Matthew 6:9-15

9 “So then pray like this, ‘Our Father who is in heaven, your^s name is very holy.

[There are many fathers, but this father is God. It is the father in heaven. It has been said that the heathen have many gods that must be placated. So, those worshipers must live is a relative terror that one of the gods might be displeased. Christianity has one God. Utley writes: Father does not refer to sexual generation or chronological sequence, but the intimate personal relationships within a Jewish home. The OT background is Deuteronomy 32:6, Psalm 103:13, Isaiah 63:16, Malachi 2:10, and 3:17. This concept of God as Father was not a major theme in the OT nor in the rabbinical writings. It is astonishing that believers can call YHWH “Father” (cf. Romans 8:15) through their faith relationship with Jesus]!

10 “Your^s kingdom come; your^s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

[God’s kingdom is coming. Jesus prays for it to come as an example for us. What kingdom do we wish for? This kingdom has a king, a worldview, a lifestyle, rules, and other kingdom character traits. All who worship Jesus want this kingdom, so we often pray for His kingdom to come (Revelation 220:20). Whose will is our priority? Jesus lived doing God’s will (Mark 14:36). Concerning the kingdom see Mark 3:35, 1 Thessalonians 4:3 (a standard of God’s kingdom), Psalm 40:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Psalm 143:10, and Romans 14:17.

11 “Give us today our daily food.

[The word daily (G1967) could be translated necessary; see Proverbs 30:8 and Matthew 6:34. The idea is prayer for God to supply the food I need in order to live today. God is the one who ultimately is the provider. Utley writes: God wants His children to live by faith in Him daily. One OT example was that the manna was given daily (cf. Exodus 16:13-21). In the Middle East bread is baked early every day and either eaten or dried hard by nightfall. Today’s bread will not do for tomorrow].

12 “Forgive us our debt [of sin], even as we forgive our debtors [of their sins].

[Sin is seen as effort and work that bring a paycheck. See Romans 6:23 and Romans 4:4. The verse could easily be translated “forgive us our sin, even as we forgive those who sin against us.” Compare Luke 7:47, so let us do as well].

13 “Don’t let us be brought into temptation, instead deliver us from the evil. For yours^s is the kingdom, the authority, and the glory forever. Amen.’

[I translated this…brought into temptation, because it is subjective aorist. God never tempts anyone, nor is His testing of people evil. The word “but” was translated “instead” because the Greek word is ἀλλά, an adversative particle (Thayer). The word “evil” is an adjective. Many add the word “one” to the verse referring to the devil. It would be better to leave it as it is because there are many things that are evil, not just the devil. Today, we would speak it this way—instead, deliver us from the evil_____________. So, fill in the blank. Wilbur Pickering PhD writes: About 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit the last clause (as in NIV, [NASB], LB, TEV, etc.). The word power is overused. The Greek work for power in this verse is ἐξουσία exousía (G1849). It means (TDNTa):

Further, TDNTa adds these notes:

The rabbinic parallel rəšûṯ contributes to the range of meaning that exousía displays in the NT, since it embraces such meanings as power of disposal, possession, commission, right, freedom, and government (singular), as well as the monarchical power of God.

This authority is delegated from a higher authority. God the Father has granted God the Son, Jesus, to have this complete authority. This is seen as authority over nature (Mark 4:35-41), demons (Mark 5:1-20), death (Luke 7:11-17), illness (Mark 2:1-12 and John 9:1-41)), forgiveness of sins (Luke 7:47-50), judgment (John 8:15-16 and Acts 17:30-31), teaching authority (Matthew 7:29 and John 3:2), social issues (Mark 6:30-44), and the right to reign as King of all kings (Revelation 19:16 and Deuteronomy 10:17), King of the universe].

14 “If you^p forgive people their wrongdoings, your^p heavenly Father will also forgive you^p.

15 “But if you^p do not forgive people their wrongdoings, neither will your^p Father forgive your^p wrongdoings.

[Forgiveness is not seeking revenge but letting God deal with the person. Webster 1828 defines forgiveness as the act of forgiving; the pardon of an offender, by which he is considered and treated as not guilty. God always punishes but forgiveness from God is that the penalty/sentence was paid in full by Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:22). Forgiveness doesn’t mean one has to still live with someone who abuses you or commits crimes against you. Crimes must be reported to law enforcement. When there is abuse, it means avoidance as much as possible. Confession is important. We always confess our sins to God, for He is the Lawgiver. We confess our sins also to the person we sinned against, or if it is a group or public then we confess to the group or publicly. Compare James 5:16. Repentance is necessary. Repentance is making amends as repaying money, replacing tools, repairing what was broken, etc. Repentance also means not doing it again. If abuse, then it means not to abuse again. King David raped Bathsheba and placed her husband in a situation where he died in battle (2 Samuel 11-12). David confessed and repented for he never did those deeds again. We are to pray for them (Acts 7:59-60). If we hold a grudge, wish for revenge, and refuse to forgive someone who has confessed and repented, then we are in danger that God will not forgive us (Matthew 18:21-35). The Greek word for wrongdoings is παράπτωμα paráptōma (G3900) and means doing an offense or a sin willfully or not intentionally even deviating from the truth. See Romans 5:15-20].