When was God addressed as Father?
Christ in Gethsemane (Christus in Gethsemane), oil painting by Heinrich Ferdinand Hofmann (Heinrich Hofmann). The original is at the Riverside Church (Riverside Church, New York City). (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) From early in Israel ’s history God was regarded as a father (cf. personal names such as Eliab , Joab “God is [my] father”; Abijah , Abiel “my father is God”). Yahweh was recognized as the father of Israel (e.g., Isa. 63:16 ; Jer. 3:4 ; Mal. 1:6 ), both as suzerain in the covenant relationship (e.g., Deut. 7:14 ) and as creator of the world (e.g., 32:6 ; Mal. 2:10 ). Just as the human father, God possesses ultimate authority ( Mal. 1:6 ; Matt. 7:21–23 ). Similarly, he demonstrates his love and care for his children ( Exod. 4:22–23 ; Deut. 1:31 ; Jer. 31:9 , 20 ; Matt. 6:26–34 ; 18:14 ). The Gospels frequently distinguish between the relationship of God to his son Jesus (“my father”) and to the disciples (“your father”; cf. John 20:17 ). Because of Jesus’ particular natur