There are some Bible verses that just grab you when you read them and almost shake you up. Proverbs 30:17 is one such verse. “The eye that mocks his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.” Whoa!
Why would God put something so graphic in the Bible? Because God is serious about children obeying their parents! Read the rest of Proverbs. “My son, keep your father’s command, and do not forsake the law of your mother… Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old… A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the grief of his mother” (6:20; 23:22; 10:1). It is the responsibility of children to obey and honor their parents! It is the responsibility of parents to train and discipline their children to do so! (Read about the rod of correction in Proverbs 13:24; 15:5, 10; 22:15; 23:13, 14; 29:15, 17.)
The home is the training ground for one’s relationship with the Father in heaven! One’s behavior toward his parents will be reflected in his behavior toward God.