By There are no exceptionally godly examples of fatherhood in the Bible. Except for Christ, none of the men in the Bible used mightily by God were perfect, and sadly the imperfections were often most obviously visible in their fatherhood. Adam had murderous Cain as a son; Noah had the lewd joker Ham; Lot had incestuous daughters; David had rebellious Absalom.
The great exemplary men of the Bible don’t have the details of their fatherhood recorded for us. But in Ezekiel 14, when the prophet is groping for names of godly men in Biblical history, he selects Noah, Daniel, and Job. These three men are the prophet’s icons of righteousness in their generations. As such, they are good icons of fathers longing for their contribution to the next generation to be one of righteous impact.
Noah was the only righteous man whom God found on the earth during his day (Gen 6:7-9). Fathers, this is certainly an example to aspire to! In the sea of the fathers of our day, be the island of righteousness in your dealings with your children
Daniel had only three godly friends, and yet he excelled in his secular job as political advisor to a number of wicked and ungodly men. In all that he did, he did not neglect prayer (Daniel 6:10) or the studying of God’s Word (Daniel 6:5). Fathers, do not neglect a careful study of God’s word, and a regular practise of prayer.
Job has much to teach fathers. In prosperity or calamity, stand firm in the faith (Job 1:21-22). If you will keep your children from immorality, first keep yourself from it (Job 31:1). “Fear God, and turn away from evil” (Job 28:28) is the epitaph on Job’s life.
To be an exemplary father,
one must be an exemplary man.