The Divine Fatherhood
The phrase ‘our Father who is in heaven’ found in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9) indicates that God is not only majestic and holy but also personal and loving. The thought of the Fatherhood of God was not altogether new. Yahweh had claimed “Israel as His son, even His firstborn” ( Exodus 4:22 ), had loved him as His child ( Jeremiah 31:9 ; Hosea 11:1 ). The reprimands found in Isaiah ( Isaiah 1:2 ) and Malachi ( Malachi 1:6 ) express the thoughts of a wrathful Father. As Christians, we take for granted the concept of God as a personal, loving Father. The tenderness of relation and wealth of love and grace this profound relationship contains are typical to the New Testament. An approach of this kind was not very popular during the Old Testament days and among the Jews. A fatherly love was at the best to be the image of His pity for those who fear Him ( Psalms 103:13). The Old Testament sees God as a Father who is the creator, sustainer, provider and ju...