It’s no easy task to lead a family. It’s no small responsibility a man accepts when he gets married and begins a family with his wife. It is not an easy task, but it is a necessary one. And by God’s grace, it can be a joyful, fulfilling, and successful one.
Joel Beeke has written a book for men who may need basic instruction in leading a family or who may just need a bit of a refresher. How To Lead Your Family is short and simple, but it packs a punch. To consider the kinds of responsibilities a man bears, he turns to the Heidelberg Catechism which in “its helpful question and answer format teaches the reader about Christ’s anointing as prophet, priest, and king.” He goes on to note that, “perhaps surprisingly, the catechism also applies these offices to us in Christ.” Thus in some way, Christ’s offices are extended to all believers. “Jesus Christ is the believer’s Mediator. He is our Prophet to teach us; our Priest to sacrifice for us, intercede for us, and bless us; and our King to rule and guide us. In union with Him, we share His offices in a limited but vital way.”
The church and the world, he says, desperately need men who lead their homes well. “Such Christlike men reflect Christ’s threefold office as prophets, priests, and kings. This office bearing has huge implications for how we lead our families. As God’s ordained representatives to our wives and children, we should serve them like prophets, like priests, and like kings. Not surprisingly, then, these three roles provide the book’s structure.
Through three brief chapters, Beeke tells how a man is to serve like a prophet in his home by proclaiming truth as God has revealed it in his Word. A man does this by biblical instruction, family devotions, personal example, and by openly sharing his life with his wife and children. A man is to serve like a priest in his home by living sacrificially and giving himself in love for the ones God has called him to serve. He is to love them, care for them, and intercede for them. Finally, a man is to serve like a king in his home by leading his family. Of course, this leadership is meant to be kind, affectionate, compassionate, and ultimately done for the best and most generous motives instead of selfish ones.
The stakes in all of this are high, Beeke says, for “as a husband and father, you are always saying something about Christ in how you relate to your wife and children. You are either displaying truth about Christ or telling lies about Him. Either way, you are a picture of Christ to them, whether you want to be or not.” The man who loves the Lord will want to be certain that in his role as husband, father, and leader of his home, he is displaying and proclaiming what is true of God. And in its own way, this short book will help him do that.
