Patriarchs and Christian role models?

Question

Millions of people throughout the world, especially children, often adopt certain figures as role models to idolize and emulate. This is true not only in sports, politics, and acting, but also in religion and the arena of ideas. And nowhere in religion are role-models more numerous than in the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, prominent individuals abound. But are they really worthy of respect and admiration? Was their behavior such that you would want to awaken your children on Sunday morning to read about their exploits? What better way to answer this question than by describing the activities of each. First are those figures whose machinations are somewhat limited in scope:

# ABSALOM--ordered killings (2 Sam. 13:28-29 RSV) and had sex in the open (2 Sam. 16:22 RSV);
# AMON--raped his sister, Tamar (2 Sam. 13:11-14 RSV);

# ABIMELECH--killed a city's inhabitants (Jud. 9:45 RSV); and murdered wantonly (Jud. 9:5);
# EHUD--murdered king Eglon (Jud. 3:21-22 RSV);
# ELIJAH--committed murder (1 Kings 18:40);
# ELISHA--lied (2 Kings 6:19), told a man a lie (2 Kings 8:10 RSV), cursed 42 small boys to be torn apart for mocking his bald head (2 Kings 2:23-24 RSV);
# GIDEON--killed (Jud. 8:16:17 the Living Bible), murdered prisoners (Jud. 8:21 RSV), engaged in polygamy (Jud. 8:30);
# ISSAC--lied (Gen. 26:6-7 and attempted to sacrifice his wife to save himself (Gen. 26:9);
# JACOB--swindled Esau out of his birthright (Gen. 25:31-33 RSV), cheated and lied (Gen. 27:19, 30:40-43 RSV) and lied to Rachel (Gen. 29:12);
# JEHOIDA--ordered a murder (2 Kings 11:15-16 RSV);

# JEHU--killed (Kings 9:24, 27, 10:11, 17), ordered killings (2 Kings 10:6-7, 14, 25 RSV), and deceptively lied (2 Kings 10:18-19);
# JEPHTHAH--slaughtered people (Jud. 11:33), and killed his own daughter (Jud. 11:39 RSV);
# JEREMIAH--lied (Jer. 38:24-27 NIV);
# JOAB--killed (2 Sam. 3:27, 18:14, 20:10);
# JONATHAN--killed (1 Sam. 14:13-14 NASB), and lied (1 Sam. 20:28);
# JOSEPH--deceived his brothers (Gen. 42:7 NASB) and committed nepotism (Gen. 47:11 RSV);
# JOSHUA--killed and slaughtered without letup (Joshua 6:21, 8:25-28, 10:1, 20, 26-28, 30, 32-33, 35, 37, 39-41, 17-18, 21, 12:7), murdered prisoners (Josh. 8:29), and hamstrung horses, (Josh. 11:9 RSV);
# LABAN--lied (Gen. 29:15) and deceived (Gen. 29:20-25);
# LOT--offered his virgin daughters to a crowd (Gen. 19:8);
# SAMSON--killed (Jud. 14:19, 15:8, 15), and had sex with a harlot (Jud. 16:1) and lied to Delilah (Jud. 16:10, 13), and
# SAMUEL--murdered (1 Sam. 15:33).

which of these role models do you like your children to emulate?

Answer 1

you forgot about the fact that Adam and Eve only had 2 sons. for the world to have been populated, at least one of the two sons had to be screwing eve.

Answer 2

There are lots and lots of people mentioned in the Bible -- but because you've very selectively chosen only a few who've done dubious things, it's clear where your biases and agenda lie.

Where in your list is Jesus? Or Mary? Or Joseph? Or the disciples? Or Stephen? Paul? Ruth? Nathan?

Or the many others who never did anything of the sort described in your list?

Of course, including Jesus and the others I've mentioned in your list just wouldn't serve your purpose, would it?

It wouldn't allow you to selectively and one-sidedly cast the Bible in a bad light.

Let's hope that when you die and meet God, He doesn't selectively focus only on the bad deeds you've done, to the exclusion of the good -- as you did with the Bible and its main players.

Answer 3

Some of them I would, and some of them I would not. You didn't make any distinction between unrepentant sinners like Absalom and those who attempted to do as God commanded them, such as Jeremiah. It's very good for children to know that no human being is perfect, and that even the greatest ones have faults and failures. That's not to say that I want my chilidren to emulate the faults- I want them to learn from those faults, and emulate the good things. One of the things I like about the Bible is that it never attempts to disguise the bad points even of the heroes.

Answer 4

Religion aside, humans have good qualities and bad. I feel there should be role examples instead of role models. "Be generous to your friends, like when XYZ shared his sandwich with a hungry friend."

"Oh, there was that time that XYZ yelled at a friend because he was in a bad mood. This is not a healthy behavior, as the yelling didn't address XYZ's anger, and hurt his friend. Learn from this so you can avoid hurting your friends like XYZ did in this example."

By not pointing out the separate actions, a child may think that because the first behavior of XYZ was good, the second one doesn't matter.

Answer 5

If God tells you to kill someone it ain't murder. Why? Because He's GOD. Enough said. At least that's how the Bible puts it. Problem is these days people do all sorts of things in the name of God when in reality it is Satan that is telling them to do it. You got to prove all things that are from God to make sure they are from him. You will be lucky if you go to the same place that some of those men went to (Heaven). If they were righteous enough to converse with God and angels, it's probably not a bad idea to encourage your children to be like them. Whens the last time you
you went up to heaven in a chariot of fire? Hmmm? :)

Answer 6

Are the role models of politics, sports, celebrity better? In general, I think the people in the bible are lives to be learned from, not necessarily copied. People are flawed, but can still live morally sound lives, recover from mistakes, and will have to face reprecussions for their actions. The bible teaches our children that. So, yes, I do think it is proper to read to our children.

Answer 7

Since Jesus came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it I would have to say the one most important, Jesus Christ our Lord. The reason Jesus did not abolish the Law is the people who turn from Him live under the law not grace,.Throughout the New Testament it is stated love, and compassion not killing. Jesus killed none but helped the many. I do not live under the Old Testament law.

Answer 8

when G-D forgives this list of people and you burn in that lake of fire what are you gonna think !every one of these patriarchs where doing the will of G-D or what did i do wrong?I hope all my children will do G-D's will just like this list !even absalom was paying king David back as one of the 4 things that G-D said would happen G-D 's will BE DONE!

Answer 9

JESUS because He is the ONLY human that did not sin...He never lied or killed or any of those things!!!!
We are not to try to emulate men...we are to try our best to emulate Jesus' example with the help of His Holy Spirit in us. If you do not have the Holy Spirit, you will not understand these ideas.

Answer 10

How about Jesus Christ....you conveinently left Him out.

Last I looked, He's in the Bible too.

There ya' go....taking bits and pieces out of context to make a twisted statement from it. Good work there.......