Focusing On Fatherhood

“Job was blameless and upright, one who feared God, and turned away from evil. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.” [1]

Job is held up by God as a “greatest of all time” among men. In fact, God asked Satan, “Have you considered my servant, Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil.” [2]

Job’s ten children would celebrate birthdays together with feasting and drinking for days on end. Afterwards Job would offer animal sacrifices for each of them, because, he said, “’It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts.’ Job did so continually.” [3]

Job lost his ten children during one such feast. A great wind destroyed the oldest son’s house and all of them inside it. [4]

Later, Job speaks of wisdom, he asks, “Where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding? Man doesn’t know its price; neither is it found in the land of the living. The deep says, ‘It isn’t in me.’ The sea says, ‘It isn’t with me.’ It can’t be gotten for gold, neither will silver be weighed for its price.” [5]

There are evil circumstances that the best of earth’s resources cannot resolve. Job concluded, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, which is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.” [6]

Job continued to stay engaged with the Lord throughout his trial and at the end of his book, God blessed him with ten new children and many blessings besides. [7]

Job was a good father. The book begins with the importance of his children to him and ends with the importance of his children to him. And then, in between these two ends, we see that he also acted as a father to the children of others. “I delivered the poor who cried, and the fatherless also, who had no one to help him, I was a father to the needy. I researched the cause of him whom I didn’t know.” [8] “Men listened to me, waited, and kept silence for my counsel.” [9]

Like our Heavenly Father, Job covered people with his feathers. Under his wings they took refuge. His faithfulness was a shield for them. [10] The imagery here is of a bird sheltering his young from danger. Faithfully, positioning himself as a barrier or shield between danger and those he loves! Jesus called God our Father in heaven. [11] Job was a reflection of the Heavenly Father to people.

Recently, I’ve been addressing God, “Father, Father, I need You. Please help me. I am Your son.” God is faithfully coming to my aid. I’ve learned by His example that not only my children need me to be that kind of father… one they can depend on for a loving and helpful response… but there are many fatherless and needy children whom God longs to help through earthly fathers who are willing to stand in the gap for others.

“Dear Heavenly Father, please provide earthly father figures for all the children who have none. Please help me to be a man that reflects Your father-heart for my children and those around me. In Name of Jesus Your Son, I pray. Amen.”

[1] Job 1:1-2
[2] Job 1:8
[3] Job 1:4-5
[4] Job 1:18-19
[5] Job 28:12-15
[6] Job 28:28
[7] Job 42:12-15
[8] Job 29:12, 16
[9] Job 29:21
[10] Psalm 91:4
[11] Matthew 6:9