How Do We Honour Fathers?

There are many ways of honouring fathers. On Father’s Day, we were asked to surprise a father, and all who did as our Lord asked, in whichever way it was done, knew the joy and reward of obedience.

Personally, just to know that I obeyed Jesus was unspeakably comforting and rewarding with a deep sense of His Spirit confirming Him in me. What about you? The unalterable fact is that when we are obedient to our Lord, He confirms Himself in us in unlimited measures. Not only that, but that father whom we surprised was doubly blessed by Father God.

In this discourse on how we honour fathers, we are looking to the Bible from which instruction will be given. Abel is a son of Adam and we are shown him honouring his father, in that he kept the God of his father sacred unto him and thought only to bring the best sacrifice to offer Him, Jehovah. When God is your father’s God and you come to worship Him as your God too, be sure that you do not dishonour your father by dishonouring his God. We see honouring father in terms of our sacrifices and offerings to God. Adam’s two children, Cain and Abel, are before God with their worship offerings. We are told that, Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry and his face was downcast. Genesis 4: 4 – 5. God accepts the service of one and not the other. One honours his father; the other dishonours him in the sight of Father God.

We are taken to a servant of Abraham, who is on a mission for his master. Before following through, we all need to understand that although this was a servant of Abraham and not a son of his, Abraham was Spiritual father to his servant. This is evidenced in a most touching prayer and worship scene. Listen to Genesis 24: 12 – 14. O LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, Please let down your jar that I may drink, and she says, Drink, and I’ll water your camels too – let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.

Note with curiosity, that the servant of Abraham, in praying to Abraham’s God, speaks of Abraham's son, Isaac and by extension, Abraham himself, as the Lord’s servant. Abraham is God’s servant, but he is also God’s son. Abraham’s servant is as his Spiritual son who has learnt to pray as Abraham. God is pleased to answer this servant’s prayer, for the sake of Abraham. O yes! We can see clearly, how the servant, or son, is honouring Abraham in his faith-praying.

Let’s pause for a moment to note some crucial facts. The people whom we have been shown as honouring their father, have let us see that we have more than one father to honour. In fact, faith allows me to see the command of God in honouring one’s father on a Spiritual level first and foremost. The word father, has come to us in the understanding of one’s biological father. Adam’s two boys, Cain and Abel. Honouring father, highlights the honour there is in bringing fat and pleasing offerings to God.

The understanding of, father, has also come to us as the personal servant of a master, who is the head of the household. The head is as the father whose ways are imitated and adopted by the son or servant. Honouring father, highlights the honour there is in praying faith-prayers which God is pleased to answer.

We will indulge in a couple more examples tomorrow.