“Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God furthermore said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is the name for all generations to use to call upon Me. 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.” Exodus 3:13-16
When Moses met God at the burning bush, he asked God what name for God he should give to his people when he returns to Egypt to deliver them. First God replies to Moses “I am who I am,” implying that no name is necessary for an eternal being who is being itself. But then God tells Moses that if he must have a name for God, His name shall be “the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” God gives Moses a name, and tells Moses that this is His name forever, for all generations. This name for God has strong implications, and actually connects to the entire biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation.
By telling Moses that his name is “God of your fathers”, God is connecting His name, defining who He is to us as being connected to us through our fathers. He uses the family structure to create His identity to us. This illustrates the importance of being a good, no great, father to your children. We have heard it said that the image and understanding of God in our mind is established by the relationship and experiences we had with our earthly fathers. This provides biblical support for this belief. By giving the name “God of your Fathers” to Moses, God builds that dynamic into His name, possibly for that reason.
One of the primary messages of the Bible is “Remember” – remember God, remember His word, remember what He has done, etc. We see this throughout the biblical narrative. God continually establishes ways for us to remember Him. One primary way He establishes for us to remember Him is through the family unit. This explains the importance of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 where He makes it clear that one of our primary missions in life is to teach our children to know God, to know His word (the Bible), and to know The Word (His Son Jesus). This may be the single most important thing that a man does with His life.
While the woman’s most important role in the family may be to bear and nurture children, the man’s most important role in the family is possibly to teach the children to know God, to know His word (the Bible), and to know The Word (His Son Jesus). We see this in the name that God choses for Himself when Moses asks for a name to give to the Hebrew slaves – “the God of our fathers”. With this being the name of God, the role of fatherhood is elevated by God to possibly being one of the most important aspects of a man’s life.
In Malachi 4 we read that God will send the prophet Elijah to restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Again we see God stressing the importance of the role of being a godly father to our children and having a heart connection with them. Have you set a good example for your children in this regard? Have you taught your children to know God? To know His word? To know The Word (Jesus)? In what ways have you done this in the past? What ways are you doing this today? What are some ways you can do this in the future?
How can you help your sons do this for their children? Would you say that you have a “heart” connection with your children? Would your children agree with your answer? Would your wife agree? If you feel that you have fallen short as a father in some way, what are some things you can do to turn this around and improve your relationship with your children? What are some things you can do to set a better example for them? If you do not have children, what are some ways that you can participate in the biblical narrative of teaching children these things? What are some of the ways that the apostle Paul carried out this mandate, without having children, in his life?
Teaching our children to know God, to know His word (the Bible), and to know The Word (His Son Jesus) is in my opinion the most important mission for the majority of men while we are here on earth. To do this is to participate in God’s plan for humanity, to be a part of building His Kingdom here on earth, and to participate in a key component in the biblical narrative personally in our own family. It ranks among our highest calling as men. I encourage you to take this to heart and rise to the challenge.
God our father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. I come before You today in the name of Your Son Jesus, and ask that You show me ways to carry out the mission of teaching my children to know You, to know Your word, and to know The Word of God, Christ Jesus. Show me what I can do today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, and beyond, to create moments when I am together with my children and can teach them these things. Help me to encourage them to connect with You personally. Show me how to encourage them in their walk with You. Help me to live a godly life before them so that I will set a godly example for them to follow, making them proud to say they know the “God of my earthly father” rather than being angry or disappointed by my role as their father. Help me to carry on the biblical tradition of passing on to my children my faith, knowledge, and personal relationship with You through Your Son Jesus. I ask this in Jesus name, amen.
Fatherhood, Jesus, and the Gospel
The connection of fatherhood to God is so profound, that Jesus uses it throughout His ministry, and the Apostles do as well. Jesus told us to pray to God as “our Father in heaven” when He gave us the Lord’s Prayer. Paul writes in Romans 8 that as adopted sons of God we cry out to God, “Abba, Father”. In Galatians we read that we are “sons and daughters” of God, that God has given us the “Spirit of the Son” in our hearts, and that the Spirit of the Son in our hearts cries out “Abba, Father“. Referring to God as our Father signifies that we have a personal, intimate relationship with Him as believers in Jesus Christ, similar to the relationship we have with our earthly fathers. According to John 1 we are adopted as children of God through our belief in Jesus’ name.
“God our heavenly Father” highlights God as the Creator, protector, and loving heavenly Father who is emotionally involved in our lives. The bible tells us that He provides for our needs, offers us unconditional love, and allows us access to Him through faith in His Son Jesus. When we understand God as being our heavenly Father, it makes our relationship with God much more personal for each of us and for us corporately as the Church. God is no longer a figure in the distant past (God of our Fathers), but becomes our heavenly Father in the present and future. I remember many years ago when I transitioned from my earthly father to my heavenly Father as being the primary father figure in my life here on earth. It was quite a significant moment in my life, with profound implications and impact on me from that moment forward to today. When we are born again, we become His children, and God is our Father from that point forward.
We also see that our desire for a name for God as expressed in the Exodus story has been satisfied in Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus name in Hebrew, Yeshua, means ‘salvation’, ‘God is salvation’, or ‘the Lord saves’. We read in Philippians 2 that there is power in the name of Jesus to the point that eventually every knee will bow before Him and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. We read in Acts 4 that there is power in the name of Jesus to heal and that there is no other name given under heaven by which men must be saved. “God of our fathers”, “God our Father”, and “Jesus (Yeshua)” the Son of God. These are the names that God has provided for us to use in our relationship with Him. These are the names by which we know Him today. Do you know Him personally? If not, do you want to? If yes, feel free to pray the words below (from “Wild at Heart” website):
Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God, that you died on the cross to rescue me from sin and death and to restore me to the Father. I choose now to turn from my sins, my self-centeredness, and every part of my life that does not please you. I choose you. I give myself to you. I receive your forgiveness and ask you to take your rightful place in my life as my Savior and Lord. Come reign in my heart, fill me with your love and your life, and help me to become a person who is truly loving—a person like you. Restore me, Jesus. Live in me. Love through me. Thank you, God. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
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