A Father's Love: Exploring 5 Scriptures About Fatherhood

Discover the heart of God’s love for us as a Father through this exploration of Scriptures about fatherhood.

The Role of Fathers in the Bible

Father’s Day is a special time of year for us to reflect on the men in our lives–grandfathers, fathers, friends, mentors, and even the men of the Bible.

This Father’s Day, let’s look at the role of fathers in the Bible in these 5 verses I’ve picked out for you.

Scriptures About Fatherhood

Righteous: Proverbs 20:7

“The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them.” -Proverbs 20:7

Reflect on the legacy of great men in your life or those that have inspired you. What is it about them that has impacted the way you live? The way you raise your children? The way you interact with your spouse?

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, righteous means acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin.

Here are a few men in the Bible that are referred to as righteous:

Noah
Daniel
Job
Abraham
Lot
John the Baptist

Obviously, we know none of these men were actually perfect or free from sin, but God considered them righteous because of their pursuit of Him and the forgiveness of their sins through His grace and mercy. Because of the lives they lived, these men impacted generations after them and God even blesses their children.

Protector: Deuteronomy 1:30-31

“The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as He did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” -Deuteronomy 1:30-31

A lot of times we only see the God of the Old Testament as harsh, but Deuteronomy reminds us that He is a father, loving and caring for His children. He rescued them in Egypt and promised to fight for them in conquering the Promised Land.

The imagery is beautiful as we picture God carrying us “as a father carries his son” and reminds us that these scriptures about fatherhood call us to love and protect our children as God does with us.

Teacher: Ephesians 6:4

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” -Ephesians 6:4

To exasperate means to irritate and frustrate someone intensely. God doesn’t call fathers to be harsh and cruel, but kind and gentle just as He is. This doesn’t mean they can’t teach their children to respect authority or be firm when the situation calls for it. However, the keyword is teach.

God calls us to teach our children, to model those behaviors we want to see in them, not to demand perfection as though we ourselves are God. Even our perfect Savior doesn’t demand perfection of us to enter into heaven with Him because of his selfless sacrifice for us!

We should be challenging and encouraging our children to look more like Christ just as we strive to ourselves each and every day–modeling humility, compassion, and forgiveness.

Compassionate: Psalm 103:13

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.” -Psalm 103:13

I used to struggle with the concept of “fearing” the Lord. As I grew to study and understand who God is, I realized that fearing the Lord is about honoring who He is. If you stop to acknowledge His power, authority, all-encompassing love, and forgiveness, then you recognize His immense grace and mercy.

When we notice our sinfulness we can be filled with overwhelming gratitude for the compassion He shows for us, therefore understanding that if He wanted, God could end everything on earth in one word–which is something to be respected and revered. He wants us to know that there is no one like Him, that we are not God, and neither is any other idol we place in our lives.

Furthermore, He calls fathers to have compassion on their children, just as He has compassion on us.

Blessed: Psalm 128:1-4

“Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to Him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.” -Psalm 128:1-3

When we follow his command to fear who He is, He doesn’t just stop there, He blesses us when we do! Fathers can teach their children to follow their commands and should bless them when they do as well.