A Godly Inheritance: Father's Day

Have you ever struggled with finding the perfect Father’s Day gift for the man in your life? Perhaps it’s because the man you’re purchasing a gift for already has everything they could need or want. Maybe it’s due to their pickiness toward a particular brand or product. Or perhaps they just don’t want anything.

According to Avrum Weiss, it can be hard to purchase a gift for a man because men have likely already purchased the items they want for themselves. Additionally, men can be conditioned to feel uncomfortable receiving gifts due to finding their value in caring for others above their own self-interests.

Consequently, “Men are often unaware of what they might want, and even if they are aware, they often have difficulty verbalizing it and receiving from the people who care about them” (Avrum Weiss, “Why Are Men So Difficult to Buy Gifts For?,” From Fear to Intimacy [blog], Psychology Today, December 12, 2021, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fear-intimacy/202112/why-are-men- so-difficult-buy-gifts).

One man in the Bible who would have been hard to purchase a gift for was Job. Job lived in the land of Uz, a region “somewhere to the east of Canaan, near the borders of the desert that separates the eastern and western arms of the Fertile Crescent” (Charles F. Pfeiffer and Everett F. Harrison, eds., The Wycliffe Bible Commentary [Chicago: Moody Press, 1990], 461), likely during the time when the biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived (“When Did Job Live?,” Got Questions, January 4, 2022, https://www.gotquestions.org/when-did-Job- live.html). In Job 1, we see evidence that Job was blessed by God.

Job 1:1–3 ESV

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.

He had ten children (v. 2), thousands of domesticated animals (v. 3), and “very many servants” (v. 3), leading him to be greater in wealth than all others in the surrounding region (v. 3).

His riches would have made him “a well-known sage among the easterners”

Job had everything men in his day aspired to achieve—a large healthy family, great wealth, and high standing in the community. Yet, despite his influence and affluence in his community, Job took time to faithfully serve God in a priestly role for his family, providing an example to us of how fathers are to faithfully lead those under their care.

Father’s are to Be Examples to their Family

Scripture introduces Job as a “blameless and upright” man who revered God and turned from evil (Job 1:1).

Job 1:1 ESV

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

s of Fathers that we are called to be, we have to strive to be blameless and upright not just before the Lord, but also before our families. To be the men that they can look up to and see the example of the Father in us. Similarly, Paul urges a young Timothy to set a godly example to his congregation in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity (1 Timothy 4:12). Parents—and especially fathers—are called to lead their children by demonstrating a godly example for them. This responsibility isn’t just limited to parents, it’s an example we are all called to as adults who play a role in any child’s life, be it as extended family, as a family friend, or as a leader or teacher. What example are you setting in your conviction to the Christian faith? Is it an example that your children, or those younger than you will look up to and follow in your footsteps?

Father’s Are to Model Healthy Relationships

Job’s family and children regularly feasted together at one another’s houses, even as adults.

Job 1:4 ESV

His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

While it is unclear whether the feasts they celebrated were “daily feasts, yearly birthday celebrations, or certain annual festivals” (Schultz, Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, 342), we find Job’s children shared a healthy relationship with one another for an extended period of times. They must have enjoyed each other’s company since they gathered regularly as adults, presumably with their own families and living in their own homes away from their father. This deep family connection and friendship would not have developed overnight. ... It is likely to have been fostered over a long time from a young age in a safe, family-focused environment under Job’s leadership. Andy Stanley, in describing his and his wife’s family dynamics with their adult children, says, “We’re now in this empty- nester season with kids who love us and love each other; who want to be with us and want to be with each other. Even now when they don’t have to be anymore”.

Imagine what our family relationships could become if our children were led to enjoy their time spent with one another—even when they’re not forced to be together? How can you create memorable moments and foster healthy connections with your children, and between your children, that will carry into adulthood?

Men are to be an Example of Faithfulness to God

More than anything, Job desired his children to remain close to God. He didn’t want any sin—be it hidden or public—to come between them and their relationship with their heavenly Father. To combat this, Job sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord early in the morning following their time of feasting,

Job 1:5 ESV

And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

just in case one of his children had cursed God silently in their hearts during the party (v. 5). Job knew “there is no remission of sins without the shedding of sacrificial blood” ; and led his children before the Lord at their first opportunity to be purified of sin by continually making “intercessory sacrifices to God on their behalf”.

While parents today do not need to sacrifice an animal on behalf of their child’s, sin, but scripture says this in 1 Tim 4:12

1 Timothy 4:12 (ESV)

set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Fathers do need to prayerfully lead their children to understand the atoning sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf to cleanse the sins of those who place their faith in his work of salvation. How often do we share about Jesus’s sacrifice with our children and those under our care? How regularly are we making intercessory prayers to God for the salvation of our children, and other young people we know?

Men Are to Interntionally Lead our Families to a Deeper Walk with Christ

Leading a child in a discussion about receiving Jesus’ offer of salvation is both an incredible privilege ... and incredibly intimidating! As you prepare to share the gospel of Jesus with a young person, remember to:

(1) pray for the child’s openness to the message, and for the right words to say to them;

(2) tell the gospel as a story;

(3) ask open-ended questions as you go; and

(4) patiently walk this journey alongside them

Who is God placing on your heart to share the gospel message with this week?

Job’s moral character and upright devotion to God greatly influenced how he led his family and his community. This lifestyle wasn’t something that sprouted unexpectedly overnight—rather, it was a habit that Job performed continually

Job 1:5 ESV

And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

Similarly, the calling of fathers to lead their family to develop vibrant, healthy relationships with God and with one another cannot be a one-time or sporadic event. Setting a godly example in faith, love, speech, and deed; fostering a safe environment for children to develop deep relationships; and prayerfully leading a child to a relationship with Jesus is a daily decision with a longer-term perspective in mind.