Are you a servant or a son who serves?
First mentioned in Genesis 9:25 talks about Canaan who is cursed to be a servant of servants unto his brethren.
The Hebrew word means to be in bondage.
It is used many times in both old and new testament scriptures. Servants who were treated well wanted to stay with the family and not go free. They were not the status of the son but were like family. Often when someone was seeking favor from another they would humble themselves and say “lord, you servant asks…” like Jacob and Esau in Genesis 32:4.
In the old testament the prophets were servants of God. Malachi 4:4 spoke of Moses as God’s servant.
Zechariah 3:8 speaks of the BRANCH who is a servant to come.
David in the psalms spoke constantly on being a servant of the Lord but did he feel like a son of God?
I will come back to that.
In the new testament Jesus spoke on masters and servants and sons. Matthew 10:24-25 talks about disciples should be like the master and the servant like the lord.
Matthew 12:18 spoke on a prophecy fulfilled on God’s servant to come. God is pleased with this servant, Jesus.
Matthew 18:26-32
A servant asked forgiveness and the lord forgave. But that servant went out and was evil so the lord punished him until he could pay his debt.
Is the servant like the son?
Matthew 20:27 the gentiles have a hierarchy of power. But Jesus said let the Chief among you be your servant. Like Christ who came to serve and give His life.
Matthew 24:45-46
Who is the faithful and wise servant whom the lord makes ruler over His household?
The one who was doing the Lords will (his job) when he comes back. Blessed is that servant.
But there is also the evil servant that God will smite, cut asunder.
This brings to mind a difference between a son and a servant. The servants reward is based on His actions.
Faithful = Rewarded. Evil = Punishment.
The son like in the prodigal son did evil and spent all his inheritance but was welcomed back. Once a son, always a son.
Mark 9:30-35
The disciples want to know who will be the greatest among them. Jesus says “if any man desire to be the first, he shall be last and servant of all”.
Many verses and passages of Jesus are hard teachings. What does this say to you? Do you desire to be first? Why?
Mark 12 speaks on the master who planted a vineyard. Left his servants to tend the vineyard. The master sent people to receive the fruits of the vineyard. they fought and killed many, even killed the son.
Jesus is telling how Israel was servants with a job and they failed and were punished.
It seems to me Israel was never legitimately a son of God. When Christ came and took our place He gave us power to become a son of God, that was never available before. Old testament saints were saved by faith but until Christ came they were not sons of God given an inheritance, they were good servants who were rewarded and still being rewarded.
Luke 17:7 and on
If you are a servant you do not seek thanks or glory. If you follow the commandments of the master, good you did your job. We humble ourselves.
Luke 19:12
Speaks of the servants and the talents. The good servants are rewarded and the bad punished. But in verse 14 it speaks of citizens that were against the ruler, in verse 27 the master has his enemy’s slain.
John 8:31-35
Jesus tells the Pharisees if they know the truth they can be free. They answered we are not in bondage. Jesus says “whoever sins is the servant of sin’, a servant doesn’t stay in the house for ever but the son abides forever.
The son can make a servant free!
Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, and He came to free us. When we are freed we are also sons of God by adoption and we can set others free from servitude of sin!
John 12:26
If anyone serves Jesus you will follow Him, even unto his death. If we serve Jesus it honors God.
John 13:16
The servant is not greater than his Lord.
John 15:15
Jesus is transitioning to calling His followers His friends, not servants.
The Bible from he beginning on is a plan of God with stages and time frames. Each step has a purpose.
We can be all those things described, servants, sons, friends, prodigals, etc….. but Gods plan for the end is to make us all one with Him in the Godhead in unity for eternity.
All the stages from creation, free will, sin, salvation and redemption were all needed and all foresaw by God for each and everyone of us to be redeemed.
What a wonderful plan of God to make it so easy for us to receive and how sad to those who choose not to!
Paul in romans 1:1 calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ. He is not wrong, he was called to suffer for Christ name sake. We may all be called to suffer as well, but you see how it happened with Paul in Acts 9.
Galatians 1:10
Paul says if he is seeking to please mane he would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 4 is interesting.
verses 1-3
1″Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
2 But is under tutors and governors until time appointed of the father.
3 even so we, when we were children were in bondage under the elements of the world:”
I believe this was the way heirs were raised in this time. Being an heir as a child is still like a servant even though he is the Lord, so he studies until the appointed time of the father, this shows a picture of Christ growing up until His appointed time.
Paul says we “were” children in bondage but because Christ came we are no longer servants to the world but a son of God. I encourage you to read and study the whole Galatians 4.
2nd Timothy 2:22-26
This area speaks on leaving behind the old ways so we can serve God. Patience is big because we often get upset with humans who choose to ignore the warnings, not choosing to accept God’s gift.
Verse 24 “and the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient…”
are you a servant or a son who serves? Even as a son we need to know how to serve God well.
Philemon 10-16
This epistle is focused on forgiveness of someone who has been wronged. In verse 16 it shows how we can be fellow servants of God but that is not what God had in mind, He wanted us to have the deep bond of brotherhood, being siblings who serve the Father!
Hebrews 3:5-6
Moses was a faithful servant but Christ is the son, over His own house. We are the house but it reminds me when Christ said “Greater than Moses is here!”
There are 100s of times the word Son is used in the KJV Bible but I wanted to mentioned a few on David.
Did David feel like a son of God?
In psalm 8:4 he asks “what is man that thou art mindful of him. And the son of man that thou visited him?”
Is this personal between him and God?
Psalm 86:16
he says “have mercy, give strength unto they servant, the son of thine handmaid”
Again in 116:16.
in 144:3 and 146:3 he says son of man, is this himself or humans?
Looking over 1st and 2nd Samuel I could not find where David references himself as a son of God. Israel’s greatest king still felt a servant but Christ came to change and improve our relationship with God.
How does this revelation change how you think of God and yourself,
What Christ did, and how would changing it was and is!
God bless you!
Jordan
A son of the Lord God almighty!
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