The family supper was more than a time and place to sit and eat. For some families it’s a shared experience involving all the senses. A time of fellowship and bonding.”
–Dan Arnold (Gunman at Large)
“See, O Lord, that I am in distress; My soul is troubled; My heart is overturned within me, For I have been very rebellious. Outside the sword bereaves, At home it is like death.”
–Lamentations 1:20(NKJV)
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Possibly the Scriptures that have been preached the most are from Luke 15:11-32. It has been labeled the Story of the Prodigal Son, but I prefer the title that William Barclay gives it because the son is not the hero in this story; it should be titled, The Story of the Loving Father. The NKJV Study Bible calls it the Parable of the Lost Son, depicting the truth of the situation.
I do not want to be redundant with all of the preaching and teaching of these verses, but want to consider just a couple of things. For the most part, I believe that God often allows man’s sin to judge himself. For example, the drug addict will most likely die from an overdose, or organ failure because of drugs, or from disease resulting from the taking of drugs. Their sin led to their demise. Now, I do not believe that this is an absolute fact, but there is much truth in it.
In the parable the son is rebellious; he wants his own selfish way, and he gets it. He is given his inheritance, he goes off to a distant land and “there squandered his wealth in wild living” (15:13, NIV). Barclay translates it “wanton recklessness.” His folly finally leads him to spending all that he had that when “trouble” (a famine) arose he had no money to live on and “began to be in want” (Barclay). His foolishness, his sin, had led him astray and he was in dire straits.
To survive he was given the task of feeding pigs, a task that was forbidden to a Jew. He was hungry, no one would feed him, and he looked longingly at the food he fed the pigs. His sin had driven him to the pig pen, the slop and uncleanness of the pig sty became his life, and in his despair he thought of home. Then a spark of light comes to him, Barclay and the NKJV translate verse 17, “when he came to himself,” while the NIV puts it this way, “when he came to his senses.”
This prodigal, this wayward, sinful man, came to himself. It was not that he was a sinner that brought him to himself, but the motivation was hunger. I don’t think he was repentant at this time, he was just hungry and thought of the food that his father provided for his servants. It drove him home. Yes, there is much more to the story, the rejoicing and acceptance of the father, the son being given a position in the household again, the bitterness of the older son, but think of what would have happened if he had not come to his senses.
His sin had driven him to the slop of the sty. However, he came to his sins. He was being judged by his foolishness, his sin, his rebellion, and he did not even realize it. That is the shame of those whom God might be chastising. They do not even realize what is taking place. Instead of coming to their senses they stay in their wicked lifestyles, they make excuses, they do not look homeward to the Father. Over the years I have witnessed this take place. A wrongful wedding with an unbeliever, the straying from church, a divorce, a deadbeat dad, and all the while God is chastising and telling them to come to their senses. Alas, and to their shame and detriment, many often continue on the downward spiral and do not see the hand of God working. Come to your senses, and come on home, the Father beckons, yet many, oh too many reply, I’d rather live in the slop with the pigs.
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Possibly the Scriptures that have been preached the most are from Luke 15:11-32. It has been labeled the Story of the Prodigal Son, but I prefer the title that William Barclay gives it because the son is not the hero in this story; it should be titled, The Story of the Loving Father. The NKJV Study Bible calls it the Parable of the Lost Son, depicting the truth of the situation.
I do not want to be redundant with all of the preaching and teaching of these verses, but want to consider just a couple of things. For the most part, I believe that God often allows man’s sin to judge himself. For example, the drug addict will most likely die from an overdose, or organ failure because of drugs, or from disease resulting from the taking of drugs. Their sin led to their demise. Now, I do not believe that this is an absolute fact, but there is much truth in it.
In the parable the son is rebellious; he wants his own selfish way, and he gets it. He is given his inheritance, he goes off to a distant land and “there squandered his wealth in wild living” (15:13, NIV). Barclay translates it “wanton recklessness.” His folly finally leads him to spending all that he had that when “trouble” (a famine) arose he had no money to live on and “began to be in want” (Barclay). His foolishness, his sin, had led him astray and he was in dire straits.
To survive he was given the task of feeding pigs, a task that was forbidden to a Jew. He was hungry, no one would feed him, and he looked longingly at the food he fed the pigs. His sin had driven him to the pig pen, the slop and uncleanness of the pig sty became his life, and in his despair he thought of home. Then a spark of light comes to him, Barclay and the NKJV translate verse 17, “when he came to himself,” while the NIV puts it this way, “when he came to his senses.”
This prodigal, this wayward, sinful man, came to himself. It was not that he was a sinner that brought him to himself, but the motivation was hunger. I don’t think he was repentant at this time, he was just hungry and thought of the food that his father provided for his servants. It drove him home. Yes, there is much more to the story, the rejoicing and acceptance of the father, the son being given a position in the household again, the bitterness of the older son, but think of what would have happened if he had not come to his senses.
His sin had driven him to the slop of the sty. However, he came to his sins. He was being judged by his foolishness, his sin, his rebellion, and he did not even realize it. That is the shame of those whom God might be chastising. They do not even realize what is taking place. Instead of coming to their senses they stay in their wicked lifestyles, they make excuses, they do not look homeward to the Father. Over the years I have witnessed this take place. A wrongful wedding with an unbeliever, the straying from church, a divorce, a deadbeat dad, and all the while God is chastising and telling them to come to their senses. Alas, and to their shame and detriment, many often continue on the downward spiral and do not see the hand of God working. Come to your senses, and come on home, the Father beckons, yet many, oh too many reply, I’d rather live in the slop with the pigs.