My father died a little over three years ago. His obituary (http://nidayfunerals.com/obits/?p=8726) speaks of a life in service to God, his family and strangers. I admire my dad. When I spoke at his funeral, my topic was how everyone seemed to call him a “good man” and how his perception of the term “man” changed throughout his life – culminating with the thought that those who love Jesus and live their lives for Him are what makes someone a “real man” to his family – or at least to me. So, just in case he has an internet connection in Heaven and he’s reading this blog post: Dad, I love you … I can hardly wait to see you again someday.
The topic of this post is the word: father. Specifically, I would like to explore how that word is used in the Bible. Contrast it a little bit with its most common use in the two testaments. And then, I’ll draw a conclusion and suggest a few applications.
Let me begin by saying that I don’t think I was a very good parent to my children. So, I feel awkward writing this post because I don’t want it to come across as if I am giving sage advice from someone “who knows” to those who “don’t know” how to raise their kids. That is NOT the point of this entry. Before moving on, I will say that my sons have been gracious enough to overlook my shortcomings. They’ve all told me individually that they think I did the best I could – to which my response is, “No. I really didn’t do the best I could – that’s why I feel I wasn’t a good parent.” Know what? Every one of them said the same thing to me, “That’s okay.” Ugh – their grace brings tears to my eyes. Thank you, my sons, thank you.
My oldest son, Chris, uses the word “Dad” when he talks to me. My middle son, Aaron, refers to me as “Pop” most of the time. David, my youngest son, uses both terms. When we talk, they don’t say things like, “Hi Bob, my father, I just called to see what you were doing today.” Of course not. The words my sons use towards me are not just descriptive phrases or adjectives. The names they use for me when they speak directly to me are more personal than that.
Since my father passed away, whenever my sons call me “dad” or “pop” I am reminded of the intimacy of our relationship. I am recognized as more than a biological parent. I am recognized as more than an authoritative figure. Their choice of words reveals a connection that, even though we live in different cities, identifies us as being tied together with family bonds and an everlasting love and devotion.
The word “father” is used a lot in the Bible – like – more than a thousand times. The overwhelming majority of those times it is used to simply describe someone’s relationship to another: “Person X was the father of Person Y” or “Person Z told his father about something.” Typically, it is not used as a term of endearment – it is just a way to identify how two entities view each other.
God is referred to as a father several times in the Old Testament.
1. Isaiah 63:16 and Deuteronomy 32:6 declare that God is the father of the Israelites. Yet, this is used in the same way a guy named Richard Baulch is “the father” of my branch of the Baulch name in the United States. Richard arrived on a ship in 1850 in New York. He is, in a way, my father. Yet, if I were able to go back in time, or if he was living today, I would not address him as “father” (or dad or pop) when speaking to him. He might be a type of father, but he isn’t MY father. In other words, most of these verses portray God as a surrogate father and protector … but not necessarily an intimate family member.
2. On rare occasions, less than 20 times, God is identified specifically as an individual’s father or an individual is identified as God’s child – 2 Samuel 7:14, 1 Chronicles 17:13, Hosea 11:1-4, Malachi 3:17. However, looking closely at most of those scriptures, it becomes apparent they are generally referring to either the King of physical Israel (David, Solomon, etc.) or the coming Messiah (the King of spiritual Israel).
3. In Exodus 4:22-23, God, speaking to the pharaoh of Egypt, calls the nation of Israel His firstborn son. This language is used in connection with the infamous threat to kill pharaoh’s firstborn son in retaliation. But, I think it is significant enough to mention here.
Things take a major shift in the New Testament. Of course, it is Jesus who is doing the shifting for us. The number of times Jesus calls God “father” is astounding (more that 150 times). Think back to how many times that was done in the Old Testament. But, let’s not stop there. Jesus actually calls God “MY Father” in several scriptures. Did you get that difference? Jesus uses language that shifts the role of God away from being merely an authoritative father-figure. Jesus not only refers to God as a symbolic father or creator, Jesus specifically calls the God of Heaven … HIS FATHER! Wow! Jesus calls the God of Heaven His personal father. That is huge my friends. That is huge.
But then, Jesus kicks it up to a level that many of us still feel uncomfortable with today. Instead of simply referring to the creator of everything in existence as a real father and leaving it at that, Jesus shows us just how close He is with His father. Jesus uses a term that a son or daughter would only use if they had an ongoing, intimate and warm relationship with their father. In Mark 14:36 Jesus calls God this word: “Abba.” It is not too different from dad or pop. It is a word that is reserved only for those who are truly children of their father. Can you imagine talking to the creator of the universe and calling him your dad? That is ground-breaking.
Well, what does that mean for us? In John 20: 17, Jesus told us what it means as he spoke to Mary Magdalene while she visited His tomb, “… go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” Whoa. The creator of everything is no longer a father-figure for me and for you. God is my Father. God is your Father. We have, as Paul puts it, been grafted-in to the tree of Israel (Romans 11:16-24). Remember them? Israel was God’s firstborn son.
Let’s not stop there. The Holy Spirit (speaking through Paul) is even more direct than that. In Romans 8:12-17 we are told that followers of Jesus who live by the Spirit instead of the flesh are actually sons of God (I think we are safe in saying daughters of God as well). Verse 14 is my favorite though: “… you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’”
Praise God my friends! We can have an intimate relationship with the Lord of creation! Yet the even better news is this: not only CAN we see God as our Father … God desires that relationship with each one of us.
