GOD THE FATHER LESSON 2 SEPTEMBER 9, 2000

These lessons are from the Seventh Day Baptist Church of Toronto

STUDY SCRIPTURE:

MEMORY SELECTION:

INTRODUCTION

The God of the Hebrew Scriptures is like no other God.  When we speak about God, we are referring to the Supreme Being and the object of our faith.

Here, God is to be distinguished from the beings named in myths and approached by various rites, for they are a species of the class of spirits. These gods, though worshipped, were in almost every way just like human beings, but were greater in power, intelligence, or worth.  The gods of ancient national religions such as those of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Sumerians, Romans and others, although clearly super-human and generally immortal, were never regarded as perfect or infinite in the way that we think of God.

 Some religions have many gods, for example, those in India. The names of these gods most often reflected a single or a few aspects of reality.  This was very different from the case of Israel, for the God of Israel was the God who was the source of and included all reality.

 The God we will be concerned with is the God of the Hebrew Scriptures, and he is described in all the Books of the Bible, except for the Book of Esther and the Songs of Solomon.  He is pictured as the Creator, the Provider, and Law Giver. He is just, perfect in every sense, infinite in every quality, and is beauty, goodness, Justice, Mercy, compassion, patience, love and holiness personified.

This God demanded exclusive worship, and his name was written as YHVH, the TETRAGRAMMATON, more than 6600 times in the Bible.  The actual pronunciation of YHVH is unknown, so the word Adonai, meaning Lord was used instead.  Modern translators of the Bible used the vowels from Adonai, inserted them between the consonants in YHVH, reconstructing the name of God as Jehovah.  Some scholars think that the original pronunciation is "Yahveh" or "Yahweh", but the name Jehovah is generally used.

The name of God used in Scriptures tell us who he is, for names represent the true character and distinctive attributes of the person.  The names of God therefore revealed God's true nature or self.  His names therefore stand for his exclusive Deity and his glory.

The name of God is frequently found in a compound form, such as "Lord of Hosts" or Jehovah Tsebaoth.  The name YHVH is often combined with "Elohim", and this combination appears approximately 2600 times in Scriptures.  The term stresses might and power.

 Another name for God is El, used approximately 230 times.  It was also used by pagans to refer to some of their deities.

Other well-known names for God was El Roi," the God who sees me", or "El who sees me". (Gen 16:13)

Another name was El Shaddai.  Yet another was El Elyon or"God Most High".

Other names for God in Scriptures include:

El Olam, "the God of eternity”, Jehovah-Jireh," the Lord will provide"

Jehovah-Rophi, "the Lord our Healer or Physician"

Jehovah-Nissi, "the Lord or Banner”.

Jehovah-M'Kaddesh, "the Lord thy Sanctifier”.

Jehovah-Shalom, "the Lord our Peace”.

Jehovah-Tsidkenu, "the Lord for Righteousness"

Jehovah-Rophi, "the Lord my Shepherd”.

Jehovah-Shammah, "the Lord is there"

(Please request the summary article on God)

The Scriptures are quite emphatic that men should worship only Jehovah, but Scriptures also made it clear that Israel over and over again worshiped other gods, at the same time as worshipping Jehovah.  For long periods, Israel disregarded its God and his Commandments.

God's relationship with his people including Israel, was based on covenant.  In the case of Israel this covenant was indispensable for the identity of Israel as a nation.  It was Jehovah that had taken them out of slavery in Egypt, had taken them through the wilderness, and had given them land in Canaan.

God had done all these things because of the "covenant" he made with them, the people of Israel.  The covenant was modelled like the international treaties of the second millennium BCE.  This was similar to the Hittite suzerainty treaties in which the "great King" demanded sole allegiance from His people, stipulating that they should look to him alone and not turn to other Kings.  In this religious covenant, Israel should only serve Jehovah, and he would be their Saviour.

THE 'MALE' NATURE OF GOD?

The matter of the Fatherhood of God raises questions about why there were such an overwhelming number of female deities in the ancient world. These female divinities always attracted the people of Israel, and the pagan practices constantly corrupted the nation.

Female divinity was a popular thing but the God of the Scriptures excluded this female presence.  The biblical writers never allowed the attributes of the Near Eastern goddesses to be brought in to describe Jehovah.  They always condemned the rulers, the kings, and people, when they engaged in this popular worship of female gods. There is evidence that female goddesses infiltrated the temple worship of Jehovah and had many adherents.  King Asa, though a godly King, had a mother with an image of Asherah.  Second Kings 21:7 records that this same goddess had a statue in the Jerusalem Temple until the time of Josiah. The prophets never supported this blasphemy.

 There is a great deal of evidence about goddess worship all over the world.  Many archaeologists point out that some of these female images were fertility symbols, but they were associated with practically every activity of human beings such as; pregnancy, birth, burial, fertility, initiation, hunting, maturation, ritual marriage, and command over  wild animals.  No civilization can match the goddess worship in India, even though this was not separate from the worship of male gods. Obviously, no civilization seemed to have escaped this extensive worship of the "Queen of Heaven" practice.

Judaism never officially included goddess worship in it’s religion.  But still Israel was attracted to the female goddesses in those times.  Goddess worship existed far into antiquity, and is still popular in the world today.

 The Bible speaks glowingly of the role of mother, and even describes the Messiah as the "Seed of the woman".  But God is described not so as to exclude him acting in the protective role of mother, but he is described significantly as Father .  In Psalm 103:13 the inspired writer states, "As whom his mother comforteth, so well I comfort you".

The concept of Father introduces the idea of roles in the Godhead, and now leads us into some discussion of this Godhead.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit together are called God.  All three are called "one God", so we can say "God" subsists in three persons, namely, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We therefore should say that God is a Triunity, that is, the three persons of the Godhead form a unity called God.  In a sense they are inseparable; being are of the same substance, essence, nature, power and character.

 There are specific roles or works that each member of the Godhead do in relationship to man, and each other. But they all work together according to the counsels of their will.  There is no disagreement but perfect unity.  They are one.  Strictly speaking, we should not call God a Trinity, for that term might imply that there are three Gods.  But even that term is not used to imply that there are three Gods.

The Bible recognizes three as God.  For example in John 6:27 the Father is referred to as God.  In John 1:1 and 14, the Word or Jesus is referred to as God. In Acts 5:3,4 the Holy Spirit is referred to as God.The Bible moreover recognizes the three as distinct persons, sharing all the attributes of personhood.  John 3:16 states that the Father gave the Son. In John 14:16-17, Jesus prays to the Father, and the Father gave another Comforter, the Spirit.  In addition, Matthew 3:16-7 records the baptism of Jesus, were three (3) persons are specifically recognised. In Matthew 28:19 the Great Commission explicitly recognizes three as God.  In Isaiah 48:12-16,the First and the Last gives a message, "The Lord and His Spirit hath sent me".  Even in this passage we can see three persons.

 But we know that there is one God. Deuteronomy 6:4 is the National Anthem of Israel, "Hear 0 Israel, the Lord or God is one Lord".

The word used for 'one'  is "Echad", and refers to compound unity, and not absolute unity.  In the case of the word God, the word used refers to God or a compound unity.  In Hebrew "Yachid" is the word for absolute unity, and is never used for God in Old Testament.

 We can therefore look inside the Godhead and see what has been revealed to us.  The Scriptures tell us that there is a Father, that there is a Son, and that there is a Holy Spirit.

We must therefore ask, what does the word Father mean when used to describe God?.  First, it must be understood when we speak of God that we are not speaking about a person who is simply a human being multiplied by say one million percent in power, might, intellect, and so on.

God is not a man, and we cannot reason or think of God as just a more powerful man.  God is Spirit and utterly different qualitatively and essentially from his creation.  We know that God is Lord and sovereign, the Creator, the Deliverer, and the one who maintains the covenant relationship.

But unlike the ancient gods like Zeus, who was regarded as father of the gods, Israel did not look at it’s God as a God who procreated.

This God was Lord and sovereign, and had created the world and men to demonstrate concretely his Fatherhood. Besides this, he intervened in history to save.  Malachi 2:10 puts it is this way

"Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?"

Apparently then, it was the covenant at Sinai that bound Israel with God as a sacred family.  The head of the family, and father, was Jehovah who had taken them from slavery in Egypt, and had confirmed that they were his own special people.  It is therefore in the covenant relationship that the divine Fatherhood of God came to Israel. This covenant relationship had begun with the promise to Abraham and the other Patriarchs. In this covenant relationship  there was special and unique intimacy, personalness, and blessing. This Fatherhood meant there was a unique and gracious election. The Father, who is righteous and faithful to his covenant promises, sustains, provides for, and lovingly cares for those in the covenant.

God is concerned about and cares for the people he redeemed.  In the song of Moses, recorded in Deuteronomy 32:6 Moses asks "Is not he the Father that hath bought thee?”. God then, because of what he has done, and the special relationship between himself and Israel, can refer to Israel as his firstborn son in Exodus 4:22 and Hosea 11:1.

 When Jesus came he significantly deepened the meaning of God's Fatherhood in the realm of intimacy and familiarity. Jesus revealed God as Father, and himself as the Beloved Son.  He showed that there was something in the Godhead involving a special, unique and powerful love held by one member of the Godhead for another, which led to the description of Father and Son.  God is Father first and foremost eternally in relation to his own divine son.

This is a unique relationship which involves a kind of closeness, love, intimacy, complete sharing, complete trust, complete reliance on, complete obedience to, that describes the relationship of Father and Son. The Father loves the Son more than we can ever imagine, and the Son returns this love as well as complete obedience to the wishes of the Father. Everything the Father has he gives to the Son, and the Son withholds nothing. The Son is prepared to undertake any task the Father requests even before the Father asks, and Father will give him more than the maximum rewards and affection imaginable. Whoever disrespects the Son earns the wrath of the Father, something that is too horrible to contemplate.

 In this relationship in the Godhead, the Father is pictured as the source of all reality, and therefore the Son carries out what is described as the wishes of the Father, working most closely with him to do the work of creation and salvation.  In this relationship it is very difficult to properly state the differences between the Father and the Son, but the Bible does speak of a role for the Father and a role for the Son.

Jesus used an Aramaic term "abba" in addressing the Father, as this was the familiar way of a child speaking to it’s beloved parents.

Amazingly, Jesus gave his disciples permission to address his heavenly Father the same way that he did.  In the famous Lord's prayer Jesus instructed his disciples to pray to "Our Father who art in Heaven".  This instruction is repeated in Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6 making it clear that all believers indwelt by the Holy Spirit, had the right to use the term "Our Father".

 The message clearly is that in the new covenant, the believer, having been made one with Christ, possessing the Holy Spirit, is now an adopted and true son of the Father.  In the Old Testament, as well as in the new, the Father indicates that there is a covenant relationship of intimacy and love.  The extension of the right to believers to so address the Father, is one of the greatest privileges men can ever have.  The fact that Jesus has become our brother, is something that must make us sing praises continually to the Father.

Let us now look at the work of God the Father.  Matthew mentions the Father 44 times, Mark five times, Luke 17 times, and John 122 times.  We will look at the several sides of the Fatherhood of God.

 TITLE REFERENCES TO GOD IN HIS ROLE AS FATHER

1. A Father

(Second Corinthians 6: 18; Hebrews 1: 5) Here the Scriptures refer to God's

relationship to his Son, and the Sons of God.

2.  God the Father

(2nd Timothy 1:2; 2 Peter 1: 17; Matthew 23: 9; John 8: 41) These refer to his exclusive relationship.  It shows possession. Only believers can lay proud claim to his Name.

3. God our Father

(Ephesians 1:2) The saints and the faithful in Christ are a body, and have this confidence in him.  See Isaiah 63:16

4.  God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

(Ephesians 1: 3) The relationship between Christ and his own, and the Father is highlighted.

5.  Father of Mercies

(2nd Corinthians 1: 3) This reveals him as the Lord God, merciful and gracious, and plenteous in mercies and comfort.(see Exodus 34: 6; Psalm 86: 6; Psalm 89: 26; Psalm 103: 13)

6. Father of Spirits

(Hebrews 12: 9) Paul had been speaking of the Lord as "he who chastens as a Father", and passes on to the contrast between our natural parents and their correction and that of "the Father of Spirits".  This latter is a phrase taken from the Old Testament "The God of the Spirits of all flesh" (Numbers 16: 22; 27: 16).  The Creator of all spirits, who is the Giver of life to all, who knows the spirit which he has made, is the best of all because of his Fatherly concern, which leads him to discipline his own by chastening.

7. Father of Lights

(James 1: 17) He is the Father of the everlasting Son, who is the Light of the world.  The Father dwells in the light to which no man can approach.

8. Father of Glory

(Ephesians 1: 17)

REASSURING FEATURES

Mutual Security-John 10: 28-13.

"Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand...... No man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.  I and my Father are one". With such a double divine grip, what else can the believer be than eternally secure?  All power and authority are represented by those joined hands.

Only those who are redeemed and preserved can lay claim to the promise "in my Father's house are many mansions". (John 14: 2)See also Luke 24: 49; John 14: 20-23; 15: 10

INTIMACY

Note the intimacy in Jesus' prayers to his Father. When his disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, in Matthew 6: 9 he begins "Our Father which art in Heaven".  Jesus identified the Father specifically by telling where he was. Clearly, anyone who is not in Heaven, that is, on the throne of Heaven cannot be the Father, and should not be so addressed. This is a prayer for the redeemed, and not a prayer that Jesus himself prayed.  There are some requests in the prayer that Jesus himself as the sinless Son of God could not pray.  He had no evil to be delivered from, and no trespasses to be forgiven.

Note the contrast with the High Priestly prayer Jesus made in John 17.  Here he reveals the unbroken intimacy between the everlasting Father and his everlasting Son. As He intercedes for his brethren, he uses the term Father often to express the holiness and righteousness of God.

THE FATHER

The Father is all-important for us.  He is the source of our being. But in addition he has an indispensable and unsurpassed role in our salvation and glorification. He loved us so much, that he gave his Son.  How he must have felt we cannot even imagine. What he felt would have been unimaginably great. Because of his gift we are now heirs to intimacy that can scarcely be comprehended. May we begin to experience this intimacy with God more deeply as we mature spiritually. We know that during eternity we will experience this intimacy more and more deeply.

THE EXCLUSIVENESS OF THE FATHER

Note God's own personal glory as Father. His being and behaviour as Father is totally different from all other fathers. The Father is prominently displayed as the one who is above all other fathers, for he is the source of all things.

The Father is too great for us to see him directly in our present state.  Therefore Jesus came to reveal Him. John 14: 9 "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father".  See also Ephesians 4: 6.

Note the Father's position at what he does for us.

A) The Sovereignty of his Grace: John 6: 6 "No man can come to me, except the Father....  draw him".

B. He is Deity: John 4: 21, 24  "Worship the Father".

C. The Father reveals his love:  John 1: 14   "the word... the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth".

D. The Father's active love: The Father loveth .  John 3: 35; 16: 27; 1 John 3: 1

THE PERFECTION OF PATERNITY

The Father is the perfection of paternity in Love, Discipline, Care, and Provision.

In the Father is the place of complete safety.  Luke: 23:46 records Jesus' last prayer, "Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit".

THE TWOFOLD RELATIONSHIP

Mutual service is recorded in John 5: 17.  Jesus stated, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work".

There was never any conflict of aims or plans between Father and Son.  They were true divine fellow-labourers. Mutual sacrifice is recorded in John 10: 18.  In referring to his death and

resurrection Jesus stated, "This commandment have I received of my Father".

The righteous requirements of the Father was met by the ransom made by the Son.

We read that Abraham and Isaac went together to the place of sacrifice. The Father looked at the Son at the place of sacrifice, and was pleased at a sacrifice. We must always remember that it pleased the Father to bruise Jesus for our sins. See John 3:16; Galatians 2:20.

SPECIFIC ACTS OF THE FATHER

1. Jesus comes from the Father and returns to the Father.  The Father is the locus of authority, as Jesus and the Holy Spirit do their part in redemption, sanctification, and intercession.  See John 16:28; 16: 17; 14: 28; 15: 26.

The Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit operate together, and no one behaves as if they are bossing the other around in the human sense. John 15:1 calls the Father the Husbandman, and Jesus the true vine.  This clues us in to the close, loving, co-operative, and most productive nature of the relationship between the Father and the Son. One cannot have success without the other.

2. The Father sends the Holy Spirit.  John 26: 26 says that the Spirit proceeds from the Father. John 14: 16 says that the Father will give another Comforter. This act of the Father would be in response to Jesus' prayer or request.

3 .  The Father works . See John 5: 17

4. The Father purges his people. See John 15: 1, 2.

5 .  The Father causes us to triumph in Christ.  

    2nd Corinthians 2: 14-15 gives us this marvellous certainty of always triumphing.

6. The Father sends the Son.

    John: 6:40; John 9: 42; John 9: 4 ;1 John 4: 14; John 12: 49; 14: 24.

7 .  The Father gives Jesus is work.

      John 17: 4; John 14: 31; 1 Peter 1: 3; Luke 2: 49, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?"

8. The Father gives Jesus his words.  Jesus is the Oracle of the Father.

    John 17: 8; John 4: 34; John 15: 15; John 14: 24 (the words are not his but are the Father's); John 12: 49-50

9 .  The Father glorifies the Son.

      John 17: 1-5; John 13: 31-32; Colossians 1: 19

10. The Father gives him (the Son) power over all flesh.

      John 17: 2; Daniel 7: 13-14; Matthew 28: 18; 11: 27; Hebrews 1: 2; Philippians 2: 9-11

11. The Father keeps people from evil.  See John 17: 15

12. The Father elects and gives the elect to Christ.

      John 17: 24; 7: 64-65; 1 Peter 1: 2

13. The Father guarantees the safety of believers.  See John 10: 28-29.

14. The Father gives good gifts and rewards to those who ask.

      Matthew 7: 11; 6: 18, 26.

15. The Father Forgives man. See Matthew 6: 14-15

16. The Father rewards man.

      Matthew 6: 1-4; Colossians 1: 12-14.

17. We must believe on the Father for salvation. Ultimately, believing in Christ is the only way to believing on the Father.

SOME CAUTIONS

Clearly, one must be careful and not base one's idea of God on our opinion of our own father, for many fathers are not great fathers. But the intimate love and interest a good earthly father has for a son, teaches us that we could count on God to deal with us similarly at all times.  We must be like little children, not possessing hypocrisy or cynicism, before we can be true members of his kingdom.  But also we must grow to maturity, and not remain as children, for it is only by growing that we will properly develop a proper appreciation of God.

 We must also be careful in not thinking of God the Father as our human father who grows old, weak, loses energy, and becomes decrepit.  We must always emphasise that God the Father never changes in power and in his attributes.  He can deal with all the complexities of modern life, just as he dealt with the problems of ancient Israel. Children must be taught that this Father was powerful yesterday, is powerful today, and will be powerful tomorrow. We must stress this.

 Some people might retain the idea that just as the human father often behaves in  a remote fashion, and is not concerned with the small intimate concerns of a child, in the same way as the mother usually is, that God is in the same way remote and lofty.

We often model God on what we know of men, and feel that God the Father cannot really be concerned with us insignificant beings on an insignificant planet, when he has the vast universe to pay attention to. But this Father is not like the Managing Director of a Company who is so high up that he does not care for individuals. Our Father is different. He is interested not only in the babies, but in the acts which led to their conception. He prefers to hear the unskilled singing of a sincere person to the exquisite performance of a cynical and unbelieving professional.

This Father focuses on people and on all his creatures. He is not concerned so much about things.  He knows when a single piece of hair falls from one's head, and when a single sparrow falls to the ground. He told Jonah the prophet that he was concerned for the many cattle as well as the helpless people in the city of Nineveh.

 God the Father is in a covenant relationship with us, and does not manipulate events the way soap opera writers manipulate their story lines. He does not move in outrageous ways or in unjust ways to do his great wonders. God the Father will never and can never disappoint his children. 

That kind of action would be a contradiction. The heavenly Father loves his children too much. He is not willing to allow any to perish, but will work in the best possible way to ensure that his children are saved, and will spend eternity with him.

 We must therefore not  misunderstand what is happening when God seems to withhold his hand.  His plan is always for our benefit, and things will work for our benefit. When we enter that real world of the Kingdom with him present with us to, we will understand.