Into The Breach – Christian FatherhoodSample

Day 6 — Do not provoke

Read: Ephesians 6:1-4

In the Greco-Roman culture of the time, the patriarch of the household was viewed as the head of his wife, children, and slaves, exercising a rigid and sovereign control over his family. All the members of his household were required to obey him. Paul shows here that the relationship of father and children, as of husbands and wives (Ephesians 5:21-33), is transformed when lived in the Christian context. Yes, children must obey their parents. This is a universally self-evident thing to do. Furthermore, children are commanded to honor and respect their parents according to the Torah of Moses (v. 2; Exodus 20:12). This commandment is accompanied by God’s promise of prosperity and longevity. God rewards a society in which obedience and respect are practiced. A healthy society is inconceivable without a solid family life.

Paul then expands on these earlier standards about the obedience of children to show how a Christian context requires mutual responsibilities. Fathers must be aware of their duties toward their children, if the family is to live in the Lord and be transformed by his grace. Fathers ought not to exasperate their children (v. 4). Obedience can be expected, but it cannot be demanded by provoking and irritating children. Fathers are obliged to raise their children “with the training and instruction of the Lord.” This means that fathers must instill patterns of Christian behavior in their children, and they must teach them the contents of the faith as well. Although many of these domestic tasks of Christian parenting are often taken on by mothers, Paul is showing that fathers bear at least equal responsibility for creating a family in Christ.

REFLECT: How can I better teach my children without provoking and irritating them? 

PRAY: O God, who bestows the gift of children, show me how to teach my children without provoking them to anger. Help me to nurture and raise my children, giving them faith and confidence.