FAMOUS FATHERS. A skit for Father’s Day
Synopsis: a reporter interviews the children of four Bible characters.
Cast: R=reporter, 1=first daughter of Lot, 2=second daughter of Lot, I=Isaac, A=Absalom, K=son of Joshua.
R: Since today is Father’s Day, we would like to interview some famous people from the Bible and ask them about their fathers. First, I’d like to introduce these two girls from the time of Abraham. Your name is…
1. Orpah.
R: and you are:
2. Leah.
R. You are with us because you have a famous father, right?
1. Yes. Our father was Lot; Abraham’s nephew.
R: It must have been great growing up around Abraham.
2: Yes, we traveled around with Uncle Abe for years, but after awhile Dad’s business and Uncle Abe’s were getting too big. The help started arguing among themselves, so we decided to split.
R: So I’m sure your father Lot found a really excellent place to live, where you could grow in your dedication to God.
1: Well, not exactly. That was part of the problem. You see, Dad didn’t give spiritual things a very high priority in the family decisions. His “first” concern was what could cause his business to prosper…
2. so he moved us down to the valleys, where his sheep would get a lot to eat.
R: Sounds like a smart decision.
1: We Thought so, too, at first. We were pretty excited when we realized we’d get to live in…Sodom. That’s were the action was in those days.
2: We’d heard a lot about the parties and night life, and we knew there were a lot of other kids our age.
R: What did living in Sodom do for your spiritual development?
1: We noticed that the people of Sodom weren’t interested in knowing God…
2: But they were friendly, and accepted us right away.
1: They showed us how to really have a good time.
R: Did your Dad try to fill in and give you the spiritual support you needed?
t *
2: No, but they did enjoy city life, …they thought the shopping centers were out of this world.
1: we didn’t realize that our Dad even knew about spiritual things, until that night.
2: When two strangers came to visit us.
1: Dad treated them in a special way — he must have known they were messengers from God.
2. He insisted that they spend the night with us.
R: A real breakthrough for your dad, then.
1: Not exactly. . .Then it really got scary when a crowd of people tried to pound down the door…
2: they wanted to take the strangers out onto the streets to spend the night there.
R: Your dad held his ground, didn’t he?
1: Not in the way we hoped. He offered to send US out into the crowd instead.
R: No!
2: Fortunately the strangers had some special power: They made the crowd blind, so they couldn’t carry cut their throats.
R: After that, your Dad probably realized this was no place to live!
1: Don’t I wish. Mo, the strangers still had to argue with him.
2: They said the city was going to be destroyed, so he should take his whole family and run.
1: Mom was furious. She didn’t want to leave all the things we’d accumulated over the years.
2: Our fiancés thought Dad was just kidding when he talked about leaving, and our brothers and sisters flatly refused to leave.
1: When morning came, Dad still wasn’t sure.
2: The strangers had to grab our hands and practically DRAG us out of Sodom.
1. When we saws that fire and brimstone raining down, we realized how God felt about the kind of life we’d been living.
2: We had ail the wrong values — and we figured it was CK, because Dad never said anything. ‘
R: Did everyone from those days have such a hard time growing up?
I: Not at all. Here, I want you to meet my second cousin, Isaac.
R: Isaac? That means you’re the son of Abraham?
I: That’s right.
R: Well, Isaac, I’m interviewing a few people, to ask them about their fathers.
I: I’d be glad to help you out. What do you want to know?
R: As I remember, you were born quite a few years after your parents were married?
I: Yes, about 80 years. But God had promised to give Mom and Dad a son, and somehow they trusted him to keep that promise. I’m. glad they did, because I’m the result of all their waiting!
R: So you grew up knowing that God keeps his promises!
I: Not that any of us were perfect — dad included! But we put our faith in God, and God accepted us because of that faith!
R: Was there any time that you were tempted to doubt God?
I: Yes, I can remember one time very well. I was just a teenager and dad got me up early one morning to go to Mt. Moriah to offer up a sacrifice to God. I carried the wood and dad had the matches and a knife.
R: What about the animal to sacrifice?
I: Dad said God would provide one. After we built the altar and arranged the wood, though, I got my big surprise. Dad tied my hands and feet and laid me on top.
R: Oh, no!
I: God had told dad to sacrifice me. I was really scared — but just as dad raised the knife to kill me, God spoke to him and told him to stop.
R: I should hope so! But what was the point of all that?
I: Well, I can tell you what I got out of it. I knew dad loved me, but there was no question that he loved God even more. He had shown what really had highest priority in his life — that God was even more important than his most
precious possession, his own son. God honored that faith of his by showering
all of us with blessings!
R: I imagine everyone who heard about your experience knew enough to put God first.
I: Don’t I wish! Talk to this guy about that.
R: You look familiar…aren’t you one of David’s sons?
A: Absalom’s the name. My dad’s the king of Israel.
R: What an honor to grow up spending time with such a famous father.
A: Time? He never seems to have any time — for me, or anybody! That’s why I’ m here at the gate, talking to these good people. My father is so pre-occupied with himself, he seldom takes time to listen to their complaints. (to the people): If I were your king, I’d have time for you!
R: Not so loud — your dad will hear you!
A: He won’t get mad. He lets me get away with murder.
R: really! –
A: Sure. I’ve always been a favorite of his. It’s not surprising that everyone likes me, you know. If I ever decided to go to Hollywood, Robert Redford would be out of a job.
R: What do your brothers and sisters think about all this?
A: Who cares? The whole family is messed up! Did you hear about what my brother did to my sister?
R: I don’t think I want to know — but there was that nasty talk about you having your older brother Amnon killed…
A: I guess the way I got even with Amnon wasn’t quite as slick as the way Dad got rid of Uriah. But I’m learning.
R: Didn’t your dad punish you for taking the law into your own hands?
A: No, he covered for me so I wouldn’t have to face the consequences myself. I had to live out of town for a while, until things cooled off, but new I’m back. The past is forgotten.
R: You’re on good terms again?
A: Yup. He’s got a soft spot in his heart for me. He’ll never do anything to spoil my plans. And I do have a plan — this is confidential, of course — in a few years you can come back and interview me inside the palace: I’ll be taking over.(walks away)
R: Where are you going with that Bible under your arm?
K: I’m getting together with some kids for Bible study tonight.
R: Isn’t that Joshua’s tent you just’ came out of?
K: Sure. He’s my dad.
R: Your dad’s become quite a famous person. Could you tell us a few things
about him?
K: I’ve got a few minutes. I’d be glad to. Where should I start?
R: How about when he was a young man like you?
K: Well, my father was one of the 12 spies chosen by Moses to check out the land of Israel. Ten of the men reported that there was no way Israel could ever take over the land: they said the people there were too strong. So it wasn’t long before everyone started rebelling against Moses and demanding to go back to Egypt. Only my father and his friend Caleb put faith in God’s premises that we would be able to take the land. They stood up against the crowd telling them not to rebel against the Lord.
R: Two men against a crowd of thousands? That took a lot of courage. What
happened?
K: The crowd was so angry; it was just about to stone them when the glory of the Lord intervened and protected them.
R: That should have taught everyone a lesson.
X: No, they just kept grumbling and wanting their own way.
R: But you did make it to the Promised Land eventually, rght?
K: Yes; But we had to wander an extra 40 years in the desert, first, ’til all those who’d rebelled were dead. Then God chose my dad to lead us in. He also made dad a fantastic promise. He told him he would be prosperous and have success IF he constantly kept reminding the people about his laws, and IF he would think about them himself day and night, so he would be sure to obey them.
R: Did your dad fulfill those conditions?
X: Yes, we had tremendous success. God was with my father as he led Israel into battle, and we were able to take possession of the land God had premised to us. . . .
R: Were the rest of the people just as committed as your dad was?
*
K: Mot always; but he just kept reminding them about what God’s Word said, and kept challenging them to put God first. That’s what really has stuck with me about my dad. He didn’t keep his feelings to himself and let others do whatever they wanted, but he really cared about them.
R: He took a public stance, then?
K: I can still hear him now. He stood up before the whole crowd and said, “Choose for yourselves today whom you. will serve — will you serve the Lord, or the gods of the land where you are living? Then he put everything on the line when he added, “As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord”.
R: So what has that done for you as a person?
K: I guess the greatest thing for me has been having a father who is a tremendous example. He wasn’t afraid to take a stand for God, and he challenged other people to do the same. It was obvious that God came first in his life.
R: Let’s get everyone together here. I’d like to ask a few questions to all of you. First, what qualities do you see as important for fathers?
1: I’d say, Putting God first when it cones to making choices about what a family should do.
2: And making it really clear about how God feels about different life-styles.
A: Not spoiling their kids, but being willing to discipline, even when it hurts. I think my dad was afraid to discipline me. I must have been filling some sort of need in his life, so he didn’t want to take any chances on losing me. Now I’ve learned that those kinds of needs can only be filled by God, not by kids.
K: I’d say, being willing to take a stand for the Lord, instead of going along with the crowd, and being an example for his kids — as a man who studies God’s Word and lives it.
I: And, being willing to put the Lord first, even above a person’s own wishes. My Dad was willing to sacrifice something he really loved, and God blessed him for that expression of faith.
R: What happens when fathers fall down on this task?
1. We got into a lot of trouble, because our dad didn’t put Cod first. And our brothers and sisters were killed when Sodom got destroyed.
2. It never dawned on us that God wanted us to separate ourselves from evil influences.
A: All I could think of was myself. I was able to manipulate my dad, because I knew he’d always give in. My rebellion got worse and worse, until it cost me my Life.
K: And how can a father know how to guide his family, unless he knows what God’s will is?
R: OK, finally, Where is a father going to get the Strength to do the right thing?
K: My dad spent a lot of time in God’s Word. The more he kept going over those stories about how God had come through in the past, the more he was convinced that God would take care of us, too.
I: I can see how my dad drew strength from God’s promises. He knew he’d been chosen to be part of God’s plan, even though he didn’t deserve it.
R: You just mentioned God’s plan…did you know it reached its climax about a thousand years after you left the scene? God the Son came to earth to take care of sin and Satan once and for all by sacrificing himself on a cross.
A: What good did that do?
R: Now, when fathers, or any of us, realize they aren’t all that God wants them to be, they can turn to him for forgiveness.
X: And what about that “strength” you talked about?
R: That’s the neat part. God’s Son rose from the dead. He’s alive now! He wants to live within people, and change them so they’re more like himself. He does that as we trust Him to take control in our lives.
I: And that’s a promise for all of us…fathers, mothers, everyone!
Written by Sue Found, 1983
Return to Skits Menu