If your only exposure to the concept of fatherhood was television and movies you would likely think dads are among the most useless of all creatures. Dads are commonly depicted as overweight, lazy, disconnected, beer loving buffoons that can barely dress themselves, much less lead their family. Another popular depiction of dads is as overworked desk jockeys that always put work ahead of family. The number of depictions of dads being healthy leaders of their families is, to put it mildly, small. This hasn’t help the already weak institution of fatherhood in our culture. With the exception of sports, dads are thought to have little role in the life of their kids, with mothers taking on disproportional responsibilities. Is this how it’s supposed to be? Absolutely not! The influence of a faithful dad can, and should be, one of the most powerful things in the life of a family.
Checkout what Moses teaches in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 :
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Before this passage, Moses had been teaching about the 10 Commandments. He shifts gears here to remind the Israelites (and us) of teachings they had already been given, but had repeatedly not followed. Among those teachings was the importance of faithful parents. Right away, Moses tells us that if we are going to be faithful fathers (or faithful followers in general) then we need to love and follow Him in every part of life. It’s not enough to be a Christian at church. No, we are called to love God and others in the home as well. Are you loving God in a way your children and spouse can see? Are you sharing the love of God with them?
In verses 6-7, Moses tells parents to not only live for God, but to equip their children to do so as well. As dads especially, we too often fail miserably here. We’ve outsourced the discipling of our kids to children’s directors, youth pastors, and Christian schools. While all those are great, who does the Bible say is responsible for raising their children to follow God? That’s right, you dad! It’s our responsibility as dads to set a godly example and equip our children to follow God. Don’t buy into the world’s view of a useless dad, but instead accept the responsibility of a faithful dad God intends for you to take up.
