What a Dad Does
This month I found a
marvelous dramatized version of Keith Green's "Prodigal Son Song" on
YouTube. Please take time to view it and
pay particular attention to 'the father
who knew how to let go'! Click here
to view The Prodigal Son (Ignore the message
that says this is an older version)
This
is the FOURTH installment of a series of WADD articles dealing with the “father
who knew how to let go” taken from Luke 15:11-32. To read the first three in
the series please go to What A Dad Does and read Volume II
Issue 3, 4 & 5 which deal with verses 11-21. BTW, on the blog site the
articles are newest first (reverse order). We’ll pick up the story in verse 22.
And
the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I
am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his slaves,
'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand
and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat
and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was
lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate. Luke 15:22-24
What
did the father say to him when he admitted that he was wrong? He didn't say
anything. No lectures, no "I told you so's" no brow beatings!
It's amazing; this wise father realized that the son had already been brow
beating himself (“I am no longer worthy to be called your son”). He could
'read' his eyes; he could see his body language. There was no need to say
anything. His son was home and 'broken'. Dad, do you know how to ‘read’ your
kids? Practice now; you can't afford to wait until they get older and run
from home.
What
is the significance of the word "but" at the beginning of the second
sentence?
That's a huge word; I believe that God it put there to demonstrate that the
father had to go against his natural inclinations. My counsel is this: Live
freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the
compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us
that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible
with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot
live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any
given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the
erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence? Galatians 5:16-18 MSG
Dad,
when you interact with your children, is your basic motivation selfishness or
self-centeredness? Are
you worried about what others are going to think of your parenting
skills? Or are you upset that your kids are taking advantage of you or
taking your 'stuff'? "…and what do you have that you didn't
receive..." I Corinthians 4:7 NASB God-honoring fatherhood is about doing
the right thing by your child, not about you.
For whose glory do
you parent?
You may have trained yourself to see Col. 3:23 (“do your work heartily as unto
the Lord”) as applying to your vocation, but have you considered that your
parenting must be done “as unto the Lord” as well? In other words, you don’t
parent them for the honor, respect and “points” that you get, and you don’t
parent them solely for their benefit,
(because they can grow up, reject you and you might see no result in this life). Instead, you must learn to parent for the glory of God. Period.
What
is the significance of calling the slaves? They were part of the
family. The father was about restoring ALL relationships. It wasn't
enough that the he was smugly or privately glad -- this had to be a big deal;
it had to be public. He was sending a message to the son, to the family, to the
neighborhood, to the world; restoration has occurred! Do you celebrate when
your kids make good decisions or only when they have good performance?
Why
did the father send for the best robe? It covered up
his scars and humiliation. “…Love covers a multitude of sins” I Peter
4:8 NASB. He was showing the son true grace. Why did it have to
be the "best"? The dad was demonstrating that the son wasn’t going to
be a second-class citizen. He was to be genuinely loved, fully
pleasing, totally accepted and absolutely perfect in the
father's sight (just like God treats everyone who trusts in Jesus). For
everyone in Christ, the robe signifies the righteousness of God we take on as
Christians.
The
robe, ring and sandals all demonstrate COVENANT:
“The
concept of a covenant is almost unknown to the Western world. But this
concept is known in ancient societies and the third world even
today. Remember how we used to hear in westerns the term “blood brothers”
used by the American Indians? Well this had to do with swearing loyalty
to one another and that is exactly what a blood covenant is, but there is so
much more to it. The people in the pages of the Bible knew all about
covenants. The Bible is divided into two main parts we call “Testaments”,
but the correct term is Old Covenant and New Covenant.
The
Old Covenant was a covenant made with Abraham and his descendants. The New
Covenant is a covenant made through Jesus which does away with the provisions
of the old one and starts something “new”. A covenant is literally a
binding obligation. It is the ultimate expression of committed love and
trust and was usually made to define and make binding a relationship that had
been in the making for some time.
A
definition: “a covenant is a binding unbreakable obligation between two
parties, based on unconditional love sealed by blood and sacred oath that
creates a relationship in which each party is bound by specific undertakings on
each other’s behalf. The parties place themselves under divine retribution
should they later attempt to avoid these undertakings. It is a
relationship that can only be broken by death.”
A
covenant is not a contract. A covenant is the giving of one’s whole person
and life to another and the wholehearted receiving of the other person and his
or her life. So when one people group made a covenant with another
people group, they both picked someone to represent them. This person
could speak and act with authority on behalf of group. For all effective
purposes, they were the group. Promises, terms and responsibilities were
often written down and read at specified times in remembrance of the covenant
being made. See I Samuel 20:14-15 and II Samuel 9:7.” – The Covenant
Sacrifice (“The Power of the Blood Covenant” by Malcolm Smith)
Dad
have you ever noticed that in the Middle East dining together is a very big
deal. You eat only with your friends. The meal often lasts for hours. It is
more than just the necessary biology; it is a part of this covenant
relationship. And so was the fatted calf. To a Jew the “fatted calf” was
another way of describing the sacrifice that was made to God. The father
was demonstrating gratefulness to God first and then sharing his best with the
son. Can you do that now, dad? You are in covenant with your wife and children.
You don’t have to wait until they rebel and return.
Have
you ever wondered what kind of celebration they had? Who all was invited?
Who actually came? What was said? How long did it last? The Bible isn’t clear
on these topics; the answer is limited only by our imagination. But know this:
IT WAS A HUGE, FANTASTIC, and AWESOME HOMECOMING!
Dad,
are you going to let the fact that you were right, or pride, self-interest,
anger, unforgiveness, bitterness or revenge destroy what God has given you? Humble
yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time
he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you:
I Peter 5:6-7 ESV
THIS IS WHAT A MERCIFUL DAD DOES!
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