HONOUR
Honour and respect is synonymous with good reputation, purity and integrity. To the ancient world, the concept of honour was frequently linked to one’s tangible possessions. The honour of Odysseus was bound up with the restoration of his material goods; Achilles’ honour was dependent upon the gifts given him. Later, the word acquired the strong ethical nature we now associate with it. Plato was among the earliest to establish the personal moral element of honour, what he called “inward honour.” The distinctions accorded a man by the world; “outward honours”; were not of the same value as a virtuous person’s inner worth. The Romans as well as the Greeks placed great emphasis on the indispensable role of honour in an individual’s life. Only in the Bible however, do we gain a true perspective on honour. The Old Testament required children to honour their parents (Exodus 20:12), a command that re-appears in the New Testament (Ephesians 6:1-2). Undergirding such action is an even more basic obligation: the giving of honour to YAHVEH, who worthily merits our devoted obedience (Revelation 4:11). Proverbs 3:9 presents the Law’s requirement that one should honour our Adonai with his gifts and with the first fruits of his entire harvest. Honouring YAHVEH then, is expressed in the commitment of both life and possessions to Adonai’s service. That people do not honour YAHVEH as they should is a lamentable truth of Scripture. In all of history only Yeshua HaMashiach truly honoured the Father by submitting Himself totally to the divine will. His submission led Him to the cross; the means whereby HaMashiach is now extremely exalted (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). YAHVEH the Father raised HaMashiach to His permanent position as our great High Priest, an honour of incalculable significance (Hebrews 5:4-5). Yeshua taught that the one who serves Him would also be honoured by His Father (John 12:26); conversely, those who reject Him also reject YAHVEH our Father (John 15:23). Christians are called upon to honour one another; that is, each is to consider his fellow believer more worthy of esteem than himself (Romans 12:10). In 1 Peter 1:7 Christians are said to possess honour. Showing honour to others should affect one’s entire lifestyle. Husbands are to give honour to their wives by showing loving regard for them (3:7). Christian servants are expected to show honour to their masters so as to affirm the cause of HaMashiach (1 Timothy 6:1). Beyond the immediate community of the redeemed, honour must be displayed appropriately by all those who revere the teaching of Scripture (Romans 13:7; 1 Peter 2:17).

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT HONOUR?

THOSE WHO HONOUR YAHVEH WILL BE HONOURED.
“Praise Him for demonstrating such unfailing love to me by honouring me before the king, his council and all his mighty princes! I felt encouraged because the gracious hand of ADONAI our YAHVEH was on me. And I gathered some of the leaders of Israel to return with me to Jerusalem.” (Ezra 7:28) Ezra praised YAHVEH for all that He had done for him and through him. Ezra had honoured YAHVEH throughout his life and YAHVEH chose to honour him. Ezra could have assumed that his own greatness and charisma had won over the king and his princes, but he gave the credit to YAHVEH. We too, should be grateful to YAHVEH for our success and not think that we did it in our own power.

GIVING HONOUR IS BETTER THAN RECEIVING HONOUR.
“Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honouring each other.” (Romans 12:10) We can honour others in one of two ways. One involves ulterior motives. We honour our bosses so they will reward us, our employees so they will work harder, the wealthy so they will contribute to our cause, the powerful so they will use their power for us and not against us. YAHVEH’s other way involves love. As Christians, we honour people because they have been created in YAHVEH’s image, because they are our brothers and sisters in HaMashiach and because they have a unique contribution to make to HaMashiach’s church. Does YAHVEH’s way of honouring others sound too difficult for your competitive nature? Why not try to outdo one another in showing honour? Put others first!

HONOURING PARENTS IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO YAHVEH.
“Honour your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land ADONAI your YAHVEH will give you.” (Exodus 20:12) This is the first commandment with a promise attached. To live in peace for generations in the Promised Land, the Israelites would need to respect authority and build strong families. But what does it mean to “honour” parents? Partly, it means speaking well of them and politely to them. It also means acting in a way that shows them courtesy and respect (but not obeying them if it means disobeying YAHVEH). It means following their teaching and example of putting YAHVEH first. Parents have a special place in YAHVEH’s sight. Even those who find it difficult to get along with their parents are still commanded to honour them.

RESPECT
Respect is recognizing someone else’s worth, honouring them for what they have done and for who they are. In a very real sense, it is a gift you confer on someone, a gift of valuing them highly. To honour and respect others requires humility on our part, because we are making others look good without trying to make ourselves look good at the same time.

WHO IS WORTHY OF RESPECT?

YAHVEH IS WORTHY OF GREAT RESPECT.
“‘Do not come any closer,’ YAHVEH told him. ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.’” (Exodus 3:5) At YAHVEH’s command, Moses removed his sandals and covered his face. Taking off his shoes was an act of reverence, conveying his own unworthiness before YAHVEH. YAHVEH is our Friend, but He is also our sovereign ADONAI. To approach Him frivolously shows a lack of respect and sincerity. When you come to YAHVEH in worship, do you approach Him casually or do you come as though you were an invited guest before a King? If necessary, adjust your attitude so it is suitable for approaching a Holy YAHVEH.

THOSE IN AUTHORITY ARE WORTHY OF RESPECT.
“But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe. ‘ADONAI knows I shouldn’t have done it,’ he said to his men. ‘It is a serious thing to attack ADONAI’s anointed one, for ADONAI Himself has chosen him.’” (1 Samuel 24:5-6) David had great respect for Saul, in spite of the fact that Saul was trying to kill him. Although Saul was sinning and rebelling against YAHVEH, David still respected the position he held as YAHVEH’s anointed king. David knew he would one day be king and he also knew it was not right to strike down the man YAHVEH had placed on the throne. If he assassinated Saul, he would be setting a precedent for his own opponents to remove him some day. Romans 13:1-7 teaches that YAHVEH has placed the government and its leaders in power. We may not know why but like David, we are to respect the positions and roles of those to whom YAHVEH has given authority. There is one exception however. Because YAHVEH is our highest authority, we should not allow a leader to pressure us to violate YAHVEH’s Law.

THOSE WHO ARE FAITHFUL TO YAHVEH ARE WORTHY OF RESPECT.
“The high priest and his friends, who were Sadducees, reacted with violent jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the jail.” (Acts 5:17-18) The religious leaders were jealous; Peter and the apostles were already commanding more respect than they had ever received. The difference however, was that the religious leaders demanded respect and reverence for themselves; the apostles’ goal was to bring respect and reverence to YAHVEH. The apostles were respected not because they demanded it, but because they deserved it.

HOW DO I GAIN RESPECT?
Jude 1:20: “You dear friends, must continue to build your lives on the foundation of your holy faith.” Matthew 7:12: “Do for others what you would like them to do for you.” Romans 2:10: “There will be glory and honour and peace from YAHVEH for all who do good.” 1 Kings 13:8: “Even if you gave me half of everything you own, I would not go with you.” We gain respect in much the same way that we show it; building our lives on YAHVEH’s Word, treating others the way we would like to be treated, not compromising our character and standing up for truth no matter what.

HOW DO I SHOW RESPECT TO YAHVEH?
Leviticus 19:30: “show reverence toward My sanctuary, for I am ADONAI.” Deuteronomy 10:12: “What does Adonai your YAHVEH require of you? He requires you to fear Him, to live according to His will, to love and worship Him with all your heart and soul.” 2 Kings 17:36: “Worship only ADONAI, who brought you out of Egypt with such mighty miracles and power. You must worship Him and bow before Him; offer sacrifices to Him alone.” Psalm 96:4-9: “O nations of the world, recognize our ADONAI; recognize that our ADONAI is glorious and strong. Give to our ADONAI the glory He deserves! Bring your offering and come to worship Him. Worship our ADONAI in all His Holy splendour. Let all the earth tremble before Him.” Hebrews 12:28-29: “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be destroyed, let us be thankful and please YAHVEH by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe. For our YAHVEH is a consuming fire.” We should show our respect for YAHVEH by serving and worshiping Him with reverence. Psalm 22:23: “Praise our ADONAI, all you who fear Him! Honour Him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show Him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!” Isaiah 33:13: “you that are near, acknowledge My might!” Revelation 19:5: “Praise our YAHVEH, all His servants, from the least to the greatest, all who fear Him.” One way to show YAHVEH our respect is by praising Him for what He has done and for who He is. Ecclesiastes 5:1: “As you enter the house of YAHVEH, keep your ears open and your mouth shut!” Habakkuk 2:20: “Our Adonai is in His Holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.” Zephaniah 1:7: “Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign ADONAI.” Keeping silence in YAHVEH’s presence shows respect for Him. Exodus 20:20: “‘Don’t be afraid,’ Moses said, ‘for YAHVEH has come in this way to show you His awesome power. From now on, let your fear of Him keep you from sinning!’” Our reverence for YAHVEH should keep us from sinning. Leviticus 22:32: “Do not treat My Holy Name as common and ordinary. I must be treated as Holy by the people of Israel. It is I, ADONAI, who makes you holy.” Respect for YAHVEH means that we show reverence for His Name. Psalm 115:11: “All you who fear our ADONAI trust our ADONAI! He is your Helper; He is your Shield.” When we trust in YAHVEH we show that we truly respect Him. Ecclesiastes 12:13: “Here is my final conclusion: Fear YAHVEH and obey His Commands, for this is the duty of every person.” Obedience to YAHVEH is a way to respect Him. 2 Chronicles 19:6-9: “Always think carefully before pronouncing judgment. Remember that you do not judge to please people but to please our ADONAI.” Nehemiah 5:15: “This was quite a contrast to the former governors who had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding a daily ration of food and wine, besides a pound of silver. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But because of my fear of YAHVEH, I did not act that way.” If we truly respect YAHVEH, we should treat other people with fairness and justice. Acts 10:2: “He was a devout man who feared the Elohim of Israel, as did his entire household. He gave generously to charity.” Giving to charity is a way to show our reverence for YAHVEH.

HOW DO WE SHOW RESPECT TO OTHERS?
Luke 10:30-37: “Then a despised Samaritan came along and when he saw the man, he felt deep pity. Kneeling beside him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds.” Romans 12:10: “Take delight in honouring each other.” Philippians 2:3: “Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.” 1 Peter 2:17: “Love your Christian brothers and sisters.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12: “Honour those who are your leaders in our ADONAI’s work. Romans 13:7: “Give to everyone what you owe them.” 1 Corinthians 8:1: “It is love that really builds up the church.” James 2:1: “How can you claim that you have faith in our glorious Adonai Yeshua HaMashiach if you favour some people more than others?” Respect involves showing more concern for people than agendas, thinking highly of others, building them up in love and treating everyone with fairness and integrity.

WHOM SHOULD WE HONOUR AND RESPECT?
Exodus 3:5: “Do not come any closer, YAHVEH told him. ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.’” 1 Samuel 12:24: “Be sure to fear our Adonai and sincerely worship Him. Think of all the wonderful things He has done for you.” Nehemiah 1:11: “O Adonai, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honouring You.” Revelation 4:11: “You are worthy, O Adonai our Eloheinu, to receive glory and honour and power. For you created everything.” We must show respect to YAHVEH above all else. Exodus 20:12: “Honour your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land our Adonai your Elohim will give you.” We must honour and respect our parents. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13: “Dear brothers and sisters, honour those who are your leaders in Adonai’s work. . . . Think highly of them and give them your wholehearted love because of their work.” Spiritual leaders must be treated with respect. Leviticus 19:32: “Show your fear of YAHVEH by standing up in the presence of elderly people and showing respect for the aged.” We should respect the elderly. Exodus 22:28: “Do not blaspheme YAHVEH or curse anyone who rules over you.” Ecclesiastes 10:20: “Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts. And don’t make fun of a rich man, either. A little bird may tell them what you have said.” 1 Samuel 24:5-7: “It is a serious thing to attack our Adonai’s anointed one.” We should show respect to those in authority over us. Ephesians 6:5-9: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve HaMashiach. And in the same way, you masters must treat your slaves right. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven and He has no favourites.” Employers and employees should each treat each other with respect. Luke 14:11: “The proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honoured.” Romans 12:10: “Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honouring each other.” 1 Peter 2:17: “Show respect for everyone. Love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear YAHVEH. Show respect for the King.” We must treat all people with respect..