Good Bible Dads: Job

 Since it’s June, I thought I would do a series on dads in the Bible. You would think I would have a lot of good examples. But, unfortunately, I could only really think of three: Job, Joshua, and Joseph. 

Heh, there’s a pattern with the names. 

The last post of the month will be patterns of bad fathers in the Bible. Unfortunately, there is a lot of that. 

Let’s start with Job. He was a good dude. How good? Only two other people in the Old Testament could stand by his side in terms of righteousness. 

“There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil.” Job 1:1

“Son of man, suppose the people of a country were to sin against me, and I lifted my fist to crush them, cutting off their food supply and sending a famine to destroy both people and animals. 14 Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, their righteousness would save no one but themselves, says the Sovereign Lord.” Ezekiel 14:13-14

Job lived in the time of the patriarchs before there were any Jews, same as Noah. Yet they are mentioned, technically Gentiles, thousands of years later by God as being righteous. 

Job loved his family. 

I hear and read about how people pray for their kids every day. I’d love to say I have that discipline. 

“Job’s sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them. When these celebrations ended—sometimes after several days—Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, “Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.” Job 1:4-5

He was worried about their spiritual future. So he took steps to make sure they had a relationship with God. He petitioned for their forgiveness daily. 

Then he lost all of his kids. He went through hell. Job is a good book for sufferers who want to think through it. Some prefer the laments in Psalms; I like Job, though it’s hard. 

Later, he had more kids. Then he did something extremely rare at that time. 

“He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers.“

It was a time where women weren’t considered equal, and the male heirs got the inheritance. Job ignored it and gave part of his wealth to his daughters. 

It wasn’t made into law until Numbers 27 and in the case of there being no sons to pass your inheritance to. Job was ahead of his time. 

What lessons for being a dad can you learn from Job?