When a man becomes a father, he becomes very vulnerable to the hurts, sorrows, sicknesses and sometimes, unfortunately, the rebellion and rejection of his children. When his children hurt, his desire is that he could take the hurt upon himself in their place. When they are in danger, a father will do all in his strength to rescue his children. If he loses a child, he feels a hurt and loss like he has never known in his life. A man who always felt himself to be strong and capable, can feel unsure and sometimes helpless in the challenge of being a father to his children. He discovers that it costs him something, physically, mentally, and spiritually, to be a father. When the all mighty, all powerful, omniscient, omnipresent God made the provision for our salvation, He became "Father", and He chose to accept the vulnerability of all that it entails to be a Father. To be vulnerable means to be susceptible to physical or emotional wounding, attack, or harm. God accepted this vulnerability into His character in order to be "Father".
In Jesus' ministry as the Son, as our Salvation, He spoke of Himself as the salvation coming from and of, the Father. The Son's physical location is hidden in the bosom of the Father (Jn. 1:18). The salvation of God was born from the making of Himself vulnerable through His Fatherhood.
We see this vulnerability as God speaks to Cain, not as his God, but as a Father seeing his son headed for destruction, trying to teach Cain to understand what lies ahead:
"So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." Gen 4:6-7
These are not just the words of God to one of His creatures, but they are the advising, teaching, correcting words of wisdom from the heart of a Father to His son. As God made Himself vulnerable to Cain as a Father, He also had to suffer the wound of witnessing Cain's choice to disregard His words, and become a curse in the earth after he murdered his brother. God's Fatherhood to Cain did not end there. As Cain went out from the LORD's presence to wander (Nod) the earth, the LORD set a mark upon Cain, because Cain feared that others would kill him after he departed from God. The Hebrew word for "mark" is owth אוֹת , which means a distinguishing mark, a miraculous sign, a warning, ensign, proof. The Hebrew letters of the word for mark each mean: 1. leader, strength, adonai, 2. nail, make secure, join together, and 3. cross, mark, sign, ownership, covenant. Though Cain was a murderer, his Father, God, did all He could for this pathetic, lost son.
Without the understanding of the Fatherhood of God, and its vulnerability, we cannot understand the salvation of God, which is the Son:
"Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me." Jn. 8:42
Jesus was speaking these words above, to those who believed Him among the Jews (v. 31). Though they believed Jesus to a point, they were offended by His statement that they were slaves to sin, and that He brought the truth that would free them (v. 32, 34). They were so offended, they desired at that point to kill Him. He said, if God was their Father, they would know and love the Son. Though they knew God, they did not know Him as Father.
Though many spend their whole lives studying (an believing) the words and ways of God, until they look into the vulnerable heart of the Father, they will not find the Son, their salvation. One of Jesus' disciples asked Him to show them the Father. Jesus was amazed at this request stating, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father..." Jn. 14:8-9
The Fatherhood of God, as we have seen, is not just a New Testament teaching. The LORD did not call and appoint Moses to be only a leader, and law-giver to His people, but He called Moses to be a father to God's people. Moses expressed the pain and vulnerability of this calling:
"So Moses said to the LORD, "Why have You afflicted your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them that You should say to me "Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child", to the land which You swore to their fathers?" Num. 11:11-12
We can imagine Moses pulling his hair out over having become a "father" to hundreds of thousands of complaining infants that were the people of God! Poor Moses. We can almost hear God saying, "Now you know how I feel!"
The prophet Isaiah beautifully describes the heart and vulnerability of the Father in Ch. 63:
"In all their affliction, He (the LORD, YHWH) was afflicted. And the Angel of His Presence saved them; in His love, and in His pity He redeemed them; He bore them and carried them all the days of old, but they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit....Doubtless You are our Father, though Abraham was ignorant of us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name." Isa. 63:9, 16
As Isaiah points out above, it is from the vulnerable nature of Fatherhood, that our salvation and redemption come.
God allowed Himself to become vulnerable for our sakes, and He became a Father, so His Son could save us. A god does not tolerate rebellion, and rejection, but a Father will give and do everything and all that He can, to save His child.
So what is the joy of God in exchange for allowing Himself to become vulnerable as a Father? He describes the overwhelming joy of seeing even an ungrateful, rebellious child come home to Him:
"But when he (the son) was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said, "I have sinned...and am no longer worthy to be called your son." But the father said to his servants, "Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry." Lk. 15:20-24
"Likewise I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Lk. 15:10
Though Fatherhood brings God vulnerability, it also brings Him a joy that He could not have had otherwise- the joy of seeing our salvation.
Our Father, the Great God, made Himself vulnerable on our behalf.
"Our Father"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf1wtzOoXDA
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