Adam

 Fathers Day-tomorrow, June 20. What does it mean for you? Do you have good memories of your own father or do your memories make you wish you never knew him because he wasn't a good father to you? 

According to this website (Bible Verses About Fathers To Encourage, Equip And Strengthen )

A father’s role in the family is a pivotal one.  He is called upon to be a leader and protector for the family, and to give an example of Christ’s love by being loving towards the children’s mother. He is also to be strong in the faith, and to bring the children up knowing right from wrong.

Its with sad regret that as a society, not everyone can say they have had a dad that loved and cherished them. Sin entered the world with Adam and because of that, life for many children from its beginning, have been void of all that God meant for it to be. 

I know that because it has been a busy week for me this week, I am getting a late start on Father's Day, but I am going to look into the lives of some of those in the bible to find what kind of the fathers they were in their day. Both good ones and the not so good ones. And so, with that in mind, I will start today off with Adam. What kind of man was he? Can we get a clear picture of the kind of father he was? Let's take a look.

Adam

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7

God's first human creature. Man. His story didn't always go well. Adam was given a job to do by God. And that was to take care of his surroundings, and to give the animals that he had created, their names. But no doubt Adam was lonely, and so God gave Adam a wife. Eve.

But God also gave Adam a commandment . God said he could eat from any tree in the garden except one. And that one was the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Many men since, want to blame Eve for the fact that she was able to get Adam to eat of that tree. It's all her fault they say, and they want to place the blame on her and not take any responsibility on themselves. Even today, some still do this. I knew a neighbor like this once who believed this, yet he was not a  Christian and in fact was an alcoholic and he was a bully to his wife.

But the truth is, if we believe that a father's role is to be the leader, the protector and the example of Christ's love-Adam sure did not accept those responsibilities that day when he ate the fruit of the tree that God had specifically told him not to.

And because of that sin entered the world. Yes, Eve had been tempted by satan, but it was when Adam listened to her and disobey God, it was his sin that set the world up for what has happened to it, since. 

And then what did he do? He hid from God or at least he tried to. As though he thought he could hide himself from the very one that had created him.

Because of their sin, life in he garden became very difficult. Not only for Adam but for the woman that he was supposed to love and protect. 

Their hardships? Eve had to endure the pain in childbirth, they had to work the land now filled with weeds and thistles, and do it by the sweat of their brows. They were banished from where God had originally put them, and would eventually die. Hummm. Sounds familiar, doesn't it.

And then, Adam and Eve had two sons: Cain and Able. Now we have sibling rivalry to deal with as two parents. And Cain, ends up killing his brother Abel.

To be honest, we do not know how our first parents dealt with the rivalry that no doubt existed between these two sons so far as I know. But it was undoubtable there for them just as it is for us today. And trying to raise four of my own kids, it was no picnic at times. So I cannot imagine what they went through or how they dealt with it as the first people on earth.

 Adam was our first example of a human father. 

However, he was in fact, not really the first example of a father to us.

That title belongs to One, and that is God himself.

And it was God that throughout His word, did give us examples of fathers that though human had been those that were good fathers to their children. That taught them right from wrong, and His word that they were to live by. 

Sometimes human fathers fail at protecting us, loving us the way we would hope, do not guide us in the way we should go. But they are human, just as Adam was. And should do all they can to be who God wants them to be. But when they fail, we can still know the love and protection of the One that like He had Adam, created us as well. God is good, and He loves us.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a blessed day!