And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4
Over the course of a long 175 years, Abraham was blessed in everything he undertook. He obtained great wealth as a shepherd and cattleman. He was distinguished for valour when called to take up sword against four kings who had taken Lot prisoner. But neither his diligent thrift nor gallant swordsmanship were the subjects of compliment by Jehovah. Besides being called the ‘friend of God’, one of the greatest commendations Abraham received was in respect to the training he would give his children:
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. Genesis 18:19
The enduring trust engendered in Isaac towards both his earthly father and his heavenly Father is demonstrated by his 40 years of patience in awaiting a worthy bride. Isaac’s deference to his father’s judgment testifies to the balanced and careful approach Abraham took in commanding his children. If Abraham had provoked his son to wrath through an overbearing command, it is unlikely that Isaac would have waited upon providence to provide him with a virtuous wife. It is far more likely that he would have besought the company of the world to find fulfilment.
Abraham brought up Isaac ‘in the nurture and admonition of the Lord’. Instead of scolding his son when he became frustrated with him, Abraham admonished Isaac. While parents are to avoid the neglect of duty and indulgence demonstrated by Eli, and discipline their children appropriately, this should never be done hastily in a spirit of anger. Angry reprimands only serve to exacerbate the rebellion behind bad behaviour. This causes alienation, and tends to destroy the potential influence for good we may have over our children.
However, if we command our children in the same nurture and admonition as did Abraham, we too may receive the blessings that came upon him. Besides a heavenly reward, the abrahamic blessing includes the joy he had in seeing his son ‘keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment’.
Christopher Sparks