THE GLORY OF THE FATHER
In Holy Scripture in the Old Testament nearly all references refer to the Trinity as God or LORD. Where we read the word “LORD”, this actually refers to “YAHWEH” – a word too holy to be used or printed in Hebrew. “YAHWEH” was transliterated as “Jehovah” and in LXX written as “LORD”.
There are some interesting references to Father. The first, below, concerns Moses’ prediction of Israel’s rebellious attitudes:
Deuteronomy 32:5-6
5 They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation.
6 Is this the way you repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?
Psalm 2:6-8
6 “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
In the above reference Jesus is the Father’s anointed – His Son (Mat 3:17; Act 13:33; Heb 1:5; Rev 2:26-27, Mt 21:38).
CHRIST = CHRISTOS = MESSIAH = ANOINTED ONE
Psalm 26:6-7
6 I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, O LORD,
7 proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds.
Again, this reference above referencing to David as God’s anointed is a type/foretelling of the future of Jesus the Anointed One of God. (Heb 1:5, Rev 1:5).
Isaiah 63:16
16 But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.
Jeremiah 3:19-20
19 “I myself said, “‘How gladly would I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me.””’
The above references teach of Israel’s and Judah’s rebellion. The northern kingdom of Israel went into captivity to Assyria in 722BC. The southern kingdom was sent into captivity into Babylon in 586BC.
In the New Testament we see a clear teaching of the Glory of the Father revealed through His Son Jesus Our Lord, the Eternal Second Person of The Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Matthew 3:16-17
16 As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Matthew 6:6-15
6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 11:25-30
25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
26 Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.
27 “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.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
John 3:34-36
34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
John 5:16-23
16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him.
17 Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.”
18 For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
19 Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.
21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,
23 that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him.
John 6:44-47
44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’[1] Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.
46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.
47 I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.
John 8:42-58
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.
43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say.
44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!
46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?
47 He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honour my Father and you dishonour me.
50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.
51 I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
52 At this the Jews exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death.
53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.
55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word.
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
58 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
I refer to the passage above and John 8:58. From history:
– Abram born c 2160BC
– Moses born c 1520BC
In Genesis 17:3-6 we see God changing Abram’s name to Abraham:
– Abram means ‘exalted father’
– Abraham means ‘father of many’
In Romans 9:7 (cf Genesis 21:12) and Romans 9:12 (cf Genesis 25:23) we see the truth that the eternal promise to the elect comes through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. From John 8:58 above, again, we see Jesus is Abraham’s son (Matthew 1) and Abraham’s Lord (John 8).
Now consider the related awesome truth of Genesis 22:1-14 where Abraham was tested by God. In Genesis 22:8, notice Abraham said God would provide the lamb. This truth is a type/foretelling of Jesus being ‘The Lamb’. See John 1:29 where John the Baptist said of Jesus – “behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” – the sin of all the elect in all nations of God’s world.
In Genesis 22:14 Abraham called the place where he was tested to sacrifice Isaac – the mountain – “The LORD will provide”. This mountain – or mount is the Temple Mount.
My research confirms that when Abraham took Isaac to the land of Moriah, from Beer-Sheba, where Isaac was to be sacrificed, this is the mount on which Solomon’s Temple was to be built – in Jerusalem – the City of David. Only a few hundred metres from that location is Golgotha where the Lamb of God was sacrificed:
– A few hundred metres away from Genesis 22:8
– And c 2050 years.
John 10:17-18
17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life— only to take it up again.
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
John 10:30
30 I and the Father are one.”
John 14:1-9
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
John 15:9
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
John 17:1-5
1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.
2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
John 17:9-10
9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.
10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.
John 20:17
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Above are several passages I love – of course the New Testament is full of teachings about Our Heavenly Father.
[1] See Isaiah 28:8-12 for just one example.