There is so much more to fatherhood than responsibility; as a father you have also been favoured with the ability to accomplish great things. Fatherhood comes with the potential to influence more than one generation by their personal aspirations, principled lifestyle, sacrifice, and efforts.
There is a growing trend in the world to emasculate men, and promote femininity instead. While strong women are generally appreciated, undermining the role of men in the family and in society comes with serious consequences for all. The movement that attacks manhood is gaining steam, both in the secular world, and, seemingly, also in some churches. Terms such as “toxic masculinity” have become a buzzword at schools, colleges, and the media, and men seem to fall for it. Many males now even publicly declare themselves to be feminists.
God gave men specific roles to play in their families and in society, and equipped them well for their assignment. There is no shame in standing up for what and who we were made to be, whether male or female. We need each other, we complement each other, and it is a beautiful thing. A real, masculine man adores a true woman, and will give his life for her without thinking twice about it.
God called Abraham His friend, and shared some secrets with him, because He saw Abraham’s father heart.
And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice,that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” Genesis 18:17-19
It seems that God is looking for fathers who will command their households to keep the way of the Lord, and to do righteousness and justice. This is the kind of man that He trusts, and shares His plans with. Abraham’s greatness was tied to his fatherhood, resulting in various kinds of blessings.
David, the greatest king Israel ever had, was of the same spirit, and God said of him that he was a man after His own heart. Although he had his weaknesses, he still kept his mind on the generations after him:
I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only. O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come. Psalm 71:16-18
God promised David that his offspring would sit on his throne, and Solomon followed him up as king. This is what Solomon said about his father:
Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to know under-standing; for I give you good doctrine: do not forsake my law. When I was my father’s son, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, he also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; keep my commands, and live. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honour, when you embrace her… Proverbs 4:1-8
Greatness comes to a man who submits to the Lord, and walks in His ways. It doesn’t come through riches, a dominant personality, or a life of fun and games. Great men look further than their own lives, and seek to influence future generations with a sense of purpose and usefulness.
Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. Psalm 112:1-4
There is no greater reward for a man than to see his offspring do better than himself. This is why we offer our wisdom to our children, and help them to stand on our shoulders and reach higher than we have, build strong families that will bring glory to God, and reap honour in the process. We do our children a favour by sharing with them what we have learned, and how to avoid the traps set by the devil. The devil’s greatest fear is a man in pursuit of his God-given assignment.
It is not the responsibility of the school or church to train up our children, but it is every father’s business to look into what has been taught to his children, to correct what is wrong, and to explain the difference. When education is left to others – Christian or not – you will have no idea where your children are heading. It is time consuming, but once you stepped into fatherhood, you have entered into a sacrificial life. In our twisted modern cultures, with its schools that indoctrinate more than educate, and where our way of life is increasingly seen as an unwelcome oddity, fathers carry a great burden on their shoulders.
The story of David and Goliath is one of the great stories in the Bible. David, a young man, possibly in his late teens, rose up and defeated a skilled warrior that intimidated the armies of Israel. From king Saul down to the foot soldiers, everyone hid themselves in the trenches out of fear of this giant. But David knew his covenant with God, and how it secured his victory over this enemy.
Fearless he stormed toward Goliath, with his primitive weapon in his hand, and sent him to the ground before he beheaded him with his own sword. This emboldened the rest of the men, and they went after the enemy until they slaughtered them all.
When all was said and done, king Saul tried to figure out who this young hero was:
When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” So the king said, “Inquire whose son this young man is.” 1 Samuel 17:55-56
Saul was more interested in whose son David was, than in David himself. He knew that it must have been a special kind of man who raised a son of that caliber. David was great because he saved the nation, but the king’s honour went to the father that raised him. This begs the question: what was the general state of fatherhood in the nation at the time? Somehow, it seems, Jesse found the time to teach David on his covenant with God, and what it meant to him personally.
We need such fathers today. Our world is in a very bad shape; confusion is rampant, humanity lost its way, we have world leaders that break their own laws, are corrupt, have low work ethics, and don’t care about raising the standard in their nations. This is the ideal time for real men to rise up and display the virtues of real masculinity without fear. While the culture is sinking, men with courage and integrity are being noticed. There may be calls for men to become more feminine, but be assured that everybody respects a man of honour and strength.
The world does not have the qualities that are needed in our failing cultures. Men that were raised by secular systems are so indoctrinated that they don’t know their designated place at home or in society. In these crucial times, before the Lord’s soon return, there is an urgent need for men with strength of character to show the way, to be visible examples to their families, men who know the world that we live in, and what ought to be done.
It is said that charity begins at home, and it is especially true when it comes to raising children that have what it takes to honour God in a dark world. Religion may have blurred the lines, but the Word is still a lamp to our feet and a light to our path that shows the only right way.
May we be honoured to hear people ask, “Whose son is that?” “Whose daughter is that?”
