Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it (Matt. 21:33-34).
God is pictured in the Bible as being absent from His people. Yet He is also pictured as being inescapably present. He is with men even in hell (Ps. 139:8), yet the essence of hell is separation from God’s place of residence in heaven (Luke 16:23). This points to the proper definition of God’s being: both transcendent and immanent. We must affirm both if we affirm Christian orthodoxy.
How can He be absent? He is absent from His people physically. God created Adam, spoke to him, brought the animals to him for Adam to name, but then departed. Adam and Eve were physically alone when the serpent came to tempt them. God returned to bring judgment against Adam, Eve, and the serpent. Then He removed them from the garden, thereby also removing them from His physical presence.
Man is under God, for man is a creature. He is under God judicially, for he is a judge over the creation, who will eventually judge even the angels (l Cor. 6:3). Man is under God economically, for he is a steward of God’s assets. This position of subordination is manifested publicly by means of such things as person’s oaths, verbal proclamations, institutional memberships, and self-conscious lifestyles. Each person must serve one of two masters, God or Mammon.
Presence by Representation
The landlord financed the creation of the vineyard. He then hired men who agreed to become stewards of his property. These stewards were to guard and dress the vineyard until such time as the vines began to bear fruit. But the stewards had not seen the landlord throughout the period of growth. Their attitude changed. Hired as subordinate leaseholders, they began to see themselves as the owners of the field. They had not planted it, but somehow they were more than caretakers or sharecroppers. Thus, they regarded any intrusion on their mental universe as an invasion by a hostile force.
When the servants of the landlord arrived, the tenant farmers beat some and killed others. Word got back to the landlord, but instead of bringing judgment against them, he graciously gave them one more opportunity to hand over his rightful crop. He sent his son. This was his heir.
This post was published at Gary North on July 16, 2016.
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