I feel bad for having written two blogs in honor of Mother’s Day, but never got around to writing anything special for my dad on Father’s Day. I thought it would be appropriate to do like I did last year and relate some famous fathers in the Bible to come up with some attributes that fathers needed to have.
I think I will start with Noah because he is a really good example of a father who fears God (and I think that recent movie portrayed him poorly). In the story, Noah is the only righteous man on the face of the earth and the father of three sons. Then one day, God gave him a big job to do: build a really big boat, and fill it up with two of every animal in existence. I can just imagine how hard it was for Noah to carry out this command, but I also wonder what his family’s reaction was when their dad told them about this plan. I don’t know how cooperative his sons were about this job, but they managed to get it done, which tells me that they respected their father enough to obey him and accept his leadership. Because of Noah’s leadership, he saved his family and every living creature on the earth which is why humanity and the animals that exist today still thrive.
Then, there is the most famous biblical father: Abraham. We all remember him because of a seemingly strange request God gave him: to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Most fathers I met today have told me that they would give their right arm or gauge their eyes out before they give up their own children for anything. But Abraham feared God more, and obeyed God to carry it out. As it turned out, God’s command to Abraham was a test of his faith, and because of Abraham’s obedience Isaac was spared and God provided a ram to take Isaac’s place. Abraham’s act of obedience saved his son and allowed God to fulfill His promise to increase the number of Abraham’s descendants.
Another example may not be as strong as a father figure, and was in fact called a neglectful father. This person I am referring to is King David. Even though he was considered a man after God’s own heart David had some flaws. Part of them resided within his house where his children acted rebellious against each other and even against David himself. But in Proverbs, written mostly by King Solomon, David’s son, there are words that I believe came directly from David’s mouth which can be found in Proverbs 4:4-9. Here is a section of it:
“Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”
I believe that Solomon was inspired to pursue wisdom from his own father. If there was one thing that David got right as a father, it was serving as a motivation for one of the greatest kings of Israel.
From these examples we see that the best fathers display faith, leadership and inspiration for their children. All of these lead to characteristics of a man who fears God. Their love and devotion to God should be central in their lives and should be shared with the family. I am fortunate to say that my dad has displayed this characteristics in his life. Happy Father’s Day Dad.
Life Among Lions 