Why does God refer to himself as a "master" of his people?
Malachi 1:6 (ESV)
6“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’
While the term father speaks of God’s intimate, familial relationship with his people, the term master speaks of God’s authoritative position over his people who must submit to his command and do his will.
6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’