The story of the prodigal son is a very popular one. It is often told as a powerful demonstration of  God’s love, of His heart’s desire to have His lost children reconciled to Him. You might have also heard it told as a comparison between the two brothers. Some say that people fall into two categories – one is that of the younger, wayward brother, the rebel. The other is that of the elder brother, the one who conforms to the rules, the ‘good one’, who resents the fact that not only has the younger brother allegedly gotten away with his hedonistic lifestyle, the Father seems to be rewarding him with a party!

This morning, for some reason I woke up thinking about this passage, found in Luke 15:11-32. Contrary to the dichotomy I usually come across when this story is discussed, and the way discussions on this passage tend to box people into one or the other, I actually don’t feel like I’m in either camp. I’m very happy that the younger brother came home. If you’ve ever found something that’s been missing for ages, you will understand the Father’s joy. So how much more finding a loved one, a child. What a precious moment! I’m also happy that the Father threw a party for the younger child to celebrate his homecoming, because I believe such a moment was definitely worth celebrating.

The question that came to my mind when I thought about this passage though was, ‘why didn’t the elder son also get a party?’ ‘Why didn’t the Father ever deem it fit to also throw him a party to celebrate his faithfulness and hard work?’ Why didn’t the Father celebrate both sons? It wasn’t that the Father was short on cash and the wherewithal to throw two parties. Neither was he short on people to help organise two parties. All he had to do was dish out a couple of instructions to his servants. And yet, he never threw one for the elder brother. Why?

On the face of it, it does seem unfair. It may even appear as if the Father does not appreciate values like faithfulness, diligence, dedication, obedience and loyalty, which is probably what bugs the elder brother. The younger son got half of the Father’s property. This Father was very wealthy, so half would have been A LOT. Imagine receiving such a blessing for doing what he did, for his offensive request, and for taking what was essentially the wrong path in life. No wonder the elder brother was resentful. He had been faithful to his Father, yet it looked like he had not received any reward. Whereas his unfaithful, selfish brother got the seeming ‘big blessing’. In fact the elder brother was still working out in the fields when the party was taking place. He found out about the party when he got closer to the house and heard the music. That must have stung, working hard while such a party was going on without you. Understandably, “he was angry and refused to go in. His Father came out and entreated him, but he answered his Father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.” (Luke 15:28b-29, ESV).

As I read and reflected on this passage though, I found the answer to my question in the Father’s response, “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”(Luke 15:31-32, ESV).

The reason why it may appear that the younger son got the better deal from the Father is simply due to a fundamental flaw of valuing God’s presents over God’s presence. The elder son always had the benefit of his Father’s presence. In essence, God is saying here that the true, more generous gift, the more precious prize, the real reward is intimacy with God. Not financial wealth, not a party, but the blessing of enjoying God’s presence, of having access to Him, of being able to commune with Him daily. The prodigal son did not get to enjoy all that, and the truth is that no amount of wealth and partying can ever compensate for a lack of intimacy with God. As such, the elder son actually got the much better deal.

This was also the case for the Levites, as they were not given any inheritance of land during the distribution across the tribes of Israel (Deuteronomy 10:9; Numbers 18:20, Joshua 13:33), because God said He would be their portion, their inheritance, their share. Were they disadvantaged because of this? Not at all. Not only did they have a calling and an intimacy with God that other tribes didn’t have (Numbers 18:21-24), God ensured they were always provided for (Deuteronomy 18:1-4).

They ended up having places to live in as well, but what is really impressive is that many years and generations later, they still preserved that mindset of God as their portion first. So much so that even when Israel split into two kingdoms and Jeroboam did not allow them serve as priests of the Lord, 2 Chronicles 11:14-15 (NLT) records that “the Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property and moved to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons would not allow them to serve the LORD as priests. Jeroboam appointed his own priests to serve at the pagan shrines, where they worshiped the goat and calf idols he had made.” They chose serving God over keeping their properties and living with idol worship. This likely influenced others also, as we read in verse 16 that “from all the tribes of Israel, those who sincerely wanted to worship the LORD, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem, where they could offer sacrifices to the LORD, the God of their ancestors.”

As I write this, I am reminded of the first thing God said to Abraham in Genesis 15, when He revealed Himself to Abraham in a vision, “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” (verse 1, KJV). What an amazing blessing, to have God Almighty as our reward, our exceeding great reward!

The real question therefore is, is that sufficient for us? I remember a song from way back when, “Take the whole world, but give me Jesus.” Can we sing that and truly mean it? Psalm 73:25 (ESV) says, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” Can we honestly echo the psalmist’s sentiments here? Truly saying to God, even if I don’t have any other thing in this life, if I have you, I am content… because if I have you, I have all that I need, and I don’t need to top you up with anything else to enjoy contentment?

If we want to measure God’s love by how much He gives us, remember that He has already given us the greatest gift ever, His Son, Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16, NKJV).

And as Romans 8:31-32 (BSB) so beautifully puts it, “What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?”

At the end of the day, we see where the prodigal son’s financial blessing on its own, without the presence of the Father, landed him – a job as a pig feeder. Given the way pigs were viewed in the Jewish culture, that would have been one of the worst jobs anyone could get. Not only was he feeding the pigs, he was so hungry that he was longing to eat with them! (Luke 15:14-16). What a fall. When he was falling from grace, he didn’t even stop at grass, he went all the way to mud and muck, dirt and dung, sewage and slop. From the son of one of the wealthiest men to a slave hired to feed pigs. All because he did not have the Father’s presence with him, to teach him, to discipline him, to guide him. He was left without any guidance on where to go, what to do, how to do it and he ended up in a place of anguish, lack, starvation, sorrow, disappointment and great regret. What a stark lesson.

On the contrary, when we remain in God’s presence, there are so many blessings we get. We have rest (Exodus 33:14), comfort (Psalm 23:4), ever-present help (Psalm 46:1), abundance (Psalm 36:8), fulfilment and satisfaction (Psalm 65:4), courage (Joshua 1:9), strength and support (Isaiah 41:10), guidance (Psalm 48:14), joy (Psalm 21:6), and much more! Psalm 16:11 says:

 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (ESV).

“You have shown me the path to life, and you make me glad by being near to me. Sitting at your right side, I will always be joyful.” (CEV).

“Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way.” (MSG). I love the image this verse gives me, of God holding my hand and leading me on the right way.

Knowing this, those who are wise will value God above all, so much so that they will be willing, eager in fact, to give up all their wealth in exchange for this great reward. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46, ESV).

When we remain in God’s presence, not only do we get the value of Him with us, a bonus perk of His wealth is there as well. In addition to the privilege of being with God, of communing with Him, He also says, as quoted earlier, “…all that is mine is yours”. Psalm 36:7-9 (BSB) says, “How precious is Your loving devotion, O God, that the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings! They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from Your river of delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.” The KJV says, “They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.”

God’s presence is indeed full of an abundance of all we need. Abraham had God as his reward, and we read that Abraham was abundantly blessed in every area of his life as well (Genesis 24:1). We may not all be as rich as Abraham, but we should remember that this was secondary, a pleasant side effect if you like, not the main reward. It is like a child who is sick and takes one of those sweet-tasting medicines to get better. The child may have a sweet tooth and like the fact that the medicine is sweet, but wanting to cater to the child’s sweet tooth is not the primary reason why the child receives the medicine. (As an aside, why are adult medicines not sweet?!). That said, there are many ways to satisfy a sweet tooth other than taking sweetened medication, just as one can become rich without having anything to do with God. However, as in the case of the prodigal son, the real question is, what happens in the end? “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36, NKJV).

Are you in a position where you have been trusting God for something… have you been serving Him genuinely, faithfully, obediently, yet you aren’t getting what you are praying for, whereas other people seem to have it easier and better? (Job 21). Does it feel like others get instant answers to prayers, but you’ve been praying for years and yet, nothing? I cannot say for sure why that is the case for any one person. Life is more complex than we sometimes presume, and the reasons for this are not always clear cut, and may vary. But I do know that it is a hard path to walk. My heart goes out to you. God in His wisdom knows why He does what He does, and permits what He permits. I can only encourage you to keep seeking intimacy with God through resting in His love, fellowshipping with Him through prayer and His Word, and also taking care that no root of bitterness and resentment grows in your heart (Hebrews 12:15). Please know that you are not alone, and you do not have to walk this difficult terrain alone. God loves you and He is with you. I hope that you also have a family of true believers supporting you, or if not, that you can find such a family, because we were never meant to walk such paths alone.

The truth remains that the Father does value and appreciate our faithfulness, diligence, dedication, obedience and loyalty. Hebrews 11:6 says that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. However we should know that we can never be more faithful than God. Not only that, God does not rely on our faithfulness to be faithful. Which is great news to be honest, because we would be in serious trouble if that was the case. 2 Timothy 2:13 says “if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” God sees our faithfulness, and rewards us with the greatest gift ever, the gift of Himself, of His presence. And what a glorious treasure that is.

Beloved, I pray that we will take comfort in God’s faithfulness and His promise to always be with us. I pray that we will seek God’s presence wholeheartedly, for He has promised that we will find Him when we seek Him with all our hearts. May we remain with Him and in Him, and value His presence for the true treasure that it is. Remember always that God, this great God, the I AM THAT I AM, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the one who owns all the treasures of the Earth, is your shield and exceeding great reward, and that He will never leave you or let go of you. Amen and Amen.

Image source here.