In the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh, what we call the 'Old' Testament), a concept of God as all-powerful, even war-like, is sometimes expressed as the idea of a God who created the heavens and the earth, but who is distant and severe. He chose a Gentile man (Abram) and through him formed a people (the Hebrews) to show the nations the righteous lifestyle that He desired for all people.

But while He demonstrates His almighty power to judge all the gods of Egypt (Ex 12:12), He also 'comes down' to redeem His children (Israel) from slavery, and dwells with them to form a relationship of trust and obedience as He leads them through many trials to the land He promised to give to them.

Later, this relationship is expressed not so much as the Lord who fights for Israel but as a shepherd who tends His sheep, and as a Father who relates to His children by covenant. Even as His people turn away in rebellion and idolatry, His nature is clearly expressed through much loving discipline in a more tender form. Moses tells the people: Is He not your Father? (Deut 32:6); and Malachi repeats this: Have we not all one Father? (Mal 2:10). God Himself proclaims: Israel is my first-born son (how precious is that? Ex 4:22); and to King David: I will be his Father, and he shall be My son (2 Sam 7:14). And through Jeremiah to His wayward children: I thought you would call Me Father, and not turn away (Jer 2:27).

Many times the God of Israel expresses His nature as a parent to His children, as through Isaiah: O Lord, You are our Father (Isa 63:16, 64:8); and though a mother may forget her baby, yet will I not forget you (Isa 49:15); and, of course, as a Father to His Son Jesus: This is My Son, whom I love (Matt 3:17). He is a covenant-keeping God.

God Feels Emotion, As We Do, Like a Father

Our Father God is not impassive, cold and distant. Unlike Mr Spock who rejects all passion and regards emotion as a weakness, our God has feelings, even expressed in human terms: zeal, longing, a quick readiness to forgive and restore (as in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son, perhaps better named ' the parable of the loving father'), tenderness, compassion, grief, hurt, frustration, forbearance, anger, mercy, and of course, an overt and outrageous love.

God's righteous anger at man's sin and rebellion is held in tension with His overwhelming love and mercy, and this is always that of a Father who wants the very best for His children. Isn't that what we strive for too in loving our own children? We have to show them both love and discipline, so they grow strong; and in the process we too sometimes get hurt. Jesus knew His Father's love, and Jesus' love for sinners and rebels originates from the heart of His Father.

Jewish sages have long wrestled to reconcile the desire of a loving Father to dwell with His children, and yet to discipline them in love and to judge sin, sometimes harshly but always with mercy, and they take a 'both-and' approach:

Mercy alone would be overwhelmed by sin -
Justice alone would require destruction of the world -
Only with both together will the earth endure.¹

Our Father's Plan of Salvation

The tension between justice that requires punishment for sin, and mercy that expresses the nature of a loving Father, finds perfect fulfilment and 'at-one-ment' through propitiation at the Cross of Jesus, even when it meant that His holy Father turned His face away as Jesus took upon Himself the sin of the world. For the punishment that brought us peace was laid upon Him.

Only a perfect man could die in our place to secure this peace. Our Father's heart must have broken then, for He and Jesus are one (John 10:30). But through Jesus' atoning death, God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (2 Cor 5:19). Such amazing love! This was the act of a Father through an obedient Son for all His children who would believe in the Messiah for salvation and eternal life (John 3:36).

Consider the Fatherhood of God. When His children Israel turned away, breaking the covenant He had made with them to follow other gods in rejection of the One who loved, supported, protected and provided for them, what did He do? Kick them out? Destroy them? No! He made another covenant with them, a new covenant, where He gave them a new heart and a new spirit, even put His Spirit in them, so they will all know Him (Jer 31:31; Ezek 36:25-38). And He offers that to us also, because of His Son's sacrifice. How like our Father God is that? A God of second chances.

This new covenant in the Blood of his only Son is the ultimate expression of His deep love for you and me - His desire to dwell in us - if we will receive it, and to adopt us as brethren with His Son Yeshua, our Saviour. This is the Father whom Jesus invites us to pray to, especially as a community of His believing children. That's a good place to say Todah rabbah, Avinu! Thank you so much, Our Father.

Two questions as a challenge from these thoughts:

• For fathers (and mothers): Is our love for all wayward and rebellious children like that of our heavenly Father, who longs for, forgives, welcomes and restores them when they turn back?
• And for children (sons and daughters): Can we grow in the depth of our Father's love to know that He longs to welcome us too when we turn back to Him? We all, like sheep, have gone astray, and each of us has turned to his own way. But Jesus died for us, that we might live in Him, and He in us. Our Father has predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus. This is our Father God.

Notes

1 Gen. Rabbah 12:15

Author: Greg Stevenson