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from his family all the families of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:1–3). Abraham raised Isaac, who would ultimately become a patriarch himself.
    Yet even though he is upheld as a man of faith, not all of Abraham’s parenting decisions should be used as a model of wisdom. God instructed him to leave his family in Haran and to go to a new land (Gen. 12:1). Yet Abraham inexplicably brought his nephew Lot with him (Gen. 12:4). This decision would lead to much grief and heartache in the ensuing years (Gen. 13:5–13; 14:12–17; 19). Then there was the time Abraham’s faith wavered, and he took matters of becoming a father into his own hands. He had a son, Ishmael, through a woman who was not his wife. This son would become the father of the Arab peoples and engender much conflict with the Israelites for generations afterward (Gen. 17:18–25). Abraham would also lie about his wife, Sarah, claiming she was his sister (Gen. 12:10–20). As if that weren’t enough, Abraham succumbed to dishonesty a second time, later in his life (Gen. 20:1–18). This character flaw of dishonesty would be passed down to his son and grandson. Certainly Abraham was a man of faith and a friend of God, but he was not a perfect father.
    Isaac
    Few babies have been more eagerly anticipated than was Isaac! His father waited twenty-five years for him! Isaac was a devout man of God who had two sons: Esau and Jacob. Isaac followed in his father’s character flaws and claimed that his wife, Rebekah was his sister, just as his father had done twice before (Gen. 26:1–11). His younger son, Jacob, conspired with Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, to deceive Isaac and to cheat Esau (Gen. 27:1–29). This understandably led to a bitter division between Isaac’s two sons that forced Jacob to live abroad for many years afterward. The patriarch Isaac’s home was torn asunder by deception and hatred.
    Jacob
    Jacob was a deceiver, but he came by it honestly. Following after his father and grandfather’s propensity to deceive, Jacob would also resort to deceit when looking out for his own interests. It’s not surprising that Jacob’s ten older sons lied to him about the fate of his son Joseph when they sold Joseph into slavery (Gen. 37:31–36). Predictably, perhaps, when the tables were turned, Joseph later deceived his brothers as well (Gen. 42:6–24). Truly the sins of the fathers are passed down through the generations (Deut. 5:9).
    What is significant is that though Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph were God’s chosen patriarchs for His people, each of their homes suffered conflict. The descendants of Abraham’s sons Ishmael and Isaac would wage continual warfare against each other. Isaac’s sons Esau and Jacob would experience enmity, as would their descendants. Jacob committed one of the worst parenting mistakes by showing blatant favoritism to his son Joseph. This, along with Joseph’s exalted view of himself, infuriated his older brothers and drove them to discard their annoying little brother (Gen. 37:3–11). Even Joseph’s sons would experience a dispute (Gen. 48:17–20). These were the founders of God’s people; yet their homes were often anything but tranquil and godly!
    Eli
    By the time we leave the Pentateuch and arrive in the book of 1 Samuel, one might think we had entered a more enlightened era of parenthood. But things only grow worse! The old prophet Eli is the high priest as we enter the book of 1 Samuel. Hannah delivered her much-prayed-for son, Samuel, to him to be cared for (1 Sam. 1:24–28). Eli must have done a stellar job with Samuel, for the boy grew up to become a mighty man of God. But Eli didn’t do so well with his own two boys. Scripture declares that his sons Hophni and Phinehas were corrupt and “they did not know the L ord ” (1 Sam. 2:12). The beleaguered Eli heard of his children’s immoral behavior as well as their greed and profanity. He attempted to stop them; yet they ignored the pleading of their elderly