Father Abraham has Many Sons...

The greatest example of fatherhood in the Old Testament has to be Abraham. Abraham was picked by God to be the "father of a great nation." To think, I'm sometimes daunted by the task of being the father of three children! The story of Abraham is in the book of Genesis, chapters 12 through 25. It starts with God's promise to Abraham, and then relates a few incidents in his life that demonstrate his character.

First was the promise: "Then the LORD told Abram, 'Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.'" Genesis 12:1-3

Abraham immediately acted on God's instruction. In verse four he grabbed his wife, his nephew and everything he owned and went where the Lord instructed him.

He worshiped the Lord as he traveled with his family: verse 7, 8. He worshiped God despite (perhaps even because of) his awesome level of success (Chapter 13, verses 2-4).

He understood the importance of family (Chapter 13, verse 8 and chapter 21, verse 11).

He recognized God as his source (Chapter 14, verse 22).

He interceded for others (Chapter 18, verses 18-32 and Chapter 20, verse 17)

The Bible also records the following about Abraham:

He made mistakes. Sometimes he made the same mistake more than once (Genesis chapters 12 & 18).

He believed God, and had faith that He would follow through on His promises. However, despite his faith, he sometimes tried to come up with his own solution as to how God would fulfill his promise (chapter 16, verse 4 and chapter 17, verse 18).


One fact I appreciate about Biblical heroes is that they are presented as real people. While in many cases they provide excellent examples for us to follow, they also invariably exhibit some traits we should never emulate, but that prove their humanity.


Once Abraham became a father, he continued to exhibit the same character traits that made God choose him to be the father of many nations (God upped the ante in chapter 17, verse 5):

Abraham upheld the covenant through the act of circumcision (chapter 20, verse 4).

He continued to be consistent in his worship of God (chapter 21, verse 33).

He continued to obey God without hesitation--he even seems to have lost his desire to "fill in the blanks" when God gave him a command that might have seemed nonsensical (chapter 22, verse 3).

He continued to demonstrate the importance of family as he mourned deeply the loss of his wife (chapter 23, verse 2), and when he insisted that his son Isaac marry one of his own (distant) relatives (chapter 24, verses 3-4).


Isaac's life is recounted immediately after his father's. The similarities are astounding:


Isaac emulated his father's worship of God (chapter 26, verse 25).

He recognized the importance of family, and sent his son to marry someone in the family (chapter 28, verses 1-2).

He did not question God's ability to keep His promises (chapter 26, verse 25 and chapter 28 verses 3-4).

He even made the same mistake (chapter 26 verse 7).


God kept his promise to Abraham. He even went above and beyond his promise, as each of his children grew families that grew into mighty nations. All nations have been blessed through his offspring (Jesus Christ). Abraham's life, even though imperfect, provides us with quite a few important insights in regards to parenting:

1. Never doubt God's promises.
2. Act immediately on His commands.
3. Worship God consistently--let your children see you do it.
4. Recognize God as your source.
5. Intercede for others
6. Remember that your children will emulate your actions--good and bad. Learn from your mistakes, and ensure that your children are aware of the potential consequences of repeating the same mistakes you made.

God, give me the strength and wisdom to be a Godly parent. Help me hang onto your promises. I know you are my source, help me remember it even when things aren't going according to my plan. Help me learn from my mistakes and give me the courage to own up to them with my children--help me prevent them from repeating my mistakes. Remind me to look after the people around me, help me intercede for them--please demonstrate your mercy and love to them. Amen.