Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Benevolent Dictator: Everlasting Father

The third title to consider from the Isaiah 9 prophecy this Advent is “Everlasting Father." 

As Christians, we confess that Jesus is the fulfillment of that prophecy, and we further confess him to be the Son of God, the Word made flesh. As a consequence, this particular title might cause confusion. How can the Son be the Father? As we discover, the title refers (as do all in the passage) to the promised davidic king, who ushers in a reign of justice, righteousness, and peace. This title anticipates the fatherly nature of his rule.

That God was a father to his people is evident in the compassion that he felt toward them. In Psalm 103, the writer gratefully acknowledges this: “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” (see As dust, humans are finite, limited, and woefully ignorant. And the psalmist suggests that God took this into account in his merciful dealings with his covenant people, despite generations of rebellion and idolatry. That remembering on the part of God is an expression of abundant grace, prevailing pity. 

A consistent portrayal of God is that he cares for the poor, the fatherless, the widow. These represent those most vulnerable to the abuse of power. Israel’s kings were to reflect God’s compassion as they exercised their authority. There were few that did, however. The overwhelming testimony is that they “made [Israel’s] yoke heavy.” (1 Kings 12:4). The promise of a king who exercised fatherly care for his people must have fueled their longing daily. Doesn’t it yours?


And as the king was to the people so the father is to his children. We, too, are to reflect God’s character. As we can see, compassion is a vital component of parenting. The children put under our care are as vulnerable as those whom Jesus looked upon and considered like sheep without a shepherd (Mark 6:34). He was filled with compassion for them and we should be for our children. This does not excuse bad behavior but it should temper our anger. It apparently does so for God. The writer of Hebrews observes that discipline from a father is a sign of love. It follows, therefore, that love should govern our discipline, not anger. What a tragedy to think that our un-compassionate parenting might create longing in our children similar to that of Israel. Rather, may we seek God for the grace to make our parenting a foretaste of the Messiah’s fatherly care.

Monday, December 10, 2018

Benevolent Dictator: Mighty God

We currently see the rise of the “strong man” in many parts of the world. This is a ruler who plots to gain complete authority, either through brute force, political manipulation, the weakening of governmental structures, such as the undermining of the judiciary, or a combination of all of the above, along with the silencing of critics, particularly the press. The pattern is consistent and not subtle. And despite the terrible consequences that have historically followed such accretions of power, there are still people who hail the strong man’s rise. Blinded by self-interest, motivated by fear, or fatigued by societal problems, the hope is that the man, by possessing complete control, will straighten things out. Alas, it never goes well, does it?

But there might be something in the desire for a strong man that reflects human longing on some deeper level. If we are part of a creation that exists of, through, and for God, then there is likely something within us that yearns to have someone take over and put an end to all the tumult. If we examine Scripture, we discover that that is indeed where history is headed. There is coming the ultimate strong man, a king who has all authority and possess divine power: 
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called . . .
Mighty God . . .

What would possessing divine power allow a king to do? I would suggest three things: he would be able to subdue all enemies, completely carry out his will, and withstand all assaults. Can we discover those capacities in Jesus’ ministry? Mindful that his name means Savior, and that he is also called Immanuel, God with us, we should look for the power to be present as he accomplishes his primary task, to save his people from their sins. His declarations in John 10 show unfettered capacity to carry out his will: “I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice . . . I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” In Luke 18, Jesus warns that he will be assaulted, but not overcome: “the Son of Man . . . will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” Lastly, in Acts 2, we are confronted with his ability to subdue those who plotted against him, bringing them into his fold: “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified . . . Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart . . . and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” 

While among fallen humanity, the rise of the strong man is something to be feared, in the Kingdom it is something to be longed for. God’s Strong Man came as the promised child, bringing salvation. He returns to establish a rule of justice and righteousness. Tumult will, indeed, cease. Let us hail his rise this Advent season!

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Benevolent Dictator: Wonderful Counselor

God has built authority into his creation. It originates with him, and is mediated through others. The Bible, and history, record the often ruinous ways in which God’s authority has been wielded by those who have had the privilege to possess it. Ahaz, the king of Judah at the time when several familiar prophecies were given, is an egregious example. In an attempt to preserve his power, rather than trusting Yahweh he sought to make an alliance with a pagan ruler, sending him the gold and silver stored in the Temple. Additionally, he sacrificed his son to a pagan god in an attempt to curry its favor. He then shut up the temple and set up alternative altars in Jerusalem. And most foolishly, he discounted the signs and ignored the stern, yet gracious, warnings from the God who had placed him on the eternal throne of David. Ahaz was a monumental political disaster. 

Yet, in the midst of this debacle, Yahweh offered a vision of political power that would be wielded with perfection. “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder . . .” Here is one who will rule with all authority and will do so with wisdom, justice, and righteousness, for he will be the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6,7) What an extraordinary hope to set before us!

We can be grateful that in our country we have not had to suffer the sorrow and heartache of a despotic ruler, such as Ahaz. The framers of the Constitution were wise enough to understand that tyranny results when a person, or particular faction, is allowed to have absolute authority. The separation of powers effected by establishing three branches of government has proven to be a hedge against such an accretion of power. But it is a sad commentary on the untrustworthiness of fallen man that a such form of government was thought necessary. As Lord Acton famously observed, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Advent is the season when the church looks backward and forward, simultaneously. We look back to the fulfillment of the promise of a coming deliverer, and forward to the fulness of his deliverance. And that fulness entails his assuming the role of benevolent dictator. During his brief earthly sojourn, Jesus inaugurated his rule, but he promises that one day he will return to establish the envisioned peaceable kingdom. We pray with faith and live in hope of his return. May God hasten the day.