[Pastor Ralph]

Q1. What does the concept of "father" teach us about God, especially the formal way in which the word is used in the Old Testament? According to the quote from Otfried Hofius above, which two aspects of a father underlie our understanding of Father in the Old Testament? How should they affect our behavior?

[Patricia A. Conti]

Pastor Ralph, on Mar 1 2006, 09:19 PM, said:

Q1. What does the concept of "father" teach us about God, especially the formal way which the word is used in the Old Testament? According to the quote from Otfried Hofius above, which two aspects of a father underlie our understanding of Father in the Old Testament? How should they affect our behavior?

Father God has created us. He in fact gives us life. He is our Father "Dad" as it were. He created us in love. He deserves all our love, We shold act in ways that show that God is our Father.

God is also our comforter and protector. We can trust God for all our needs. When we call to Him, He will answer us. He will guide us in the way that is best for us. We must all on God in our prayer and in our everyday lives so that we can follow Him and be one with Him.

[pickledilly]

From the context of the O.T. Scriptures, I see "father" to be one who is due utmost respect. In the human sense, the father of a family was the central authority, the one to whom all would answer in all matters. He was to be honored and highly esteemed. His decisions were to be followed without question. His word was final. The father was also the one who was responsible for the leadership, protection, and provision for his family. I don't get the sense of having an intimate personal relationship with this type of father because of the formality.

These two human roles of authority and responsibility are patterned after such roles of the Heavenly Father. Human fathers were meant to reflect the nature of the Father. But one difference in humanity and divinity is the perfect way Yahweh carries out His authority role balanced with love and mercy, a perfect balance that human fathers simply are not able to achieve. People have the imperfect, unbalanced tendency to weigh heavy on one side of scale or the other - either being too hard on a strict authority side or too soft on a mushy love side.

As His child, I should have an attitude of respect and reverence and great esteem for my Father. I must answer to Him in all matters. Ultimately, His word is final, and I should obey His decisions with the comforting confidence that He will always act in my best interest. Knowing that He has assumed the responsibility for my provisions should calm evey fear or concern that my needs will be met.

[Sadie Stromberg]

Q1. What does the concept of "father" teach us about God, especially the formal way which the word is used in the Old Testament? According to the quote from Otfried Hofius above, which two aspects of a father underlie our understanding of Father in the Old Testament? How should they affect our behavior?


The Old Testament concept of "father" was one of total authority due great respect and honor. His word was final, and there was to be no questioning of it. He was also responsible for protection and provision for his followers.

Knowing the traits of our Heavenly Father, we should respect and honor him completely. We should depend on Him totally to meet our needs just as a dependent child relies on a parent to supply all of his/her needs. We should also strive to be totally obedient to our Heavenly Father so that our relationship can be all that He intends for it to be.

[Helenmm]

Q1. What does the concept of "father" teach us about God, especially the formal way which the word is used in the Old Testament? According to the quote from Otfried Hofius above, which two aspects of a father underlie our understanding of Father in the Old Testament? How should they affect our behavior?

Father in the Old testament has to do with His creating us and having authority therefore. In the Jeremiah passages there is a distinct longing that Israel should respond to God's Fatherhood with respect for His word so that the relationship could develop.

Otfrien Hofius' two aspects of Fatherhood are authority and responsibility. I think they are like the two horns on an animal with a fighting instinct. They will lock with an enemy in protection of the family. Sometimes the animals will fight to vanquish or the death. In the animal world only the strong one breeds and multiplies. Responsibility and authority represent the strength of the family. Today an excess of feminism has undermined the authority of the father and shifted responsibility in mother's direction. Families are breaking down in this environment because it is not according to God's plan for families. The strength is missing. The children are psychologically weak. Christian women need to give fathers back their true role with joy that their children may have a proper model. Broken men need to learn how to adopt this ancient role for the health and welfare of their families. I praise Father when I see this happening!

How should this affect our behaviour?
a.We need to understand and verbally proclaim and appreciate and practice the proper role of fathers and implement honour for this role in our families. It is for the well-bing of our children. It will bring families into the divine order according to which creation occurred, and into the benefits that God's spiritual law pours upon those who accord with it.

b. It will help us to understand Yahweh's self styled role as Father of the children of Abraham, and align ourselves with it. It is all about alignment with the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit of Truth. We may discuss, at times argue with Father (in order to try to understand something), but in the end submit without question, knowing His absolute authority is right and beneficial for us, and reflects His wonderful care for us. Praise Yahweh, who, even in the old testament, loved to father His people, to be available to whoever should call upon Him (including some surprising gentiles!)

c. For those men struggling with their right role in society, the twin horns of authority and responsibility (including care) will clearly prepare the path. Where the horns have been stolen from them, they may still have the opportunity to stand firm and teach their children who will have, as they mature, to seek their own wisdom and pathways.

d. Women have major responsibility in restoring fatherhood to men. By uplifting their men into that role and praising them, they may help restore balance to family life. Let her know the helpmeet role is exciting, powerful, honourable and wonderful.

Her worth is far above rubies. Proverbs 31
She does him good and not evil all the days of her life,
She girds herself with strength.
Her husband is known in the gates (corridors of success)
Her children rise up and call her blessed.
Her husband praises her.

[Lisa Rupert]

Q1. What does the concept of "father" teach us about God, especially the formal way which the word is used in the Old Testament?

That God the Father is the revered one (honored, respected, admired, adored, valued, appreciated, cherished, and loved). He is "AWE". He is the creator of all. The Rock, Redeemer, The one on whom to depend on. The one who answers our prayers. The one who gives us life. Who loves us despite our disposition (sin). The one who cares for us even when we continue to sin he continues to find ways to love us. He is God, He is our Father.

According to the quote from Otfried Hofius above, which two aspects of a father underlie our understanding of Father in the Old Testament? How should they affect our behavior?

According to the author, the characteristics of the Father is that "He rules as the head of the household and deserves the upmost respect. He has the absolute authority over his family".
Secondly, "He is responsible for guarding, supporting, and nurturing the members of his family."
So our behavior is affected in the ways that we are to honor the Father because we need him to grow into obedient and loving children. He is our nurturer and teacher. He teaches us how to stand strong against the opposition and he is always there when we need him. He expects us to love one another. He guides us. He leads us, he never abandons us. We are to recognize that he is the LEADER of the family. He has TOTAL AUTHORITY over the family. He is in charge of making the decisions. He feeds us, he provides us with water to drink so we don't go thirsty. He cloths us so we aren't naked or cold. We are to honor and obey our father. We should cherish the fact that we have such a loving protective father.

[JustJeff]

Our Father is the head of His creation and we are His children. The values that the Old Testament places on a father in relation to his family is one of complete authority, respect, honor and, dependence. It is in this manner that we should view our heavenly Father and it is the way we He expects us to conduct ourselves.
According to Otfried, the first of his two observations, detailed above, is my understanding of Yahweh.
It is important to understand that the Old Testament is the basis for the New. As a father brings up his child, so has the LORD brought us up through the ages. He established His parenthood, watched us grow and became a rebellious lot, and He demonstrates His undieing, Fatherly love for us by making a way for us to return to Him.
I always consider that when I am obedient His love shines in innumerable blessings. it is not possible to see all His benefits. Yet, when I am disobedient, He bless me still; with chastisement and discipline. Oh the fullness and glory of my heavenly Father. His fatherly love toward His child, His ever watchfulness is what keeps me in line day to day, minute by minute. He causes me to humble myself, to be accepted of Him.

[Teodora]

"Have we not all one Father? Has not One God created us?.." (Malachi 2:10)

JHWH is called Father, because He is the Creator, Law-giver and Protector. He is the origin of what is subject to Him, a supreme, powerful authority - a Patriarch and Protector.
He is Father because He takes active intrests in the human affairs in the way that a father would take interest in his children, acting in best of their interests.

According to Otfried Hofius the two basic aspects of God as a Father are:
a) authority- that demands submission to the leadership of the Head, obeying the rules and also paying the due respect and honor.
responsibility - as a Father God helps, cares, protects and provides for those who belong to His family.

How should this affect our behaviour?
As God's children we should submit to His leadership, obey His Word and trust the wisdom of His guidance, discipline and decisions. We should also honor and esteem Him above all else, because He is our Father, Who made and formed us, He is the Potter, we are the clay - we are all the work of His hand.

"Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?" (Hebrews 12:9)

[steve.c]

What does the concept "Father" teach us about God?

In the passages quoted in the lesson the first aspect of God as Father is God the Creator, the God that made us and moulded us. He is also without time, He is the Everlasting Father. As Father of His people, the Isrealites, He is in authority over them. God, our Father, is also our protector. He is our Saviour, the Rock, our Redeemer and the guide to a sure path for our lives.

The two aspects which underlie our understanding of Father in the Old Testament. How should that affect our behaviour?

A father is the head of a family and the person to whom respect should be given. Ultimately the father's authority prevails and he is to be obeyed. He is also the protector of the family and it is his responsibility to see that his family comes to no harm. As one of God's people, a member of His household and His child, I must respect His authority over everything. It is for me to obey and respect. But I also know that He will protect and guide me and like a father He will look after my best interests.

[EuniceC]

I find it interesting that the word father is so minimally used in the old testament. I call Him Daddy Lord, Here, it signifies that He is my creator, I belong to Him, He brought me into the World, and thus has all the authority over me, who cares about me, and is willing to stand in for me, sign on my behalf, as a father would sign on His child’s behalf.
It also denotes authority and respect, in some cultures, you earned the name “father”, not by giving birth but by your ability to raise a child the way the culture demands, your ability to raise up a respectable child, someone who everyone would be proud to call His child, a child you love so much to want to give up everything for, and that is how I feel that God and our relationship is like.
As Otfried Hofius states, By being obedient, we give Him the respect, the honor and love that is due Him. He also honors and loves us by being there for us, by watching over us and taking care of us, making sure that our every need is met, and we feel safe in His presence. I can just imagine, if someone attacked me, I would run to Him, and He would comfort me and protect me, He would also ensure that this person does not bother me any more, So I simply trust Him, and love Him. And I respect and honor Him. I wouldn’t want anyone else as my Father but Him!

[Salome Ross]

The concept FATHER in the O.T. teach us that He is referred to as FATHER in the creative (note exactly biologically begetting) sense only twice. Is He not your father, your creator, who made you and formed you? Deut 32:6 Yet, O Lord you are our Father, we are the clay, you are the Potter, we are the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8
As Otfried puts it: On the one hand, the father rules as head of the household and the person to whom most respect is due, having absolute authority over His family. He also has the responsiblilty of guarding, supporting and helping the other members. Both these charactereistics are present with God as FATHER.
The understanding of father should affect our behaviour that we never turn away from following Him Jer, 3:19B
I read this recently and think it is worth adding about our FATHER"S correction - My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction. Prov 3:11
If we are not willing to confront our own sin, or be confronted by others, we are not yet as spiritually mature as we should be. God may correct us through a friend, a boss, a coach, a pastor - or He may put the need for self-correction in our own heart.

[Marilyn Rivington]

In Canada, as women, we had the same concept of father as used in the Old Testament. I think this is shown especially in the marriage ceremony. The priest asked the question,
Who giveth this woman to be married to this man?
The Father Answered. I do.
indicating that he was passing the responsibility of taking care of his daughter from himself to her husband – like a possession or a piece of property. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that this concept changed. Then we took responsibility for the giving of ourselves to each other. Families were asked, “Do you give your blessing to this marriage?”

At the end of the ceremony the priest declared, “I pronounce that they be man and wife together”
The husband retained his manhood but the woman took on the new role of wife. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that it changed and the priest “. . . declare that they are husband and wife . . .”

Just as an aside, It wasn’t until 1929, by an act of Parliament, that women in Canada were declared persons. Before that only men were thought to have souls and therefore persons!

All this to explain that I think the concept of God as Father is the same as in Hebrew Scripture. He is our creator, therefore he is over us, our ruler. To him especially do we owe our allegiance, our love, our obedience and our worship.

[Blessed Me]

Q1. What does the concept of "father" teach us about God, especially the formal way which the word is used in the Old Testament?
"Father"was held in an exalted position, he is known as the patriarch of the family, his rule is final. His word is to be respected, he is held in high esteem, he is treated with royalty and honor.

According to the quote from Otfried Hofius above, which two aspects of a father underlie our understanding of Father in the Old Testament?
He is the head of the family, with all respect due Him. He has absolute authority, for in His love for the family, he guards and supports the family. He created man to fellowship with Him. He created the family to have fellowship with Him and with one another.

How should they affect our behavior?
The Father longs for us to love and honor Him, to give Him reverence and homage, for God alone is worthy of our highest honor. 1 Chr. 16:27 -- We are to honor the Son of God also. We cannot honor the Father unless we honor the Son. John 5:23

[charisbarak]

Father in the O.T. seemed to be used as the absolute authority over all.

Father is the head of the family, the supreme & absolute authority over it.

We should respect His authority & obey His Words.

[June]

God is our Creator! He is to be honored and obeyed. God is to be the head of the household, having absolute authority over the family. He will guard and see that we have what we need when we honor Him as Father.
That God is creator of all in the Kingdom and He led all in His "family" and made sure they had what they needed.
He is leader, protector and provider. If we stay committed to Him we need not worry about anything.

[Embraced by the Father]

For me Abba Father again reminds me that our Father desires that we be obedience to Him. We obey him because we can trust that his ways our not our ways. I want to rest in him, knowing that he will always protect me and care for me, as an earthly father is to care and love his children.

Two characteristics: the father rules as head of the household and he has absolute authority over his family; and he has the responsibility of guarding, supporting, and helping the other members of his family.

I am learning to lean more and more upon His provisions. It is easy to say "I trust the lORD" but our actions do not reflect that! The head knowledge that I have about God is shifting to the heart. I believe in my heart that what my Father says in the Bible is the truth! If he says he will provides for all my wants as a Heavenly Father, than I place myself into his embrace and rest. My obedience to him is for mine and others best interest. I love him with all of my life and trust in Him completely. Sometimes I shove aside the obedience part because I know my Father cares for me. I want to become more and more obedient to Him because I know that is my Father's heart desire.

[Lion of Grace]

In the old testament Patriarchal society the father was considered the only real person in the family. Everyone else, the mother and children were considered those either sent to bless him or to help him. There was no consideration for them. It was " all about father." There just wasn't any questioning anything the father said or did, because he could do anything he felt was ok. Unfortunately that is tragic by human standard because human fathers aren't like God who will always do things right and perfectly and will love with an everlasting and agape love.
With God though, we can trust in His goodness towards us and believe we can be in service to Him as helpmates or as a blessing to Him, because He will never misuse that trust and He even honors and finds favor in the heart willing to be used in that capacity.

God is to be understood first as " creator." He made us, we are the work of His hand. We are the clay. He molds us. He has the perfect plan for us. We should be able to trust in that and submit to what that plan is but we become distrustful through life experiences and we tend to want to go our own way. If though, we can overcome our sin in this and our fears, we can learn to "respect" Him in all things and come to value the authority He has over all things. Then when He shows us what to do and we are obedient to do it, we learn more and more of His faithfulness and love towards us. We can then learn to trust more in His perfect plan for us. That in turn gives us joy beyond measure!
We find that He is for us and not against us and He will provide for us and protect us and our security can be found in Him because we have found Him to be good. It is a process though and comes from relationship with Him and in coming to know who He is. That's why this study is so beneficial.

[care2hope2]

The concept of "father" as used in the old testament Teaches us that God as Father was seen as
Creator and possessor As Father God The people were his creation and his possession in that He
would provide for and keep and protect those his people his creation. Jealously possess them and
care for them.

According to Otfrued H. the two aspects that underlie God as father in the OT were that of
Head of the household demanding respect / He would rule and set the way of the household
But also he would protect those in his household. God made the rules for Israle and he set
up himself to recieve respect and was to be obeyed. But also He would love and protect those
under his rule. Like a king and his loyal people under him.


Our behavior therefore should be to respect God our Father as the one who is our ruler and
our father that sets the rules for life but know that when we do as he says and respect him
and keep ourself within his frame work and rules tha he will love and protect and keep us
safe.

[Linda Stanley]

WHAT I SEE IN THE OLD TESTIMENT TIMES,GOD IS ABOVE ALL.HE IS EVERYTHING AND IS HIGHLY RESPECTED IN THE PEOPLE GOING TO HIM TO DIRECT THEIR LIFE.GOD WAS THEIR LIFE,HE IS THEIR CREATOR OF ALL LIFE.
IN MY HOME AS MY PHYSICAL FATHER,BEING THE ONE WHO PROVIDED OUR PHYSICAL NEEDS ,FOOD,MONEY ,CLOTHES,AND SO ON.IN MY TIME 50 YRS AGO DAD WOULD SIT AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE,IN OTHER WORDS WHAT DADDY SAID IS WHAT WE DID.RESPECT WAS DUE HIM BECAUSE HE WAS HEAD OF THE HOME,EVEN IF WE DIDN'T LIKE WHAT HE REQUIED OF US,WE SISTERS WOULD DO WHAT MAMA SAID,THAT DAD SAID TO DO.IM SURE SOME OF YOU OLDER FOLKS KNOW WHAT I MEAN.
NOW IN THE NEW TESTIMENT TIME ,WHICH I FEEL IS OUR TIME ALSO,I BELIEVE GRACE HAS MOVED IN.WE NOW HAVE LEARNED HOW LOVING OUR GOD IS BECAUSE OF HIS SACRIFICE.GOD IS ABBA FATHER AND WE GIVE HIM ALL OUR LOVE DUE TO HIM.I WOULD SAY IF YOU LOVE YOU RESPECT.THERE IS KNOW WAY TO MEASURE THE LOVE OF OUR FATHER.GOD LOVES ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD,GOOD AND THE BAD.HE IS OUR FATHER WHOM WE SHOULD PRAISE AND HONOR AND BE OBEDIENT TO HIS WORD.GOD SHOWED HIS LOVE TO US ON THE CROSS.HIS NAME WAS JESUS,SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.AMEN

[anthony s. rapaglia]

Not many fathers in this world today, do not deserved to be called father,or deserved the respect to be a father. When God created us in His own image,He taught us, love, joy, peace, respect,kindness,patience, goodness,faithfulness,and gentleness.That is why God should be called, "GOD OUR FATHER".

God never deserted us like some fathers do.God provide what was good for us,some fathers never did.I am not condeming any fathers,I am telling of what I see in this world today and the past, that God is the only Father who is there when we need Him, whether we deserved it or not.

We as fathers have excuses of what we do wrong. GOD OUR FATHER does not need excuses,He is our Creator,and He is there for us,and always will be. The Bible presents God as Sovereign Lord of all,as God of mercy,love,and goodness,God our Father,My Father,and Everlasting Father for ever,and ever.