Oh, these boys! I’ve written about their attitudes. I’ve written about the zoo I live in. But, honestly, I love these boys to pieces and I wouldn’t change a thing about my life raising boys!
However, I want to strive to raise them right. I want to raise them strong and courageous for the Lord! I want to give them heroes to look up to who are really worth looking up to. Thankfully, they have a great dad (which sadly, is not the case for many boys), but as they grow older, it is important to give them even more heroes to learn from. And what better heroes to give them than the heroes from Scripture?
Now, remember, heroes don’t have to be perfect. We can point out positive qualities and explain the not-so-positive. We can use Proverbs as our guide to help our boys gain wisdom to discern the difference. We can use the stories of men from Scripture to teach our boys character traits and heart focus.
Here is our list of Bible Heroes to encourage your sons:
Adam (Genesis 3)
Noah (Genesis 6)
Abraham (Genesis 12)
Isaac (Genesis 22)
Jacob (Genesis 32)
Joseph (Genesis 39)
Moses (Exodus 3)
Joshua (Joshua 1)
Gideon (Judges 7)
Samson (Judges 16)
Samuel (1 Samuel 3)
Jonathan (1 Samuel 14)
David (2 Samuel 11)
Solomon (1 Kings 3)
Elijah (1 Kings 19)
Josiah (2 Chronicles 34)
Nehemiah (Nehemiah 4)
Job (Job 1)
Daniel (Daniel 6)
Joseph (Matthew 1)
John the Baptist (Matthew 3)
The Centurion (Matthew 8 )
The Samaritan (Luke 10)
Nicodemus (John 3)
Saul/Paul (Acts 9)
Silas (Acts 16)
Timothy (1 Timothy 6)
BONUS: Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11)
Read these stories to your boys (or have them read through the list for their Quiet Time). Relate them to your sons and their every day lives. Encourage them to be faithful – not perfect. Point their hearts and minds toward Christ as you raise these little boys for the Lord!
mreeanne says
Great list for boys and girls. I totally agree that our kids need real heroes from the Bible, missionaries, and in their own lives.
Are you going to make a similar list for girls? We have a lot of Children’s Bibles, but I found that most focus almost exclusively on the men. So I purposely set out to find ones with the women’s stories, (most have pink covers). Eve, Miriam, Ruth, Hannah, Deborah, Esther, Huldah (I learned about her through a kid’s Bible.) Elizabeth, Anna…. all these and more have stories that God thought enough of to include in His Word and they should be taught too.
I have a friend who, as a kid, thought God didn’t like girls because of the heavy emphasis on the men in the Bible!
Amy says
Great idea! I’ve had this list for a long time, but not one for girls. Definitely going to research it and see if I can put together a list!
Chrysd says
The perfect role model for boys would be Christ himself, but that is assumed. Wanted your opinion on some good Bible passages Our Lord left us that we can present to our boys on what He modeled for them.
I totally agree on showing the positives and negatives in heroes. Aren’t David and Solomon great for that? Here we have two men who begin their kingship loving God, then they get sidetracked into worldly affairs, turn away from him and trouble occurs. Not only do the consequences of their actions effect these men, but their families and the people they were entrusted to care for. And even though they flub it, there’s always a loving God who will take them back. Yes, there must be punishment as justice demands, but for us, the worst of it was already taken by Our Lord.
I like bringing out that sacrificial love, like a husband has for his family that compliments a wife’s obedience. Without both roles taught, marriages can’t be as they can be. Sorry, getting sidetracked myself.
Just found your blog. Already benefitting from a second opinion. Thanks!
Amy says
Welcome!