Verse of the Day 8/14

Through the Bible - 1 Samuel 15-17, Luke 15:11-32

 

Good morning,

Yesterday we considered what it should mean to us  that the Lord is "your" God, and how amazing it is that He should die for us.

For today's verse we go to today's Bible reading and one of the most read, quoted, and studied "short stories" of all time, The Prodigal Son.  The story is told with a fine balance of contrasts away and back, the breaking and mending of relationships, and the son losing everything then receiving everything.  All of this is centered around the son's repentance.

The son represents us and the father represents God.  Today's verse is the background for the song "When God Ran".

Luke 15:20 "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.    NKJV
As the son dejectedly and apprehensively walked along the dusty road his father saw him on the horizon.  What does he do for this son who had rejected him and wasted all that he had given him?  He runs to him, not worrying about the lack of dignity in that culture, of  running.  When he catches up with his son, he interrupts the prepared speech and hugs and kisses him.  He shows him that he still loves him and restores the relationship with forgiveness and assurance by giving him a ring.

The older son is jealous and objects.  But as the celebration begins without the older son the father leaves his place at the head of the table in to go out and to try to reassure his older son, to take away his resentment. 

Henry Wansbrough writes, "To the hurtful jibe of "this son of yours" he replies gently with "your brother".  A less generous story would have finished with a sharp contrast in the father's attitude to the two brothers and would have left the self righteous brother to swelter in his own resentment.  But this Father's affection is so limitless that even such behavior must be drawn back into love."

Consider your emotions and how you have fit into this story.  May you realize how the Father has loved, has run to you.

Blessings,

Mike

mikevw@bellsouth.net

mikesvotd.blogspot.com

 

Luke 15:11-25

 

The Parable of the Lost Son

 

11 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons.  12 And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood.  13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,  19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants."'

20 "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  21 And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

22 "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.  23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;  24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry. NKJV