Fatherhood and Faith
Riddle me this. I am the oldest man in the Bible, but I died before my father. Who am I? Of course, most people know that in the Bible, 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 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. He walked right in and 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. He knew that walking with God was the only way he could ever be a good father to Methuselah.
The Bible teaches “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. It is the wise archer who develops arrows to be true and straight.
The Bible is clear: it is the responsibility of a father to raise a child in the right way. A father should encourage his children to aim high and far, but he must also teach them to stay true to their path. This is a daunting responsibility because, without trust in God, no man has the strength, skill, or wisdom that children need from their father. Therefore, every father should strive to be like Enoch and be known as a man who walks with God.
Douglas & Deborah Huff
From Down Where the Pavement Ends
Email-douglas@pavementendsministry.com
