THE MAKEUP OF A CARING FATHER
Job 1:1-5
My brothers and my sisters as we celebrate Father’s Day 2007, I cannot prevent myself from thinking of my Dad, and how much I really miss him. Although I spent much time with him as a child and teenager, and received his fatherly nurturing and the threats of not making it to my next birthday because of things I’ve done, I truly miss him. But what I really miss is what my Dad could’ve said to me about being an adult and raising a family. What I have though, are the things. I saw him do. How he was there when I needed him, the hugs, he gave to encourage me, the hard work that he did to provide for us and the joy he had when his blended family acted as one. He even taught his boys to uncover their heads when entering a building, and I remember him saying yes sir and no sir and yes Mam and no Mam to those that were not only his elders but to those who were even his peers, he did that because he wanted to show his children especially his boys that if he respected adults we should to. And even today I do these things. But I miss physically sitting down and talking to my Dad about the problems of adulthood and he never got the chance to hear me preach. But there are reasons to give thanks. I thank God for men like my Grandfather and my Uncle Bishop William F. Hart, Jr. who stood as surrogate fathers, filling the void that was in my life.
As I was searching for a biblical father to preach about and there were so many too chose from. Only one came to mind because of his love for his family and that was Job.
This lesson starts with a look at the character of Job. It describes him as perfect, upright, God fearing and one that resisted evil. Now we should note that the word perfect should not be over misleading. It did not mean absolute or faultless perfection, but it meant that Job had integrity, sincerity and consistency in relating with God. In other words he feared God so much that he did not want to do anything that disturbed his relationship with God. Job is a prime example in what fatherhood should be, not only in providing for the family, but providing leadership for the family in walking with the Lord.
So on this Father’s Day let’s look at Job and see what made him such a caring father.
First of all . . .
1. HE WAS A GOOD EXAMPLE TO BEFORE HIS CHILDREN (v.1)
“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and [shunned] evil.”
As we look at this first point, we see Job as the example his children should follow. In our society today we find many examples in families, some good and some bad. But the thing is that you can learn from then both. From the good you can learn to lead the family the proper way and from the bad you can learn how not to lead the family. But Job in verse one is showing us the proper way to stand before and lead our families. Look at his character. He was perfect and upright. As I said earlier this does not mean that he did not make mistakes or was faultless, but it does imply to us that he was a man of integrity especially when it came to walking with the Lord. Now although we have many men that are great providers. They bring home the necessities to sustain a family and work hard hour in doing so and that is good. But there is another part that the Lord will hold us accountable for, and that is the responsibility to walk before Him in the integrity of a God fearing man and to lead the family from our house to the house of the Lord and not to just send them. You see there are many families that have a great provider there but he put up a bad example on the spiritual side, and when the children see their father not attending church then they will ask, “Why do I have to go?” but this was not the case with Job’s family. What they saw in their father was not only a provider, but they saw a man that served the Lord with integrity, a good man that dealt with those he dealt with honestly, and a man that feared the Lord and avoided evil.
Secondly . . .
2. HE WAS A GOOD PROVIDER AND STEWARD OF WHAT HE HAD (v.3)
“His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.”
The second thing we should note about this caring father is that he was a good provider and steward of what he had. The text does not say how Job received his wealth. It simply shows us that he has it. In fact it is not mentioned what business he was in although in study J. Vernon McGee insinuates that he was in the trucking industry of his day because of all the camels he had. But whatever business that Job was in, the bottom line is that we can see how the Lord blessed him. The blessings are evident because the text said that he was the greatest of all the men in the east. It is my belief that his business had the Lord’s blessings upon it because of what we found in the first point. He was a man that honored his relationship with the Lord, he was honest in his relationship with men and he was not impressed with evil and when a man feels that way he has put himself in line for a blessing. In other words he sought the Lord and His righteousness, and the Lord added to what he had. Even Satan recognized God’s blessings upon Job because he challenged God in the 11th verse to stretch forth His hand and strike all that he had and Job would curse Him to His face.
So he was a good provider and was a good steward of what the Lord entrusted him with. He did not waste the blessings that God had given him, he simply took care of it and nurtured it for his children’s inheritance.
Finally, we find him . . .
3. EARNESTLY PRAYING ON BEHAVE HIS SONS AND DAUGHTERS (v.5)
“And it was, when the days of their feasting were finished, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.”
One thing that we as fathers have to learn from this lesson is to pray sincerely for our children. To often we left this in the hands of the wife. But if we would take a look at the divine order in which the Lord God has laid before us, we would discover that the spiritual leadership of the family has been placed in the father’s hand not the mother’s. Men, we let our families down when we fail to lead. Now grant it that many of the wives got saved before the husbands, and they had to lead the family to church and they lead in other areas as well. And many of them waited patiently on us so they could place the leadership roll back in the proper hands. But many of us has not figured out that the Lord is going to hold us responsible for leading the family, both physically and spiritually. Look what Job did. Matthew Henry said of this verse that “Job waited until they were through with their celebration, then he sent to them to prepare for solemn ordinances, he sent and sanctified them, ordered then to examine their own consciences and repent of what they had done.” In other word Job being the priest of the family offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. We must understand as the priests of the home there are certain things that the Lord desires that the wife should not do, although he honors her request, it is the man’s job to pray for the family because he according to scripture is the priest of the home.
CONCLUSION
As I take my seat, I want the fathers to know that there is an awesome responsibility bestowed upon us as fathers. You see brothers having a child might make you the biological father, but it will not make you a Real Father. That comes through many days of caring, providing and nurturing our children. Even praying for our children is the job of both parents, but the father must take the lead.
Lead on man of God, Lead the family with integrity.
Lead on man of God, let the world see you stand tall for the Lord.
Lead on man of God, and be the champion God that God designed you to be.
