8 Remarkable Grandparents in the Bible We Can Learn From

We learn about Lois and Eunice through the apostle Paul. These two women were the grandmothers of a young boy named Timothy. They were also devout Jewish believers. Having a true love of God, passed their faith on to young Timothy by teaching him the scriptures starting in childhood. This benefited Timothy, as his strong faith led to his selection for ministry work.

The Bible Says:

"Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it." (Proverbs 22:6 NLT)

How you can instill this in your grandchildren:

-Teach your grandchildren Bible lessons.

-Model prayer.

-Live out your virtues.

Naomi's husband died, and she was Ruth's mother-in-law. Ruth was also a widow. Instead of going back to her homeland and leaving Ruth behind, Naomi took Ruth with her, even though she would be a foreigner. Naomi is a fantastic example of wisdom and resilience. The advice she gave Ruth led her to a beautiful redemption story.

The Bible Says:

But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back to your mother's homes. And may the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me." (Ruth 1:8 NLT)

What we can learn as grandparents from Naomi's story:

-Thinking about the well-being of others is important.

-The advice we give and the words we impart to our children, grandchildren, and those around us are important.

Elizabeth and Zechariah were a godly couple who pleased God immensely. They obeyed the Lord, did what he commanded, and followed all of his rules. However, they had no children because both were very old and Elizabeth was way past her childbearing years.

One day, God sent an angel to tell Zechariah that God heard his prayers for a baby and that Elizabeth would become pregnant. She would have a baby boy and name him John. The angel told Zechariah that John would be a man of the Lord, would abstain from alcohol, and would be baptized by the Holy Spirit in his mother's womb. It was obvious the Lord had big plans for their son.

Baffled, Zechariah asked the angel if what he said was true. The angel told Zechariah he could not speak until these things happened. Elizabeth did indeed become pregnant, proving the angel was right.

What can grandparents learn from Elizabeth and Zechariah's story?

-That God has big plans for you and your loved ones.

-That God's timing is always right and that he can make the impossible possible.

Abraham's story is one of obedience. When we first meet him, his name is Abram and God calls him to leave his home country and his family. He doesn't know where he is going or what is going to happen, but he does it anyway. Despite lacking details and a map, Abraham chose obedience, trusted God, and followed his instructions.

This is not the first time Abraham trusted God. Later in life, his wife Sarah was told she would have a child even though she was old and past her childbearing years. She found this funny but trusted God and gave birth to a son.

The Bible Says:

"It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going." (Hebrews 11:8)

What we can teach our grandchildren from Abraham's story:

-Obedience is important, whether it's God asking them to do something or a parent, teacher, or someone else that is important in their life.

-When someone in authority they trust asks them to do something, they need to do it.

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Isaac and Rebekah were the parents of Esau and Jacob, who were twins. Because their parents played favorites, Jacob and Esau grew apart instead of becoming close, as twins typically do. Isaac was partial to Esau, while Rebekah was partial to Jacob.

This playing of favorites leads to a stolen birthright, deception among family members, and stolen blessings, igniting the fiercest rivalry in history.

The Bible Says:

Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob. (Genesis 25:28, NLT)

What can we teach our grandchildren from Isaac and Rebekah's story?

-God loves us all the same. He doesn't have favorites.

-Not to have favorites with friends, siblings, and family members. This can cause hurt feelings, so we should love everyone the same.

We can learn a lot about giving a blessing from Jacob. He originally tricked Esau out of his birthright by pretending to be Esau to get his father's blessing. Jacob also fooled his father, and this caused Esau to lose it when his father blessed his brother, but not him. There was obviously more to this blessing back then than we could understand today.

What we can learn as grandparents from Jacob.

-Blessings are serious.

-Grandparents can bless or curse their grandchildren with their words.

-A spoken blessing affirms our grandchildren's worth as children of God.

We can learn a lot about God's love, redemption, and grace from Ruth and Boaz. Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, left their homeland after all the men in their family died. Because their people were enemies, Ruth was a foreigner in Naomi's homeland.

Boaz was the son of Rahab, a prostitute, and non-Jewish woman who got through Israel's taking over Jericho because she hid Jewish spies and helped them escape. Surely Boaz heard all kinds of stories about God's love, grace, and redemption as a young boy.

When Boaz saw Ruth in the field who was also a foreigner in this land, he recognized something in her that was familiar to his mother.

What can we learn as grandparents from Ruth and Boaz's story?

-The importance of sharing stories about God and what he has done in our lives.

-To trust God in everything.

-That we can trust God with our grandchildren no matter how old they are or where life takes them.

Enoch (grandfather of Lamech and great-grandfather of Noah) is famous for "walking with God." Some people walk with God their whole lives and others walk with God from a certain moment on. For example, being delivered from an addiction. Enoch walked with God for 300 years! Not only did he walk with God that long, he did so in a time of terrible corruption.

The time in which Enoch lived was so corrupt that two generations later, God wiped out the entire world. Thankfully, he spared Enoch's grandson's family. Enoch lived his life opposite society's norms by walking with God and communing with him in every moment of every day. Enoch didn't die. Instead, God took him up because he was happy with Enoch.

The Bible Says:

It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying. He disappeared, because God took him. For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. (Hebrews 11:5, NLT)

What can we teach our grandchildren from Enoch's story?

-Teach them that walking with God is a priority. That he wants the best for them.

-Teach them that walking with God should be something they want to do and that brings them joy. Not something they feel they have to do because someone wants them to.

-Tell them that talking to God is like talking to a friend.

There are lots of different lessons that we can learn from grandparents in the Bible. Things we can remember for ourselves and things that we can teach our grandchildren. We can teach them how important it is to have a relationship with God that is personal to them and that talking to him is like talking to a friend or family member. He will meet us where we are at.

Some of these lessons remind us of things that we sometimes lose sight of, like how God is always on time and that we can trust him in everything.

Take these lessons to heart and share them with your loved ones or ponder them today so that everyone in your life can grow closer to him.