Bible Text: Genesis 5:24 | Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living | Enoch walked with God; then he was no more because God took him away. Genesis 5:24

Is there any hope for dads? No dad ever chose what century in which he would raise his kids. Some face that task in times of world conflict, some in bustling cities, and some–yes, it is true–without the help of a wife. It’s interesting to note that some of the dads you will read about in the Bible were good fathers; others, far less than that. Some were faithful to their wives; some grossly unfaithful. Some taught their offspring right from wrong; others were never there for them, and the record shows that the sins of the fathers were embedded in the DNA that carried forward from generation to generation.

Then God saw fit to break that cycle and a new generation got the vision of what it means to be a dad who is there for his offspring. There’s a text which challenges men to abandon the stupidity, stubbornness, and rebellion of their fathers and do right. God said, “Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the LORD God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you” (2 Chronicles 30:7-8).

OK, we are living in the 21st century. We have a great generation of men who have fathered babies, men who haven’t always had great dads as examples. If you are one of them and you are wondering what a dad really contributes to the parenting process, this series of commentaries is just for you.

For a start, I’d like to proclaim that your presence, Dad, in the home where your kids grow up provides them with physical and emotional security. Just being there is important. Yes, even if you and your wife don’t always agree, your presence there contributes something to your children that they will never have without you.

The following are facts, not opinions: It’s a fact that when a dad is present in a home, a youngster is less likely to drop out of school. He is also less likely to be involved in crime, violence, drugs, alcohol, or gangs. His grades are better, and he is less apt to fail in school. If you have a teenage daughter, she is 50% less likely to become pregnant out of wedlock. And those are facts.

Irving Kristol said that “almost two thirds of rapists, three-quarters of adolescent murders, and the same percentage of long-term prison inmates are young males who grew up without fathers in the house. I doubt that many fathers have understood their missions in life had anything to do with the prevention of rape, murder, or long-term imprisonment among their sons.”

How does a dad do this? Every child has three emotional needs, and a good dad can go a long ways in meeting those needs. What are they? Need #1: A measure of security. Need #2: To feel worthwhile to himself and to others. And need #3: To give and receive love. Notice if you would, Dad, that the first mention of love the Bible was that of a father’s love for his son. The father: Abraham; the son: Isaac. No wonder God said, “I have chosen him so he will direct his children after him.”

Remember, Dad, you are God’s choice to do the same thing for your children. Yours is a mandate from heaven. You are a wall of safety, an ark of hope. Rise to the challenge. You are needed and wanted. You can make a difference, a big one.

Resource reading: Genesis 22