What does the Bible say about the importance of family?

The word family, the concept of family, and references to family units appear over one hundred times in the Bible, more than prayer or even heaven. Family is paramount to God.

The importance of the family was so vital to God that he codified it in his national covenants with Israel and with us. Two of the Ten Commandments deal with the cohesiveness of the family: the fifth commandment about honoring parents preserves the authority of parents in family matters, and the seventh, prohibiting adultery, protects the sanctity of marriage.

Why is family so important to God? It makes us who we are and establishes the foundation of who we will become. Invest in the family God has given you, and you will win in other areas. But lose family, and you will lose in many areas.

Family problems are nothing new, and the Bible doesn’t gloss over them. Even families that prioritize God have problems. Eli, Samuel, and David had wayward children, broken homes, or relationships damaged by sin. The first spouses caved to the serpent’s temptation, and Cain and Abel’s sibling rivalry turned deadly. In a fallen world, those we should love the most—our families—can become the ones we fight with the most.

It takes work, but a broken family can be repaired, just as it was for Jacob and Esau, who hated each other in Genesis 27 but forgave and reunited in chapter 33. While we see jealousy among wives in the stories of Hannah, Leah, and Rachel, we also see the beauty and intimacy God intended for marriage in the Song of Solomon. In Luke 15, a prodigal son treated his father with contempt, but the loving father never gave up on his son. Even when family is imperfect, God gives us hope that it can be restored and relationships healed. The Bible shows us that a spirit of humility and treating others as Jesus would treat them can resolve many of our family problems.

The concept of family is extremely important in the Bible. God’s plan for creation was for men and women to marry and have children. The Bible focuses on family to show us how to prioritize and live in familial relationships for our good. Marriage and family are the essential building blocks of human society. Protect them and invest in their success like your life and your future depend on it. They do.