It's that day when we honor our fathers. There have been
many fathers throughout time. One father was asked to do something I'm sure
many fathers would have never dreamed of doing: sacrifice his son.
Abraham had waited years for God to fulfill his promise to him. He was promised land, children, and blessing. Now, God had blessed Abraham and protected him. Abraham did have land but it wasn't all the land he was promised. He finally got a child, Ishmael, but that created problems for his family. Then God gave Sarah and Abraham a child when they were very old. Isaac was born. Abraham loved Isaac. He tried to be a good example to Isaac. Then one day God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.
Hold up, wouldn't a loving God want this child alive? Since when did God ask for human sacrifices? This probably seemed crazy to Abraham. Yet, Abraham had seen that God is faithful. Thus, in faith, Abraham took Isaac up the mountain to be sacrificed.
Now, imagine being Isaac. You are young, trying to follow your father's example, and all of the sudden your father ties you up. Isaac was strong and much younger than his father. He could have easily overpowered his father. But, Isaac chose to trust his father. This shows that Isaac had faith in his father because he knew that Abraham had faith in God.
In the end, Abraham didn't have to sacrifice Isaac. More than likely those men left the mountain changed forever. They saw the power of faith. They saw that God gives and takes away for a reason. Isaac took that experience and understood that he needed to follow God in faith no matter what.
That's what I call a fatherly example. What kind of example are you setting for your children? Do you spend time with God? If God calls you to do something do you follow him? Do your children see your faith in action through how you treat them and others? If you answered no to any of these questions I encourage you to think about what you need to change to be a better example. This includes if you don't have children, because children are watching all adults. No, we are not perfect. But, we can try to be a good example for those who will come after us.
Abraham had waited years for God to fulfill his promise to him. He was promised land, children, and blessing. Now, God had blessed Abraham and protected him. Abraham did have land but it wasn't all the land he was promised. He finally got a child, Ishmael, but that created problems for his family. Then God gave Sarah and Abraham a child when they were very old. Isaac was born. Abraham loved Isaac. He tried to be a good example to Isaac. Then one day God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.
Hold up, wouldn't a loving God want this child alive? Since when did God ask for human sacrifices? This probably seemed crazy to Abraham. Yet, Abraham had seen that God is faithful. Thus, in faith, Abraham took Isaac up the mountain to be sacrificed.
Now, imagine being Isaac. You are young, trying to follow your father's example, and all of the sudden your father ties you up. Isaac was strong and much younger than his father. He could have easily overpowered his father. But, Isaac chose to trust his father. This shows that Isaac had faith in his father because he knew that Abraham had faith in God.
In the end, Abraham didn't have to sacrifice Isaac. More than likely those men left the mountain changed forever. They saw the power of faith. They saw that God gives and takes away for a reason. Isaac took that experience and understood that he needed to follow God in faith no matter what.
That's what I call a fatherly example. What kind of example are you setting for your children? Do you spend time with God? If God calls you to do something do you follow him? Do your children see your faith in action through how you treat them and others? If you answered no to any of these questions I encourage you to think about what you need to change to be a better example. This includes if you don't have children, because children are watching all adults. No, we are not perfect. But, we can try to be a good example for those who will come after us.
Ephesians 6:4 and Proverbs 22:6
Image from here.
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