182. Father and Redeemer
Isaiah 63:16 Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O Lord, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.
God is our father and our redeemer, and He promises to be a Father for us and to redeem us. The everlasting God is our father; the inherent promise of a father is to care for and provide for the children for whom he assumes responsibility. Just like children go to their father for their needs and wants, so the children of God may go to the Father in heaven for whatever they need; they even go to Dad for what they want, even though the father retains the right to refuse. The children must trust the wisdom and love of the father, and they must submit to his authority for their good and their protection. The promise says that we may go to “Our Father in heaven” any time we need to. If our Father wills He can; He can, for He is God, and He will, for He is love. But His love fur us demands that He will only answer our prayer according to His good and gracious will; His love demands that He not answer our prayers if that would not be good for us.
The everlasting God is our redeemer; the inherent promise of a Redeemer is that He will always deliver us from evil and rescue us from the troubles caused by sin. The implication of being redeemed is that the Redeemer owns us. The truth of God as owner is both good news and bad news. It is bad news because we don’t want to be owned by anyone; we are no one’s slaves; we don’t want restrictions or limits on what we want to do and decide; we want to be free to do what we want (no commandments, please). That’s not actually bad, but Satan deceives Adam and me to believe that it is bad for me. The good news is that the owner takes responsibility for what he owns, and he is obligated to take care of it and maintain it. This is the promise: Jesus is a Good Shepherd, who tenderly cares for, provides for, and protects us from all enemies that mean to do us harm. This is the promise of a redeemer and owner. We are free to graze, and to play, and to enjoy life, while Father provides the toys.