarantees our negligence will be overruled by God's grace.
Children must first learn to honor God by honoring their parents. It is alarming how many children have no shame in openly declaring they do not hold the same convictions as their parents. This is a spiritual tragedy far greater than we realize, and a specific indication of the perilous times predicted by the Holy Spirit, "men shall be...disrespectful to parents!" How can we not be alarmed that children are not holding to their parent's convictions? What then does the proverb mean “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother?” Like Abraham we are to command our children, and our household after us, to keep the way of the Lord. Children must be told to obey their parents in the Lord, for this is right! We should be grieved when a young person is brazen enough to openly disagree with a godly parent's wisdom? Unless we return to instilling the honor of father and mother in children's hearts, every new generation will do what is right in their own eyes. This guarantees forfeiture of the promise of the fifth commandment. Failure to honor the instructions of a father, and to keep the law of our mothers, will cut our days in spiritual Canaan short.
Consider the Rechabites, whose ancestor Jonadab instructed his children not to drink wine, to live in tents, and not plant vineyards: all these things were lawful, and blessed to many other Israelites. Yet, generation after generation honored Jonadab's instructions as a witness to all Israel of a true heart of honor toward an earthly father. The Rechabites were rewarded for this by being told of God "Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me forever." Many of us will never hear this kind of word from God, unless we repent of our laxness. If our children do not intend to honor our convictions, then what makes us think they will honor any other holy and righteous conviction.
We are told that what ever a man sows he will reap, and sadly we are reaping what we as parents have been sowing. Our children are giving us the same honor we have been giving God; they reflect our own faithlessness to the word of God, or our own partiality to it. In every way that we disregard His righteous commands, they will in kind disregard our faithful instruction, and instead follow our unfaithful actions. This is how "the sins of the fathers are passed down into the laps of the children even to the fourth generation." The only way to reverse this backsliding is for "the hearts of the fathers to be turned to the children, and the hearts of the children to be turned to the fathers." God warns, "or else I will come and strike the land with the curse." What curse God is warning about? The same curse Eli received for honoring his sons more than he honored God.
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