Eph 6:1-4 - Children, Parents

Chapter 6
1-4: - Children & Fathers
5-9: - Slaves & Masters
10-18: - Whole armor of God
19-24: - Closing words.
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Guidelines for Christian living continue in the following verses. (They start in 4:25 and go through 6:20.) There are some major subjects in these verses.

They all flow from the fact that you are in Jesus.

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1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
2 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise),
3 SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Moms, Dads, and Children

Vs. 1 - “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord” - The word “obey” has the implication of listening or hearing and following or doing what you've heard. It is not ‘eavesdropping’ or ‘over-hearing’ a conversation and then acting on the information. Decide to “place yourself under the authority of” that person or people. (See also: Pro 1:8, 6:20; Col 3:20)
The concept of obedience is not limited to children. As believers we are to obey our Lord Jesus Christ. One of my wife's daily devotions started with the following, "Maybe you want the Suggestion Box Jesus, whose law is more advice than command. He will be nothing less that the sovereign Savior King... God's law is not a curse; it is a grace. God's law is not a burden; it is a gift of his love." (See note 1, below.)

Vs. 2-3 - “HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.”

Quoted from Exo 20:3-17; Deut 5:7-21 - (The Ten Commandments - given to Moses, engraved in stone tablets).

Vs. 4 - Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

“Do not provoke your children to anger” - Do not be so strict and authoritarian that their only response will be anger and rebellion. I think that cannot be avoided - as children transition from child to young adult and beyond there is a certain amount of stress because of rebellion against the authority figure - you.

“Bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” - In the song “Teach Your Children”, by Crosby, Stills & Nash, we are admonished to teach our children our dreams and the codes we live by. (See note 2, below)

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As they grow, children will determine for themselves how they will live. They will make a choice. Teach them about God and how to follow His rules or laws. (See also: Pro 22:17, 19, 22:16; Lev 10:11; Exo 18:20; Deut 4:10, 11:19; Psa 86:11)

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Note 1: Paul David Tripp; "New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional"; Crossway; 2014.

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Note 2: “You, who are on the road, Must have a code, That you can live by ...
Teach your children well, Your father's hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams, The one they pick, is the one you'll know by”
(I wrote these as I heard them, not from copies of lyrics - so I apologize if they aren't quite correct.)