God was to be honored by the parents as they sought a proper relationship with their children. In turn the children learned how to honor those with whom they came into contact as they seek to honor God. Children learn how to respond to others by how we interact with them. Learning how to be a good Christian begins at home. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
Good citizenship begins in the home.
The key to living long in the land of promise was a respect for godly authority, which was to exemplified by the parents. It is not a commandment that is simply talking about physical life. It is a commandment, which speaks of the longevity of a nation. This commandment has to do with interpersonal relationships in all of life. The demand for reverence for parents lays the foundation for the sanctification of all social life, inasmuch as it teaches us to acknowledge a divine authority.