“Moreover, my father, look! Here in my hand, you see the corner of your cloak. By the fact that I only cut off a piece of your cloak and didn’t kill you, you can see and understand that I have no plan to do harm or rebel, and that I haven’t sinned against you — even though you are seeking every chance you get to take my life.”-1 Samuel 24:12
In verse 11, David calls Saul, “My father”.
Let’s examine this for a second.
Not only does this reflect very Middle Eastern language and thought…
But it helps us understand Yeshua’s relationship with God.
Yeshua spoke of God as “My Abba” or “My Father.”
And God spoke of Yeshua as “My Ben” or “My Son.”
Of course, David wasn’t putting Saul on the same level as Jesse, his real biological father.
However, Saul was David’s father-in-law.
So that also had an impact.
In the ancient Middle East, the relationship between fathers and sons was very similar to how it is today.
The father was the boss of the family and was very respected, while the son had less status.
Any power the son had came from his father and could be taken away at any time.
The father’s authority lasted until he died.
Can you see how this shows Yeshua’s authority, even the authority to forgive sins, came from his Father?
Onward.
In Western cultures, when an older man calls a younger man his son, it’s mostly a way of showing affection and love.
But in Eastern cultures, when a younger man calls an older man his father, it shows both affection and respect.
In the East, a younger man is “like a son” under the AUTHORITY of a man who is “like a father” to him.
The father figure takes care of the son’s best interests but is also seen as wiser, more powerful, and acts like a judge over the son.
This is what David meant when he called Saul “My father.”
It’s also what Yeshua meant when he addressed God as “My Father.”
There are two takeaways today.
I know it’s taught in a lot of churches that Yeshua is God the Father.
But if that’s the case, how do you account for those verses where Yeshua proclaims that “the Father is greater than I”?
If you grasp what I just wrote in this article, then the line of demarcation that separates the son from the Father should be more easily understood.
Finally, just as Yeshua referred to God as his Abba…
Know that you too also have that right…
You too can pray to God as “My Father who art in heaven.”
And receive all of the privileges and authority as a child of the King.
I don’t know about you…
But I find that freakin’ AWESOME!
Have a blessed day!
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Whoever acknowledges me before others,
I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.
But whoever disowns me before others,
I will disown before my Father in heaven.”
-Matthew 10:32-33
“All things have been
committed to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and those to whom the Son
chooses to reveal him.”
-Matthew 11:27
“‘Why were you searching
for me?’ he asked.
‘Didn’t you know I had to
be in my Father’s house?’”
-Luke 2:49
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