The People of God:God's Child

Today we will start a series on "The People of God" as depicted, described, and portrayed in the Bible. The common way the Bible presents "The People of God" is by using metaphors. There is a fundamental reason for this, namely, the biblical speakers and writers are concerned with communicating theological concepts clearly. The best way to do this is to begin with concepts already familiar to human beings, then ratchet them up to a spiritual level.

Human beings are very familiar with the parent-child relationship. So, naturally, biblical speakers and writers compare God's relationship to his people with that of the relationship between a parent and a child. Since the primary emphasis in the Bible is on a community or group of people rather than on individuals, the Bible often compares the people of God with a child, that is, the whole group (many people) is like a (one) child. To get us started, here are a few biblical examples.

a. Exodus 4:21-23: "The Lord said to Moses, 'When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people (singular--referring to the whole group of many Israelites) go. Then say to Pharaoh, "This is what the Lord says: Israel (the whole group of many Israelites) is MY FIRSTBORN SON, and I told you, 'Let MY SON go, so he may worship me.' But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.'"
In essence, God says to Pharaoh: Either you let my firstborn son (Israel--the whole people) to into the wilderness to worship me, or I will kill your firstborn son. God is the parent; Israel (the whole people) is his son, his child.

b. Deuteronomy 1:31 (Here Moses is reminding the Israelites of the forty years they spent in the wilderness after God delivered them from Egyptian bondage): "There [in the wilderness] you [the Israelites] saw how the Lord your God carried you, AS A FATHER CARRIES HIS SON, all the way you went until you reached this place [Shittim-- where Moses was giving this speech--see Numbers 33:49; Joshua 3:1]."
The people of God=Israel did not survive the forty years wandering in the wilderness on his own. Rather, God the Father was carrying his son Israel [the whole people] through the wilderness with his strong, protecting arms.

c. Jeremiah 31:20 [Here God is speaking to the people of Judah in Babylonian exile]:
"Is not Ephraim [Israel] my [God's] DEAR SON,
the CHILD in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
I still remember him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
I have great compassion for him, declares the Lord."
The relationship between God his his people is not a rational topic which one discusses or writes about, but an intimate, daily, personal relationship between two living beings--God and his people (viewed as a single, unified person).
[To be continued]

John Willis