Read today’s texts first: Zechariah 13-14; Psalm 147; Luke 15
The loving “God with us” in the New Testament
is the same “God out there” in the Old.
is the same “God out there” in the Old.
As we read through the Old Testament we learn about our Father God. Sometimes when we read about the “God out there” we get the impression He is distant and judgmental. But when Jesus, our Immanuel, arrives on the scene, the God out there is suddenly “God with us!” That’s why we need to read the Old Covenant from a New Covenant perspective.
Jesus showed us the heart of the Father by loving everyone, especially those who others considered less worthy, like little children, prostitutes, lepers, and worse yet, tax collectors! Jesus said that to see Him in action is to see the Father because everything He did was at the impulse of Father God.
This story of the prodigal is a perfect illustration of God’s heart for the lost. We usually focus on the wayward kid, calling it the story of the prodigal son. Reading it this time though, I noticed the heart of the father. He is not judgmental or distant, at least not in his heart. Any distance between them was his son’s choice. But when his son decided to return, while he was still a long way off, the father ran to him, hugged him and kissed him (20). That’s the lavish love of Father God, the same God of the Old Testament. The stories we connect to His judgment can also be seen as redemptive, with God providing every opportunity for repentance and forgiveness.
“You are the Good Shepherd who will leave the 99 to search for the one lost sheep. And when You find him, You lift him up on your shoulders and carry him back to safety (4-7). Thank You Lord for going out of Your way to rescue me and for carrying me until I was strong enough to follow You on my own. I need to show that same compassion to others so that when they see me in action they see the heart of the Father.”
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