“When my father and my mother forsake me then Jehovah will take me up”(Psalm 27:10).
When I read this verse another set of verses came to mind.
“And Peter began to say to Him, Behold, we left all and followed You. But answering, Jesus said, Truly I say to you, There is no one who forsook house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My sake and the gospel, that will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the coming age, eternal life” (Mark 10:28-30).
With persecutions. Let us embrace, rejoice, and call that ever to mind. Regarding Psalm 27:10 and Mark 10:28-30 I desire to focus on Jesus’ replacement of the biological fathers who forsake us for His sake and the gospel’s with spiritual fathers “a hundredfold now in this time.” Paul writes to the Corinthians:
“I do not write these things shaming you, but warning you as my beloved children. For if you should have myriads of teachers in Christ, yet not many fathers; for I fathered you in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Because of this, I urge you, be imitators of me. Because of this I sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved child, and faithful in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, even as I teach everywhere in every assembly. As to my not coming to you now, some were puffed up. But if the Lord wills, I will come to you shortly. And I will not know the word of those who have been puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of meekness?” (1 Corinthians 4:14-21)
I understand Paul’s statement that he “fathered [them] in Christ Jesus through the gospel” to mean those beloved spiritual children whom he led to faith in Christ through God’s appointed means. Paul also writes to the brothers in Rome:
“But, my brothers, I myself also am persuaded concerning you, that you yourselves also are full of goodness, being filled with all knowledge, being able to admonish [older version of the LITV translates as “warn.”–CD] one another. But I wrote to you more boldly, brothers, as reminding you in part, because of the grace given to me by God” (Romans 15:14-15).
When admonished or warned with Scripture let us try to remember verses like unto these ones:
“For this reason, do not be foolish, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and praising in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks at all times for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, even to God the Father, having been subject to one another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:17-21).
“Yield to those taking the lead of you, and submit, for they watch for your souls, giving an account, that they may do this with joy, and not with grieving; for this would be unprofitable to you” (Hebrews 13:17).
For those of us with spiritual surrogate fathers let us ardently desire to emulate the wise man who loves the one rebuking him with Scripture, and abhor and violently thrust away foolish and impulsive lips (cf. Proverbs 10:8).
“A scorner does not love one who corrects him, nor will he go to the wise” (Proverbs 15:12).
“He who reproves a man afterwards finds grace, more than he who flatters with the tongue” (Proverbs 28:23).
“Listen to your father, this one fathered you” (Proverbs 23:22).
“A word rightly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. As a ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover on a hearing ear” (Proverbs 25:11-12).
“Better is revealed reproof than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a lover, and plentiful are the kisses of one hating” (Proverbs 27:5-6).
“Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart, and one’s friend is sweet from the counsel of the soul” (Proverbs 27:9).
Agrammatos 