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Father's day
This document discusses Eli from the Bible who was considered a good man but a bad father. It provides biblical passages about how fathers should love God with all their heart and commit to his commands, repeating them to their children both at home and away. Further, it advises that fathers should shape their children through love, living out God's word, and lecturing on it. Finally, it notes that fathers should not provoke their children to anger but rather bring them up with discipline and instruction from the Lord.
Father's day
- 2. Good Man butBad Father • Eli • A Good Man • A Bad Father
- 3. :5 And youmust love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. :6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. :7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Deu 6:5-7
- 4. Shape of aFather • Love • Live • Lecture
- 5. Eph 6:4 Fathers, donot provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
- 6. Actions of aFather • Do Not Exasperate • But rather Bring them up with Discipline and Instruction
Editor's Notes
- #3 A Good Man - Note his morality. In his long life you will not find any record of terrible sin. He did not drink, steal, lie or swear. He never divorced his wife, committed adultery, or abused his children. Observe his kind treatment of the boy Samuel. Eli knew that Samuel would be his replacement as spiritual leader of Israel. Yet there is no trace of jealousy. Instead, when Samuel revealed God’s judgment against Eli, Eli responded quietly and submissively: “He is the Lord; let Him do what is good in His eyes” (1 Samuel 3:18). Furthermore, it is clear that the old man had a deep love for the ark of God, which symbolized God’s presence. When the ark was carried into battle, Eli’s heart feared for it (see 1 Samuel 4:13). And when he heard of the capture of the ark of God, he fell off his seat, broke his neck and died (see verse 18). Right to his death, this man was deeply concerned about the things of God. A Bad Father - Speaking of Eli, God said, “I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them” (1 Samuel 3:13). In 1 Samuel 2:29, Eli not only tolerated his sons’ sin, but also participated in it by eating the portion of the sacrifices intended for the Lord. But didn’t Eli correct his sons? Not really. In effect he said, “Now boys, you shouldn’t do these things. People are talking!” (see verses 23-25). Too little, too late! A good man? Yes, very good. But he did not have enough backbone to stand up to his sons and say, “We aren’t going to tolerate your sin around here.” It applies today: Passivity as a father toward the things of God will damage you and your family. So that there will be no confusion, let me explain what I mean by “passivity.” (From: https://bible.org/article/why-good-men-fail-fathers)
- #5 Love – Love God, be about something bigger than yourself. Be a servant, be a follower. Live – Be wholeheartedly committed, be passionate about living for God and stir passion in your children. Show them the bigness and beauty of life in God. Trust and have faith. Challenge them by who you are and inspire them to go for the best God has for them. Lecture – Talk to them
- #7 Do not exasperate your children. The word used here means anger that results in a rebellion. Fathers, do not provoke your children to the place where they completely lose control and break out against authority. There are two things that cause rebellion in children: indulgence and harshness. These two things are the negative of the two things he instructs the father to do: Bring them up in the training and the instruction [or the exhortation] of the Lord. The opposites of these are indulgence and harshness. Because we so often do not know and feel overwhelmed we get pushed into either extreme but we must learn to seek God and learn from others because for every challenge there is a way through. Bring them up – to cherish and nurture, like strengthening a little sapling against the howling wind. Discipline – The Greek concept of paideia was the schooling of the polis in that which was beautifull and good, it is the idea of growing up and maturing into perfection and excellence. We expect much of our children in terms of who they are and the character they are to have. Instruction – The English word “comfort” is the “anchor word” we are using in our series. Our English word “comfort” comes from two Latin words, “cum” in Latin meaning “with” and “fortis” in Latin meaning “fortification, fortress, or fortify.” One commentator stated the English word “comfort” literally means a “strengthener-wither” or more understandably “someone who is with you giving strength.”1 This word “noutheteo” comes from two Greek words, “nous” which means “mind or understanding” and “tithemi” which means “to put or place.” This word for “comfort” means “to speak with” implying “aconversation of encouragement, a gentle influence by words.”2 Lack of discipline will make a child insecure, miserable, and self-centered. That is what we call a spoiled child—one who grows up to expect to have her way in everything and who rides roughshod over the feelings of everyone else. This is created by a spirit of indulgence on the part of parents who allow their children to make decisions that no child is capable of making. Parents must learn that they need to make decisions for their children for quite a while in their life and only gradually help them to learn to make those decisions as they are able to do so. In the early years of childhood parents must make almost all the decisions. One of the terribly tragic things about life today is the degree to which many parents let children make decisions they are incapable of making. The other extreme that provokes a child to revolt is harshness—rigorous, demanding discipline that is never accompanied with love or understanding. Rigid, military discipline that says, Do this, or this, or else, will inevitably drive a child to revolt as he comes to adolescence.