Jacob, the Loving Father

And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, "For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning." Thus his [Joseph] father wept for him.
Genesis 37:35

But he said, "My son [Benjamin, Joseph's brother] shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave."
Genesis 42:38

And Israel [Jacob] said to Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive."
Genesis 46:30

Upon reading the full account of Jacob in the book of Genesis, we learn of Jacob's great love for his wife, Rachel. Rachel had two sons: Joseph and Benjamin; upon her death at the birth of Benjamin, Jacob was left with only these two sons as a reminder of Rachel.

Jacob continually showed excessive favoritism to Joseph causing his extremely jealous older brothers to sell Joseph into slavery and then report him dead to Jacob. We see the extreme grief of Jacob, the loving father, when he hears of the death of Joseph in Genesis 37.

Now, in Genesis 42 the sons need to go to Egypt to buy food; Jacob refuses to let Benjamin go with them, fearing that he will lose him as well.

Then, in Genesis 46, Jacob is reunited with his son Joseph; his joy is complete and he is ready now to face death.

In the news recently was the story of a Missouri couple whose son, who had been kidnapped four years ago, has been found. Can you imagine the joyous reunion that the three of then experienced? Unfortunately, that is the exception rather than the rule. Many times parents never learn what happened to their kidnapped child, and many times their child is found dead.

Is a father's love for his child any less than that of the mother who bore him? Absolutely not! Each parent plays different roles in the life of the child, but their love for the child is equal. The mother tends to be more the nurturer and the father teaches the child to be strong and face the demands of life. Both are important in the life of the child.

Do we stop being parents when our children are grown? No! Like Jacob, his grief over the loss of Joseph continued throughout his life. And, his desire to protect Benjamin continued even though Benjamin was now an adult. Our role as parents does change, however, when our children are grown. We now serve more in the capacity of advisors and give emotional support and encouragement. (Please note that it is not wise to voice our opinions unless asked.)

The greatest thing we can do for our children is to pray for them every day. If the parents do not pray for their children, regardless of their age, who will? Many times we think of prayer as the last resort; the truth is, however, that prayer is the best and first thing our children need: prayer for them, as well as prayer for ourselves that we will be good parents.

Pray today that you like Jacob the loving father, will love your children and pray for them every day. If you have no children, pray for your parents.