Today’s Bible Study, Authored by Arthur
Cincotti. 06/19/2022
Listen to our Bible
Study Discussion at: Turn the Hearts Podcast
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“Turn the Hearts”
“And he will turn the
hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their
fathers,…” Mal. 4:6
These Old Testament prophetic passages are pregnant with
meaning that can often times only be fully understood by Hebrew scholars, but
for the sake of the sake of today’s study I’m going to take them at face value
because I believe that divisiveness in families echos through the times under
fallenness.
Mal. 4:4 begins this thought by saying, “Remember the Law
of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.”
The most comprehensive
expression of “The Law” in the ten commandments says, “Honor your father and
your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD you God is
giving you.” Ex. 20:12
Harmony within families is pleasing to the Lord because
these are the most intimate forms of relationships, No one knows my kids like I
do, having deeply observed them, because of proximity, from infancy to present,
and in some sense no one knows me like my kids do.
Speaking of the end times, Jesus says, “Now brother will
betray brother to death, and father hes child; and children will rise up
against parents and cause them to be put to death.” Mk. 13:12
With the rebellion of our own children we can only feel a
small taste of the weight of our own rebellion against our Heavenly Father; the
pain of loss caused by separation between most beloved parties. This should drive us to know God
experientialy.
With this in mind we
observe what the Fathers action is toward His rebellious children.
1. There were harsh consequences; Gen. 3:16-19
Heb. 12:3-11 gives a fuller picture of God’s “chastening”.
Also, Rev. 3:19
2. There is always a plan for reconciliation and
restoration. The gospel
gives us the full picture of restoration.
Jn. 3:16, “For God so loved the world…”
And Rom. 5:8, “...while we were still sinners…”
Our relationship with
our Heavenly Father is by virtue of adoption in which a mutual choice has been
cast. Rom. 8:15, “but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we
cry out, ‘Abba, Father.”’ And Eph. 1:5 “having predestined us to adoption
as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His
will.” Jesus gives a harsh rebuke to the Jews, in Jn. 8:44, “You are of
your father the devil…”
In this we see that
everyone is not a child of God, as the world philosophy would sentimentalize
this notion. Only through rebirth are we adopted into the family of God.
What a privilege adoption expresses; to be
chosen.
As sons we are called into service to God.
I’ve pointed out, in the past, how we are God’s “ambassadors”. II Cor. 5:20
We are also “kings
and priests.” Rev. 1:6 and 5:10 and I Pet. 2:9
In both these offices we
see, in the natural, the succession from father to son. In Ex. 29:1-37 we see a
beautiful expression of the Aaronian order of the priesthood, from father to
son.
The richest expression
of this restoration comes through the spirit of agreement when our children
pass from being our sons and daughters to being our brothers and sisters under
one Father.
This is the restoration that we long for as
fathers!
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
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