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As we approach Father’s Day, we are reminded of the care that we have received from our fathers here on this earth. We are also reminded that these relationships point us to our heavenly Father.  The words of our Lord tell us of the special relationship we now have in Christ (Matthew 23:9).

In the Old Testament, God was not revealed as ‘the Father.’ It is not until we arrive in the New Testament that we are especially introduced to this truth by Jesus Christ. The Lord references God as ‘the Father’ at least 150 times. In fact, one cannot know the Father in the special way God has intended except through the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:27; John 14:6).

However, in the Old Testament and then repeated in the New Testament, a particular phrase offers us insight into the Father’s care for us. There is an insightful phrase found in the book of Deuteronomy. In that particular book, Moses delivers a series of messages to encourage and prepare the nation of Israel for His departure to glory and their entrance into the promised land. In these sermons, He emphasizes God’s commands for His people. The key insight is found in the phrase, “….that it may be well with thee…” Notice the following verses.

In Deuteronomy 5:33, we read, “Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.” 

Again, in Deuteronomy 6:3, “Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.”

Two more times in the book of Deuteronomy, the nation was instructed to obey God's commandments for their own good.

As we continue in the Old Testament, we come to a time when the nation of Israel is on the brink of ruin. Jeremiah, in His preaching, declares these sobering words.

Jeremiah 7:23-24 “But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. 24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.

The truth we need to understand, then, is that God has given us principles, precepts, and commands so “that it may be well” with us. The best life you and I can live is the life that follows the instructions of the Lord! Don’t ever forget that our heavenly Father has given us His Word so that it may be well with us. The final occurrence of that phrase “that it may be well with thee” is very fitting as we celebrate Father’s Day. It is a New Testament quotation of an Old Testament commandment. It is found in Ephesians chapter 6.

“Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” Ephesians 6:2-3