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Show HONOR THY FATIIER "Honor thy father.;." (Exodus 20: 2) "A son honoureth his father and a servant, his master: if then I be a father, where is mine master, where is my fear? Saith the Lord of hosts unto you, 0 priests, that honour? And if 1 be a despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?" (Malachi 1 :6) If you and 1 had been alive with televison during the days of the Israelites, we would have been heard saying, "Hi, Mom!' or "I Love You, Mom." For unlike today when the most influential person in our lives are mothers, in those days nobody was as influential as were fathers. Fathers set the example, provided protection, shared resources, and earned respect. You and I ought to learn to honor our fathers. Now, this word father is rooted in a word signifying nourisher, protector, upholder. It speaks of our nearest ancestor, the originator of 1 taught you and me to pray "Our Father;" He never used the personal pronoun Himself because His relationship always was, did originate by grace and regeneration. So, He could call God "My our family. Father." While Jesus That means to be "fatherless" is to be orphan, one without protection, without nourishment, without anyone to help in time of an need, comfortless. thought it would be worth our while to see some of the roles played by fathers in Biblical times. For The Bible is our guide for proper belief and behavior. Surely God has something for us to learn in thes.e lessons. So I . The first father to note is Adam. He was by God Himself and charged with replenishing the earth and tilling the garden. created became the father of at least three He and no doubt at least one daughter, (Genesis 4: 1) Job was blessed with three daughter and seven sons. When they were all destroyed 2 sons tragically at a party, God blessed his faithfulness and gave him ten more. (Job 1 :2) Enoch was a father who loved go so that he walked with Him for hundreds of years. One day he got so excited about walking with God that he never came back. (Genesis 5: 21) Abraham was a father who loved God so that he waited for the promised son and was then willing to offer him as a sacrifice unto God. (Genesis 11: 1-2) Isaac for his only the best He called him in for the blessing was a son. father who wanted but messed up and gave it to the trickster (Genesis 27: 22-23) Jacob brought into the world 12 sons son. who became the head of twelve tribes of Israel. (Genesis 49: 28) the father of the first king of Israel. (I Samuel 9: 3) The second King was David who was the father of the wisest man to e'vet Kish was live, Solomon. 3 Zechariah was the father of John the the forerunner of the Messiah. This Baptist, son baptized Jesus. (Luke 1: 13; Mark 1 :9) Joseph was the father, working as a carpenter, who heard that a hit was son and took the (Matthew 2: 13) out on his family to the safety of Egypt. God the Father sent His only begotten Son to suffer and die for a world of sin. His Son loved us so much that He gave His life for us to be regenerated and to have our names written in the Lamb's book of life. Today we are children of God with an eternal hope that there will one day be a great family reunion in the Kingdom of God, "Father I stretch my hands to thee, No other help I know. If thou withdraw thyself from me, Oh whither shall I go?' 4 |
