HOW NOT TO BE A FATHER

King Henry IV, having seized the throne of England, from the equally pathetic Richard II and had him murdered, was having trouble sleeping and wondered, according to William Shakespeare, why other men (who had done worse!!!) could sleep while he – Henry IV- could not. Shakespeare then quoted this famous line “Deny it to a king? Then happy low, lie down! Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown (Henry IV, 1597).

The offspring of Royalty are usually a bunch of spoiled brats, whose fathers were too busy being “King” and denying themselves nothing – whether it is the beautiful women of other men; gold and jewelry or lands and tribes to conquer. We don’t have to look to Bible history for an example – look at Prince Charles of England. Not happy with Diana as his wife, he had to go after Camilla Parker Bowles – then married to another man….all in plain view of his sons and the world.

Romans 15:4 NLT tells us “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled”. This is why we look to the examples which the Lord provided for us, as to how we should or should NOT live! Hence the reason we look at these two great kings of Israel. What these men did, as fathers, have affected the Middle East and history for 3000 years now. Kings David and his son (by Uriah the Hittite’s wife, Bathsheba), Solomon, are exhibits A and B of fathers whom God will never want us to be like! If you wish to learn to be a true worshiper and live in repentance, then David is your man! For Proverbs to live by, Solomon is your man. For advice on Fatherhood, run the other way from these men!

Here are some of the sons of David:

 ¹ These are the sons of David who were born in Hebron:  The oldest was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel.  The second was Daniel, whose mother was Abigail from Carmel.
² The third was Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur.  The fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith.