Abraham’s Children

His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him…He has helped His servant Israel, mindful of His mercy, just as He spoke to our ancestors, to Abraham and his descendants forever. – Luke 1:50, 54-55 HCSB

A rich man had a son who was the apple of his eye and was a good, obedient child. Because the rich man had a lot of love to share, he adopted two daughters as well.

The first adopted daughter, in spite of the father’s best efforts, became rebellious. She forgot her humble beginnings. She forgot how terrible her circumstances were before she was adopted. She proudly began to think that all of her present amenities were her due.

Finally, this daughter became so jealous and hateful that she lashed out against the rich man’s biological son, trying to kill him. Naturally, the rich man could not allow this to continue. Though he loved this rebel greatly and wanted nothing more than a close relationship with her, the father was forced to cast out this ungrateful child.

The second daughter was adopted after the first daughter’s rebellion and knew of the first adopted child’s downfall. Though she made many mistakes and cost the father much grief, this second daughter retained a humble spirit and was, thus, always salvageable.

Hopefully, by now my simple parable is clear. The rich man is God. The biological son is Yeshua ben Adonai, our Master. The first adoptive daughter is Israel and the second is the Church.

Israel’s mistake was forgetting that they were adoptive children. They came to the mistaken belief that they were biological children. “We are descendants of Abraham,” they said, “and we have never been enslaved to anyone!”[1] They went so far as to actually claim “We weren’t born of sexual immorality. We have one Father – God.”[2]

They forgot their origins. God told them, “Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. As for your birth, your umbilical cord wasn't cut on the day you were born, and you weren't washed clean with water. You were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. No one cared [enough] about you to do even one of these things out of compassion for you. But you were thrown out into the open field because you were despised on the day you were born. I passed by you and saw you lying in your blood, and I said to you [as you lay] in your blood: Live!”[3]

All of us are adoptive children. All those who fear Hashem can be reborn into His family.[4] Because we live in His house, we can all claim kinship with Abraham. All those who fear God are Jews, Abraham’s children.[5] Even greater, we are God’s children. But let’s never forget our origins.[6] Let show our Father how grateful we are by obeying Him.[7]

[1] John 8:33
[2] John 8:41
[3] Ezekiel 16:3b-6a HCSB
[4] John 1:12-13; Acts 13:26
[5] Romans 2:29; 4:12-16; 11:17-25; Ephesians 2:11-22
[6] Revelation 2:5
[7] John 14:15