FATHERS ARE TO BE CHERISHED, BUT…

Dearly Beloved, FATHERS ARE TO BE CHERISHED, BUT… “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4 NKJV). In my reflection on the celebration of the Father’s Day for this year, I laid emphasis on the fact that fathers are to be cherished too as people generally cherish mothers because fathers are one of the most valuable assets a child could ever have in life. However, the reflection also made me to discover that some people in the Bible were not good fathers in spite of the fact that they were famous. They had bad influence on their children and their generations. Amongst the fathers in the Bible that had bad influence on their children were: 1) Noah, though considered righteous in his perverse generation, got drunk to the point that one of his sons, Ham, saw his nakedness. This became a curse to the son (see Genesis 9:20-27). 2) Lot, another considered righteous man, was got drunk by his daughters, and he impregnated them (see Genesis 19:30-38). 3) Isaac, because of favoritism, made his children to become sworn enemies (see Genesis 27:1-41). 4) Jacob, unfortunately, also followed the footsteps of his father, Isaac (see Genesis 37). 5) Moses, the greatest leader and lawgiver of Israel who neglected to do the needful for his children. If not for his wife, Ziporah, who intervened at the right time, he would have lost the children (see Exodus 4:24-26). 6) Eli was the priest that the people of Israel look up to for spiritual guidance, however, he was a permissive father who could not control his children in spite of the fact that the children were wayward and they were driving the people away from God. God prophesied against him and his household. He and the children died the same day and the priesthood was transferred from his generation to another family (see 1 Samuel 2:12, 17, 22-30; 3:13; 4:11-18; 1 Kings 2:27). 7) Samuel was a great prophet, judge and priest who was raised by Eli and saw the failure of Eli as a father. However, he was too busy that he could not control his own children also. They were as wayward as the children of Eli. Their waywardness was one of the reasons that made the people of Israel to request for a king (see 1 Samuel 8:1-6). 8) David was a man after God’s own heart. He was the greatest king of Israel. He became a reference point for all other kings after him. However, he was an absentee father who did not know what was happening to his children. This resulted to incest in his family and the death of two of his children. It nearly cost him his kingdom (see 2 Samuel 13-15). 9) Ahaz was a king in Judah. He worshipped idols and sacrificed his children to demons (see 2 Kings 16:2–4). 10) Hezekiah was a good king in Judah but he cared less about the impending danger that would come on his generation because of his negligence (see 2 Kings 20:16-19). 11) Manasseh was the son of Hezekiah, and he succeeded him as king, but he was one of the worst kings in Judah. He also sacrificed his children to demons (see 2 Kings 21:1-9; Psalm 106:35-41). 12) It is interesting to note that Jesus Christ referred to Satan as a father! However, he is notorious for falsehood and he is influencing his children for falsehood and every kind of vices till today (see John 8:41-44). These and many others in history had bad influence on their children, in spite of their supposed greatness or fame. They did not (or could not) bring up their children in the right ways. Yes, fathers are to be cherished too. But, what kind of father are you? What influence are you having on your children? What legacy are you leaving for your children? If you are to be truly cherished both now and in the future, be an exemplary father (or mother) by having good influence on your children and by bringing them up in the ways of the Lord. Once again, Happy Father’s Day in arrears. In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Pray for the grace to be an exemplary father (or mother) by having good influence on your children and by bringing them up in the ways of the Lord.