20 Bible Verses about Fathers, Examples Of

Indeed, I've made myself known to him in order that he may encourage his sons and his household that is born after him to keep the way of the LORD, and to do what is right and just, so that the LORD may bring about for Abraham what he has promised."

When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and announced, "I am God Almighty. Live in constant awareness that I'm always with you, and be blameless. I'll establish my covenant between me and you, and I'll greatly increase your numbers." Then Abram fell to the ground as God continued speaking to him. read more.
"Look, I've made a covenant with you. You will be the father of many nations. Your name is no longer to be Abram. Instead your name will be Abraham, since I'll make you the father of many nations. I'm going to cause you to have many descendants, and I'll bring nations from you. Kings will come from you. I'm establishing my covenant between me and you, and with your descendants who come after you, generation after generation, as an eternal covenant, to be your God and your descendants' God after you.

The LORD came to Sarah, just as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age, at the very time that God had told him. Abraham named his son who was born to him Isaac the very one whom Sarah bore for him! read more.
On the eighth day after his son Isaac had been born, Abraham circumcised him, just as God had commanded him. Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

Sometime later, God tested Abraham. He called out to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am!" he answered. God said, "Please take your son, your unique son whom you love Isaac and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him as a burnt offering there on one of the mountains that I will point out to you." So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his male servants with him, along with his son Isaac. He cut the wood for the burnt offering and set out to go to the place about which God had spoken to him. read more.
On the third day he looked ahead and saw the place from a distance. Abraham ordered his two servants, "Both of you are to stay here with the donkey. Now as for the youth and me, we'll go up there, we'll worship, and then we'll return to you." Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac. Abraham carried the fire and the knife. And so the two of them went on together. Isaac addressed his father Abraham: "My father!" "I'm here, my son," Abraham replied. Isaac asked, "The fire and the wood are here, but where's the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham answered, "God will provide himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." The two of them went on together and came to the place about which God had spoken. Abraham built an altar there, arranged the wood, tied up his son Isaac, and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. Then he stretched out his hand and grabbed the knife to slaughter his son. Just then, an angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven and said, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he answered. "Don't lay your hand on the youth!" he said. "Don't do anything to him, because I've just demonstrated that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only unique one, from me." Then Abraham looked up and behind him to see a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So Abraham went over, grabbed the ram, and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named that place, "The LORD Will Provide," as it is told this day, "On the LORD's mountain, he will provide." The angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, "I have taken an oath to swear by myself," declares the LORD, "that since you have carried this out and have not withheld your only unique son, I will certainly bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in heaven and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the gates of their enemies. Furthermore, through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my command."

During the reign of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, having lived blamelessly according to all of the commandments and regulations of the Lord. They had no children because Elizabeth was barren and because both of them were getting old.read more.
When Zechariah was serving with his division of priests in God's presence, he was chosen by lot to go into the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense, according to the custom of the priests. And the entire congregation of people was praying outside at the time when the incense was burned. An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the incense altar. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled, and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel told him, "Stop being afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy, and many people will rejoice at his birth, because he will be great in the Lord's presence. He will never drink wine or any strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring many of Israel's descendants back to the Lord their God. He is the one who will go before the Lord with the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, and to prepare the people to be ready for the Lord." Then Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this, since I am an old man, and my wife is getting older?" The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. I have been sent to speak to you and to announce this good news to you. But because you did not believe my announcement, which will be fulfilled at its proper time, you will become silent and unable to speak until the day this happens."

So they motioned to the baby's father to see what he wanted to name him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And everyone was amazed. Suddenly, Zechariah could open his mouth, his tongue was set free, and he began to speak and to praise God. read more.
Fear came over all their neighbors, and throughout the hill country of Judea all these things were being discussed. Everyone who heard about it kept thinking what had happened and asked, "What will this child become?" because it was obvious that the hand of the Lord was with him. Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel! He has taken care of his people and has set them free. He has raised up a mighty Savior for us from the family of his servant David, just as he promised long ago through the mouth of his holy prophets that he would save us from our enemies and from the grip of all who hate us. He has shown mercy to our ancestors and remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham. He granted us deliverance from our enemies' grip so that we could serve him without fear and be holy and righteous before him all of our days. And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, because you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his way and to give his people knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of their sins. Because of the tender mercy of our God, his light from on high has visited us, to shine on those who sit in darkness and in death's shadow, and to guide our feet into the way of peace." Now the child continued to grow and to become spiritually strong. He lived in the wilderness until the day he appeared in Israel.

Then Jesus said, "A man had two sons. The younger one told his father, "Father, give me my share of the estate.' So the father divided his property between them. A few days later, the younger son gathered everything he owned and traveled to a distant country. There he wasted it all on wild living. read more.
After he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went out to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. No one would give him anything, even though he would gladly have filled himself with the husks the pigs were eating. "Then he came to his senses and said, "How many of my father's hired men have more food than they can eat, and here I am starving to death! I will get up, go to my father, and say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and you. I don't deserve to be called your son anymore. Treat me like one of your hired men."' "So he got up and went to his father. While he was still far away, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him affectionately. Then his son told him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and you. I don't deserve to be called your son anymore.' But the father told his servants, "Hurry! Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let's eat and celebrate! Because my son was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate. "Now the father's older son was in the field. As he was coming back to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called to one of the servants and asked what was happening. The servant told him, "Your brother has come home, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he got him back safely.' "Then the older son became angry and wouldn't go into the house. So his father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, "Listen! All these years I've worked like a slave for you. I've never disobeyed a command of yours. Yet you've never given me so much as a young goat for a festival so I could celebrate with my friends. But this son of yours spent your money on prostitutes, and when he came back, you killed the fattened calf for him!' "His father told him, "My child, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was helping his brothers tend their flocks. He was a young man at that time, as were the children of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. But Joseph would come back and tell his father that his brothers were doing bad things. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his brothers, since he was born to him in his old age, so he had made a richly-embroidered tunic for him. When Joseph's brothers realized that their father loved him more than all of his brothers, they hated him so much that they were unable to speak politely to him.

Isaac loved Esau, because he loved to hunt, while Rebekah loved Jacob.

Now Eli was very old, and he had heard everything that his sons were doing to the Israelis, and how they lay with the women who were serving regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. "Why are you doing these things that I'm hearing about?" he asked his sons, "These reports about your evil deeds are coming from all these people! No, my sons, I'm not hearing good news being circulated by the LORD's people. read more.
If a person sins against another, God will mediate for him, but if a person sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?"

A man of God came to Eli, saying to him, "This is what the LORD says: "When they were in Egypt and slaves to the house of Pharaoh, did I not reveal to the family of your ancestor Aaron that I had chosen him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer up burnt offerings on my altar, burn incense, and carry the ephod in my presence? And did I not give to your ancestors' family all the Israeli fire-offerings? Why, then, do all of you show contempt for my sacrifice and offering that I've commanded for my dwelling? And you honor your sons more than me in order to fatten yourselves from the best of all the offerings of my people Israel.'read more.
"Therefore, the LORD God of Israel has declared, "I did, in fact, say that your family and your ancestor's family would walk before me forever,' but now the LORD declares, "Far be it from me! The one who honors me I'll honor, and the one who despises me is to be treated with contempt. The time is coming when I'll cut away at your family and your ancestor's family until there are no old men left in your family. Distress will settle down to live in your household, and despite all the good that I do for Israel, there will never be an old man in your family forever, and you will never again have an old man in my house. Any of you whom I don't eliminate from serving at my altar will grow tired from weeping, and their souls will grieve. All the increase of your family will die by violence. Here's a sign for you your two sons Hophni and Phineas will both die on the same day! And I'll raise up for myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in my heart and according to my desire. I'll build for him an enduring house and he will walk before my anointed one forever. Anyone who remains in your family will come and prostrate themselves before him for a small wage or a loaf of bread and will say, "Please put me in one of the priest's offices so I can eat a piece of bread."'"

"Look," the LORD told Samuel. "I'm about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears it tingle. I'll fulfill every promise that I've spoken concerning Eli's family, from beginning to end. I've told him that I'm about to judge his family forever because of the iniquity that he knew about. His sons committed blasphemy and he did not rebuke them. read more.
Therefore I've sworn concerning Eli's family that the iniquity of his family is not to be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever." Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the LORD, but he was afraid to report the vision to Eli. Then Eli called Samuel: "Samuel, my son." He said, "Here I am." Eli said, "What did the LORD say to you? Please don't conceal anything from me. May God do this to you and even more if you conceal from me one word of all that he spoke to you." So Samuel told him everything he did not conceal anything from him. Eli said, "He is the LORD. May he do what seems good to him."

So Abraham responded to God, "If only Ishmael would live in constant awareness that you're always with him!" But God replied, "No, but your wife Sarah will give birth to your son, and you are to name him Isaac. I'll confirm my covenant with him as an eternal covenant for his descendants. And as for Ishmael, I've heard you. I'll bless him, and he'll have many descendants. I will multiply him greatly, he'll father twelve tribal leaders, and I'll cause his descendants to become a great nation. read more.
Now as to Isaac, I'll confirm my covenant with him, to whom Sarah will give birth as your son at this time next year." With that, God finished talking to Abraham, and ascended, leaving him.

King David also rejoiced greatly. Then David blessed the LORD in the presence of the entire assembly. David said, How blessed you are, LORD, the God of our ancestor Israel, from eternity to eternity! To you, LORD, belongs the greatness, and the valor, and the splendor, and the endurance, and the majesty because all that is in heaven and on earth is yours. To you belongs the kingdom, LORD, and you are exalted as head over all. Both wealth and honor proceed from you, and you are ruling over them all. You control power you control who is made great, and how everyone becomes strong.read more.
And so, our God, we are giving you thanks, and we are praising your wonderful name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we make such voluntary offerings as these? For all things come from you, and from your own hand we are giving to you. For we are aliens and vagrants in your presence, as were all of our ancestors. Our days on the earth pass away like shadows, and we have no hope. LORD our God, all of this abundance that we have given for building a temple for your great name was provided by you and all of it belongs to you. And I know, God, that it is you who searches the heart and you who finds pleasure in righteousness. With a righteous heart I have freely given all these things, and now I have seen all of these people of yours giving freely and joyfully to you! LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep your purposes and thoughts constantly in the hearts of your people and direct their hearts toward you, granting to my son Solomon to keep with a devoted heart your commands, your decrees, and your statutes, carrying out all of them, and that he may build the Temple for which I have made the preparations.

Then Nathan went home. After this, the LORD afflicted the child that Uriah's wife had born to David, and the child became very ill. David begged God on behalf of the youngster. He fasted, went inside, and spent the night lying on the ground. His closest advisors at the palace got up, remained with him, and tried to help him get up from the ground, but he would not do so. He also wouldn't eat with them.read more.
A week later, the child died, and David's staff was afraid to tell him that the child had died. They were telling themselves, "Look, when the child was still alive, we talked to him but he wouldn't listen to what we said. Now what kind of trouble will he bring on himself if we tell him that the child has died?" But as David observed his staff whispering together, he perceived that the child had died, so he asked his staff, "Is the child dead?" They replied, "He has died." At this, David got up from the ground, washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, and went into the LORD's tent to worship. Then he went back to his palace where, at his request, they served him food and he ate. His staff asked him, "What's this about? When the child was alive, you fasted and cried. Now that the child has died, you get up and eat!" He answered, "When the child was alive, I fasted and cried. I asked myself, "Who knows? Maybe the LORD will show grace to me and the child will live.' But now that he has died, what's the point of fasting? Can I bring him back again? I'll be going to be with him, but he won't be returning to me."

His sons used to travel to each other's houses in turn on a regular schedule and hold festivals, inviting their three sisters to celebrate with them. When their time of feasting had concluded, Job would rise early in the morning to send for them and consecrate them to God. He would offer a burnt offering for each one, because Job thought, "Perhaps my children sinned by cursing God in their hearts." Job did this time and again.

As they approached the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, knelt down in front of him, and said, "Sir, have mercy on my son, because he is an epileptic and suffers terribly. Often he falls into fire and often into water.

A man in the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit that won't let him talk. Whenever it brings on a seizure, it throws him to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes stiff. So I asked your disciples to drive the spirit out, but they didn't have the power."

Suddenly, a man in the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he is my only child. Without warning a spirit takes control of him, and he suddenly screams, goes into convulsions, and foams at the mouth. The spirit mauls him and refuses to leave him.

So Jesus returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. Meanwhile, in Capernaum there was a government official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him repeatedly to come down and heal his son, because he was about to die. Jesus told him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe."read more.
The official told him, "Sir, please come down before my little boy dies."