Many Christians have a problem when someone in their ranks have the nerve to call on or to view God as 'Mother God'. They say we cannot call God Mother because it goes against God's own revelation as to who he is. What I have come to know is that within the pages of Scriptures both Old and New Covenant, that our God has revealed 'itself' in many ways using many names and metaphors to describe Gods awesome wonder and magnitude. If God has revealed himself within the pages using many names or metaphors then I as his child of God and believer in Jesus can use anyone of these names and or metaphors to talk to God and to hope in God and to rely on God according to my present need.
As one whom his mother comforts,so will I comfort you;
You shall be comforted in Jerusalem. Isaiah 66.13
"As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him." Deut. 32:11-1
In the Bible we read that God is like a loving father, a courageous warrior, a good shepherd, a mighty king, a passionate lover.
But God is also like a mother eagle, a woman in labour, a midwife delivering a baby, a nurturing mother feeding her infant at the breast.
The wisdom of God in the Hebrew Scriptures is personified as a woman called Sophia.
Needless to say, the masculine metaphors have been more commonly used than the feminine ones.
But the Mother Eagle Speaks of the Nurturing of Our God
God is perfect in His attributes. All that is good and righteous in women and mothers have their foundation in God. Our Lord has the attributes of both the perfect father and perfect mother. We see women as supportive and nurturing, while men are seen as strong and direct. Though God is depicted for the most part as male in scripture, I believe that is because of the times and mindset of the people when these Scriptures were written. He is actually the perfect representation of both males and females. That is why scripture uses the mother eagle as an illustration of God's greatness.
We have witnesses on the earth, nature and all of creation to teach us about God and his nature they are both in the written Word, and in Nature. In Matt 6:26.it says:" Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. And are you not worth much more than they? " Jesus tells us to look at how God takes care of the Natural world and it's inhabitants, revealing Gods love for His creation by looking at creation to see the love of God.
God's Power is Seen in Nature
Joshua 2:11. For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.
Romans 1:20. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Conclusion: God reveals Himself throughout His Word and through creation 'nature'. Sometimes He shows Himself powerful and mighty. Other times He is a still small voice. But one of the most beautiful and revealing pictures of our Lord is that of the Mother Eagle. If we could only live moment by moment in the assurance that God is our Protector and Sustainer, our Power and Strength. Like the mother eagle, God teaches us of His ways. Like the mother eagle, God protects us from all enemies. Like the mother eagle, God nurtures and loves us. May we be always mindful of that love and nurturing.
So is it ok to call our Awesome God both Father and Mother God? Well if we take nature as a witness to God's invisible qualities then we know that in order for any man to be called a Father to His Children that it takes a Mother to make it so.So my argument is this, if God has revealed Himself to be something, and has given us his names to reveal something about who God is then I have much to base my conclusions. God is Both Father and Mother to us all.
blessings to ya.
http://www.allaboutgod.com/
Names of God: A Way to Understand His Nature and Character
The Names of God used in the Bible act as a roadmap for learning about the character of God. Since the Bible is God's Word to us, the names He chooses in scripture are meant to reveal His true nature to us.
Names of God: His Titles Revealed in Scripture
"ELOHIM" (or Elohay) is the first name for God found in the Bible, and it's used throughout the Old Testament over 2,300 times. Elohim comes from the Hebrew root meaning "strength" or "power", and has the unusual characteristic of being plural in form. In Genesis 1:1, we read, "In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth." Right from the start, this plural form for the name of God is used to describe the One God, a mystery that is uncovered throughout the rest of the Bible. Throughout scripture, Elohim is combined with other words to describe certain characteristics of God. Some examples: Elohay Kedem - God of the Beginning: (Deuteronomy 33:27). Elohay Mishpat - God Of Justice: (Isaiah 30:18). Elohay Selichot - God Of Forgiveness: (Nehemiah 9:17). Elohay Marom - God Of Heights: (Micah 6:6). Elohay Mikarov - God Who Is Near: (Jeremiah 23:23). Elohay Mauzi - God Of My Strength: (Psalm 43:2). Elohay Tehilati - God Of My Praise: (Psalm 109:1). Elohay Yishi - God Of My Salvation: (Psalm 18:47, 25:5). Elohim Kedoshim - Holy God: (Leviticus 19:2, Joshua 24:19). Elohim Chaiyim - Living God: (Jeremiah 10:10). Elohay Elohim - God Of Gods: (Deuteronomy 10:17).
"EL" is another name used for God in the Bible, showing up about 200 times in the Old Testament. El is the simple form arising from Elohim, and is often combined with other words for descriptive emphasis. Some examples: El HaNe'eman - The Faithful God: (Deuteronomy 7:9). El HaGadol - The Great God: (Deuteronomy 10:17). El HaKadosh - The Holy God: (Isaiah 5:16). El Yisrael - The God Of Israel: (Psalm 68:35). El HaShamayim - The God Of The Heavens: (Psalm 136:26). El De'ot - The God Of Knowledge: (1 Samuel 2:3). El Emet - The God Of Truth: (Psalm 31:6). El Yeshuati - The God Of My Salvation: (Isaiah 12:2). El Elyon - The Most High God: (Genesis 14:18). Immanu El - God Is With Us: (Isaiah 7:14). El Olam - The God Of Eternity (Genesis 21:33). El Echad - The One God: (Malachi 2:10). "ELAH" is another name for God, used about 70 times in the Old Testament. Again, when combined with other words, we see different attributes of God. Some examples: Elah Yerush'lem - God of Jerusalem: (Ezra 7:19). Elah Yisrael - God of Israel: (Ezra 5:1). Elah Sh'maya - God of Heaven: (Ezra 7:23). Elah Sh'maya V'Arah - God of Heaven and Earth: (Ezra 5:11).
"YHVH" is the Hebrew word that translates as "LORD". Found more often in the Old Testament than any other name for God (approximately 7,000 times), the title is also referred to as the "Tetragrammaton," meaning the "The Four Letters". YHVH comes from the Hebrew verb "to be" and is the special name that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM; and He said, thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you... this is My eternal name, and this is how I am to be recalled for all generations'" (Exodus 3:14-15). Therefore, YHVH declares God's absolute being - the source of everything, without beginning and without end. Although some pronounce YHVH as "Jehovah" or "Yaweh," scholars really don't know the proper pronunciation. The Jews stopped pronouncing this name by about 200 A.D., out of fear of breaking the commandment "You shall not take the name of YHVH your God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). (Today's rabbis typically use "Adonai" in place of YHVH.) Here are some examples of YHVH used in scripture: YHVH Elohim - LORD God: (Genesis 2:4). YHVH M'kadesh - The LORD Who Makes Holy: (Ezekiel 37:28). YHVH Yireh - The LORD Who Sees/provides: (Genesis 22:14). YHVH Nissi - The LORD My Banner: (Exodus 17:15). YHVH Shalom - The LORD Of Peace: (Judges 6:24). YHVH Tzidkaynu - The LORD Our Righteousness: (Jeremiah 33:16). YHVH O'saynu - The LORD our Maker: (Psalm 95:6).
Names of God: The Lord Revealed in YHVH is the Lord Revealed in Yeshua (Jesus)
The LORD who revealed Himself as YHVH in the Old Testament is revealed as Yeshua (Jesus) in the New Testament. Jesus shares the same attributes as YHVH and clearly claims to be YHVH. In John 8:56-9, Jesus presents himself as the "I AM." When challenged by some Jewish leaders regarding His claim of seeing Abraham (who lived some 2000 years earlier), Jesus replied, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM." Those Jewish leaders understood that Jesus was claiming to be YHVH. This is clearly established when they tried to stone Him to death for what they considered blasphemy under Jewish Law. In Romans 10:9, Paul declares, "if you confess with your mouth Yeshua as LORD... you shall be saved." Immediately thereafter, in Romans 10:13, Paul backs up this declaration by quoting the Old Testament, "Whoever will call upon the name of the LORD (YHVH) will be saved" (Joel 2:32). Calling on Yeshua (Jesus) as Lord is the same as calling Him YHVH, because Yeshua (Jesus) is YHVH (LORD), the Messiah foretold throughout the entire Old Testament.
No comments:
Post a Comment