God Of The Fathers
God Of The Fathers [1]
Genesis 31:5 Genesis 31:29 Genesis 43:23 Genesis 49:25 Genesis 50:17 Genesis 31:53 Genesis 26:24 Genesis 28:13 Genesis 32:9 Genesis 28:13 Genesis 32:9 Genesis 46:1 Genesis 31:53 Joshua 24:2 Joshua 24:14-15 Genesis 31:42 Genesis 49:24
The “burning bush” story ( Exodus 3:1 ) identified the “God of the Fathers” with Yahweh. Faced with the prospect of telling the people that “The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you,” Moses was worried that they would ask him, “What is his name?” ( Exodus 3:13 ). God commanded Him to answer: “Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me to you” ( Exodus 3:15 ). Exodus 6:2-3 reveals that the “God of the fathers” was not known by the name of Yahweh, but as “El Shaddai” (God Almighty).
The biblical witness consistently uses the formula to emphasize continuity between the God who is revealed to Moses and the God who guided the patriarchs, even by a different name. Likewise, in the Old Testament, “God of thy fathers” or “God of our fathers” functions to link the author's generation to the God of earlier generations, especially with reference to the promises to the patriarchs ( Deuteronomy 1:11 , Deuteronomy 1:21; Deuteronomy 4:1; Deuteronomy 6:3; Deuteronomy 12:1; Deuteronomy 26:7; Deuteronomy 27:3 ). In contrast, abandonment of this historic connection is also emphasized ( 1 Chronicles 12:17; 2 Chronicles 20:33; 2 Chronicles 24:24; 2 Chronicles 29:5; 2 Chronicles 30:7; 2 Chronicles 36:15; Ezra 7:27 ). In the New Testament the formula is transformed to mark the continuity between historic Israel and Christianity. The God revealed in Jesus Christ is the same as the God revealed to the patriarchs ( Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:26; Acts 3:13; Acts 5:30; Acts 7:32; Acts 22:14 ). See Names Of God; Patriarchs; Yahweh.
Dixon Sutherland
