Here is a riddle for you. In the Bible I lived longer than any other man, but I died before my father did. Who am I? Of course most people know that Methuselah is the man who lived the longest. But how is it possible for him to live the longest and yet he dies before his father does? Well, the simple answer is this. His father was Enoch, a man who never experienced death. Enoch was a righteous man. One day as he walked with God, the door of Heaven was open to him so he walked right in and he was never seen on earth again.

When we read the story of Enoch in Genesis 5, we find that he walked with God after the birth of his son Methuselah. Was he a righteous man before the birth of his son? I don’t know, but I do know that he did walk with God after Methuselah was born. I believe the weight of responsibility that came with this seven or eight pound baby boy drove Enoch to his knees. Enoch realized that walking with God was the only way he could ever be the father that Methuselah needed him to be.

The Bible teaches that, “Children are a heritage from the LORD. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.” Arrows are made to fly high and fly far. They are also made to fly straight and true. But it is the strength of the archer that bends the bow and launches the arrow. It is the skill of the archer that aims the arrow and hits the target and it is the wise archer who develops arrows to be true and straight.

The Word of God is clear. It is the responsibility of daddy to train up a child in the way he should go. A father should encourage his children to fly high and fly far, but he also must teach them to fly straight and true. This is a terrifying responsibility because the truth is unless he trusts in God no man has the strength, the skill, or the wisdom that children need from their daddy. Therefore the challenge is for every daddy to be like Enoch and to become known as a man who walks with God.

Douglas Huff & Deborah Huff
From Down Where The Pavement Ends