Friday, April 28, 2006

Notes on Nobility

The Scriptures note that we should show honor to whom honor is due. It even makes some suggestions as to which entities that includes (Parents, Emperors, Governors, Husbands, Pastors, Masters). In our egalitarian culture this is a difficult task. The underlying fear of honoring these is that you might have to admit to yourself, heaven forefend, that they are your Betters. I will wait a moment until you get done spasming. (dum-de-dum-de-dum, hmmm, do-dee-do...) Have we finished the adolescent harrumphing? Good. Now, as a first lesson, try honoring God. Romans lets us know that those who fail on this first point of honor are given up to the futility of their own minds. We wouldn't want that. You believe you honor Him, I gather. Is He your better? Yes? Why do you honor Him? Because He made all things and governs all things. Why do you think you are asked to honor Parents, Emperors, Governors, Husbands, Pastors, and Masters? It is simple. These are all governors of areas of our life. Oh how shall we manage? Perhaps you have gone this way- since honor goes to whom it is due, we deny that these governors are due any honor for they are not our Betters (to one degree or another) and then that latent disrespect functions nicely toward denying their governance over us. Examine the list of Biblically expected honorees. Does God expect them to govern? Do you have attitudes in place that keep you, when you look on them, to keep you from any sensation that you are seeing your Betters? Try to realize that government goes a dizzying distance up and down, from the Uncreated God to Unformed Matter. Governing is on the higher side and the governed on the low. To see it Biblically you have to look up.

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