The first thing that struck me about this passage was the amount of love the Father has for his people. I sometimes loose sight of how much our God loves! Here we see him talking just as you or I would talk about our own children had they flown the nest without as much as a wave, a thank you, or even an “I’ll keep in touch!”
It is amazing to think that God is our father, that He was with us when we took our first steps, even when we lay in bed at night scared of the “bogey man” God was there! The day we chose to follow Him, He was there!
He is the perfect father, who will never abandon us, who will always be listening to us, always loving and caring.
For parents, this passage is very touching as it is very easy to apply this situation to your own family, and how you would feel in the same situation. As parents we love our children unconditionally, they do not earn it! How intense therefore the pain, if our Children were to rebel, or reject our love and care.
God’s love for us led Him to offer the biggest sacrifice He could ever have given;
“…How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure…”
Stuart Townsend
Thank you Father God for your sacrifice, for your immense love. Thank you for your Father heart, that loves us unconditionally, that extends your grace to those who seek you, that loves us as your very own children.
It is such an encouragement to find a passage like this in the old testament that really reminds me and drives home that our God is a loving Father God. I rarely dip into the old testament as I am always focusing on the Gospel, and yet God was with man for hundreds of years before He sent His Son, and by reading what transpired, really helps us to build up a picture of our loving father, as well as see the events that led to that manger and eventually the cross.
