This article is a follow-on to my discussion with ChatGPT on the Nature of YHVH as a responsible but not controlling Parent.
This important aspect of YHVH is a quiet but consistent under-thread in the Miqra and in the teachings of Yeshua. It is all part of the Yahwist Israelite process of learning to know YHVH as a living Being.
One of the most overlooked features of pre-Exile Yahwist theology, is its underlying yet profoundly non-coercive vision of God. Contrary to later theological systems that emphasise domination, fear, or enforced submission, the quietly balanced and measured parts of the Miqra consistently present YHVH as a nurturing, patient, and relational parent—one who guides, teaches, corrects, and heals, but does not control every movement of the human will.
This same vision subtly underpins the ethical teaching of Yeshua of Nazareth—he was able to see this aspect of YHVH’s nature, and built his teaching on it. While it is often obscured by later doctrinal overlays, it remains clearly visible to those reading the texts attentively, and within their original Yahwist context.
The harsh, commanding tone of many parts of the Miqra originate from times of national trauma — the Assyrian and Babylonian Exiles — and as a result, the parts of the Hebrew Bible written during those times reflect that very real human trauma. As a result, the true personality of the Living God of Israel became subsumed to the national trauma of the Jewish people as human beings. However, if you have the patience and faith to look for it — the willingness to learn to know YHVH — the true nature of YHVH runs all the way through the Miqra, and shines out in the teachings of Yeshua.
This article therefore explores how that parental, non-controlling and non-coercive model of God runs as a continuous under-thread through the Miqra and the Synoptic Gospels, and why it matters deeply for spiritual maturity, moral responsibility, mental health, and inner healing; these are important themes in Massorite Talmidaism.
1. Parenthood Without Domination in the Miqra
God teaches before God commands
In the Miqra, YHVH is repeatedly portrayed, not as an authoritarian ruler issuing arbitrary decrees, but as a teacher forming and building up a people over time.
“I taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up in my arms… I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love.”
(Hos 11:3–4)
This is not the language of coercion. It is the language of patient accompaniment. God does not drag Israel forward, kicking and screaming; God walks with Israel, accepting slowness, resistance, and immaturity as part of human growth. YHVH leads us at our pace.
Likewise:
“Know then in your heart that, as a parent disciplines a child, so YHVH your God disciplines you.”
(Deut 8:5)
Biblical “discipline” here is formative, guiding and correctional, not punitive. Its purpose is learning and maturity, not fear or submission.
Divine authority that respects human agency
One of the most striking features of early Yahwist theology is that God repeatedly allows human beings to choose wrongly, even when the natural consequences are severe.
“I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life.”
(Deut 30:19)
The presence of genuine choice is decisive. A controlling and coercive deity would not permit refusal. YHVH does—and still continues to guide, call, and restore, even after failure.
This is why repentance in the Miqra is never portrayed as grovelling submission, but as returning (שוב), a movement back into relationship.
2. God’s Patience With Moral Immaturity
The Hebrew prophets often describe Israel as morally immature rather than inherently wicked—and YHVH responds accordingly.
“How can I give you up, O Ephraim? … My heart recoils within Me; My compassion grows warm and tender.”
(Hos 11:8)
This is not the voice of a tyrant demanding obedience at all costs. It is the voice of a parent who refuses to abandon their child—even a disobedient one.
Similarly:
“YHVH is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.”
(Ps 103:8)
The slowness of divine anger is not incidental; it is central to Yahwist theology. It assumes that human beings need time to grow, and that fear is a very poor teacher.
3. Yeshua’s Teaching: God as Abba, Not Overseer
Yeshua does not introduce a new God, or a new interpretation of God. He intensifies and clarifies the Miqra’s existing vision, which stern and fear-based teachers before him consistently missed.
When Yeshua addresses God as Abba, the emphasis is not intimacy alone, but trust without terror.
“If you, who are imperfect, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more so will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask.”
(Matt 7:11; cf. Luke 11:13)
This is an argument from the standpoint of ordinary yet responsible parenting. Yeshua assumes that decent parents do not rule by fear—and that God is better than the best human examples of parents.
Growth, not perfectionism
When Yeshua used the word ’perfect’, he wasn’t referring to a state of sinlessness, he was referring to the healthy ’wholeness’ of the soul (the Aramaic shlima or meshallam means whole, perfect, complete). In fact, Yeshua regularly resists strict moral perfectionism and anxiety-driven obedience:
“Do not worry about tomorrow… each day has enough trouble of its own.”
(Matt 6:34)
“The Sabbath was made for humanity, not humanity for the Sabbath.”
(Mark 2:27)
These teachings dismantle the idea that God monitors every misstep, or demands flawless compliance. Instead, divine instruction is oriented toward the flourishing of the human mind and soul.
4. Correction Without Humiliation
Where Yeshua does rebuke, it is directed overwhelmingly at systems that burden and control, not at ordinary moral failure.
“They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on others’ shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.”
(Matt 23:4)
This critique assumes a God who does lift burdens.
Yeshua’s call to repentance is therefore never about crushing the self, but about liberating it from distortion.
5. The Goal: Moral Adulthood, Not Eternal Dependence
A crucial but often-missed point is that Yahwist theology aims not at permanent childhood, but at responsible adulthood.
“You shall walk in God’s ways.”
(Deut 10:12)
Walking implies initiative, judgment, and responsibility—not passive obedience.
Yeshua echoes this when he says:
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and yet do nothing that I say?”
(Luke 6:46)
The emphasis is not submission to authority, but embodied ethical action.
6. Why This Vision Matters
A controlling and coercive theology produces:
- fear-based morality
- dependence on external control
- spiritual infantilisation
A parental, non-controlling and non-coercive theology produces:
- internalised ethics
- resilience after failure
- trust rather than terror
- peace rooted in relationship
This is why, for many—especially those shaped by trauma—the Yahwist vision of God is not merely intellectually persuasive, but psychologically and spiritually healing.
Conclusion: A God Who Helps Us Grow Up into Responsible and Balanced Adults
The Miqra and the teachings of Yeshua present a God who does not seek slaves, but rather sons and daughters who mature into wisdom.
YHVH guides rather than dominates, corrects rather than crushes, and remains present not because humans never fall, but because they are learning to walk.
This vision has always been there—quietly, patiently—waiting to be noticed.
And for those who see it, it really does change everything.