Fatherhood in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament, the concept of fatherhood was one which referred to origin (Thompson, 2000). According to Thompson, the father was understood to be one who was responsible for leaving an inheritance for his children, to protect and provide for them and who was to receive their honour and respect (p. 39). It was the identity of the father that the child would eventually assume so that in the Old Testament, a child was often referred to as the “son or daughter of” whoever their father was. The father was not just a representation of the origin by providing a family name, but he often determined which god the child would serve. In the Old Testament there is a good sense of this reality, as the term “God of my father” is repeated on several occasions (Genesis 26:24, 32:9; Exodus 3:13; 2 Chronicles 17:4; Isaiah 38:5). Dr Myles Munroe (2001) urged fathers to live in such a way that their children would be delighted to serve the God of their fathers (p. 200).

God is revealed as the Father of all in the Old Testament. Malachi 2:10 says, “Do we not have one Father? Did not one God create us...?” He is revealed as one who protects and takes keen interest in those whose fathers are absent. In Psalm 68:5, the psalmist describes Him as “A father to the fatherless…” God even revealed Himself as the father of King David. In 2 Samuel 7:14 God commanded Nathan to tell David, “I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men…” The revelation of God as a father is remarkable. His unconditional love and His interest in the lives of those whom He calls His very own children serve as a great reminder of the special place that they hold in His heart.

While God is not biologically related to man, there is much to be learned from His revelation of Himself and his fatherly nature. As God is referred to as “Father” in the Old Testament, this revelation of God as a father is believed to only be possible because God acknowledged the children of Israel as His Children (Marthaler, 2007, p. 44). This acknowledgement may be seen in Hosea 11:3 – 4 where God declared that it was He who taught Ephraim, referring to His people, to walk (Munroe, 2001, p. 205). Deuteronomy 32:6 also stated that God, the Father had bought and protected them. Acknowledgement is indispensable to the bond of a father and his child. Therefore, there is a sense in which one can infer that the acknowledgement of the father for his child is important.

God made it necessary for even Himself to be the one who watched over the development of the man He created (Stewart, 2009, p. 14). Considering the above, Stewart posited that God responded to the need of mankind for a father by providing a place that was suitable for him to live in. Since God is the source of fatherhood, He then makes it necessary for fathers to also fulfill this function of provision. God told Adam after he sinned that he would have to work hard so that his family could eat (Genesis 3:19). This traditional view of the father as the provider has filtered down through generations even after the Old Testament time.

The provision that a father should facilitate does not only refer to that of material possessions but it includes the obligation to provide spiritual guidance.  In 1 Samuel 3, the account is given of Eli whose sons were allowed to continue in their wickedness because of the negligence of their father. God told Eli that because of his lackadaisical approach in reprimanding his children, that He would” judge his family forever” (1 Samuel 3:13). In Judges 2:8-15, the story is told of the generation of fathers who failed to pass on the holy traditions to their children. As a result of this, an entire generation grew up who “knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10). Fathers have the responsibility to instruct their children in the way of the Lord.