What kind of father are you? Are you actively engaged or checked out? Consider this study in contrasts. In 1692, the Salem Witch Trials wreaked havoc on a community because of a passive father and pastor named Samuel Parris. Sadly, this checked out dad allowed a Caribbean slave girl named Tituba to influence his daughters by having séances in their basements and gossiping about local town members. These girls’ false claims of witchcraft led to the senseless execution of leading Christian women in Salem. Job’s fatherhood example is quite the opposite. He rose up early each day to pray for his children and went regularly to his children’s homes to sanctify them. Unlike Samuel Parris, Job was a faithful protector, provider, and prayer warrior. Remember Job, remember Samuel Parris—and be the father God has called you to be. 

 

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/resources/60ca6cb897de084c53254521

What kind of father are you? Are you like Job or Samuel Paris? I want to compare the two. The first illustration of fatherhood is Job and he really is a source of encouragement and mentorship for fathers because he he displays what a disciplined father acts like in the sanctification of his children And you learn about this right at the beginning of Job in the first chapter. So one of the oldest books in the Bible opens with a father managing his household.

Well, It first talks about his character and then it shifts about what he's doing with his family as a father. Here's one thing he was doing. He was pursuing his children's sanctification regularly. Job went regularly to his children's homes to sanctify them. That means that he was praying for them.

He was offering sacrifices for each one of them. And the text says that he would rise early in the morning. He got an early start to the day. This just points to the blessings of regularity for a father who prays for his children. Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.

Thus Job did regularly. Let's give another illustration. A passive father and the Salem witch trials. We do well to remember the consequences of passive fatherhood. Samuel Paris, a pastor in Salem, was at the heart of it.

This tragic situation in 1692 where backbiting and tailbearing of eight young girls between the ages of seven and sixteen brought accusations against 120 people for witchcraft. 19 of them were hanged or pressed to death and two dogs were also hanged because the children said the dogs gave him the evil eye. I'm going to give you five fatherhood failures that created this crisis. First, a father allowed destructive influences into his home. Pastor Samuel Parris allowed a Caribbean slave girl named Tituba to influence his daughters by having seances in their basements and gossiping about the town members.

Secondly, these fathers refused to discipline their children. During the Salem witch trials, one man stood up and said, I can solve this in a few minutes. These girls need to be spanked by their fathers. Another thing that happened there is that these fathers allowed gossip in their homes about members of the community. There was also judicial excess.

The admission of spectral evidence in the courtroom was shameful. Now, what ended the Salem witch trials? Puritan pastor, Increase Mather and his son, Cotton, came and brought biblical order to this mess. It wasn't until five years later in 1697 where there was repentance in the legislature over the sin committed in these trials. And they called for a day of fasting and humiliation.

However, the repentance of the town for the gossip finally came in 1740, and that was the beginning of the Great Awakening that swept New England. It began with the repentance of the people involved in the Salem witch trials. You had three jurisdictions out of order, the church, the family, and the state. You had a father who was out of order, who did not deal with sin in his family. Remember Job, remember Samuel Paris.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Scripture applied as a production of Church and Family Life. Visit ChurchandFamilyLife.com for more resources.