Job’s Righteous Fatherhood: 3 Lessons from the Suffering Saint of the Old Testament

When we think of Job, we think of suffering. And it is true—Job suffered far more than any of us can imagine. Despite the fact that he was completely innocent, he endured intense physical pain, lack of sleep, hunger, the loss of his enormous wealth, the death of all of his children, and the insults and criticisms of his wife and his fair-weather friends.
This holy man can teach us many things, but today, I want to focus on another aspect of Job that is not talked about very often: his fatherhood. Job can teach us at least three characteristics of a righteous father.
Righteous Fatherhood
Job had ten children, seven sons and three daughters. In the very beginning of the first chapter of Job, we catch a glimpse of how Job related to his children.
There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and very many servants; so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.
His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each on his day; and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually. 
Children are a reward
The first thing we notice in this passage is that Job treasured his children. In detailing Job’s wealth, the author lists his children first and foremost to tell us that Job loved them more than anything else in his possession.