I read through the book twice this morning, and suddenly my morning had a damper. Nothing like the sun shining through the windows, basking you in it's glory, glinting off the steaming cup of freshly poured coffee, shining on a hardbacked study bible, and filling you with a sense of joy that just doesn't exist on a grey, rainy typical Northwest day. And then Hosea happens.
Nothing like a spoonfull of "your unworthy, I'm leaving" to start your day off. Stick that in your coffee and stir it, right? So, I read it twice.
Here's why:
Hosea 10:13 -
"You have plowed wickedness; " great.
"You have reaped iniquity; " awesome.
"You have eaten the fuit of lies, " wow.
Here's the kicker: "Because you trusted in your own way." Pause for affect.
On that note, let's hit up the good news first. The book of Hosea is ultimately about the loyalty of God's love. In spite of our dirt, in spite of our sickness, in spite of our utter unworthiness of Him, in the end we're clean, we aren't sick, and we are, in fact worthy in His eyes. How does that work? (read my blogs "A new taste..." and "What IS so amazing about grace?") Grace, and as in the message of the book of Hosea, Forgiving Love.
Hosea uses the metaphor of an unfaithful wife to parallel with the spiritually unfaithful Israel. The first 10 chapters drive this home. Although sprinkled throughout those first 10 chapters are little rays of hope. Little rays of sunshine not unlike those same rays that were shining through the window this morning.
Hosea 3:1 - "Then the Lord said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans."
Hosea 3:1 perfectly illustrates God's unquenchable love for faithless Israel. God tells Hosea to take BACK his wife (who was still in the occupation of prostitution). Let's back up a step. Hosea 1:2 - "Go take yourself a wife of harlotry, and children of harlotry..."
Most of us know that this is a literal referance to the fallen state of Israel, and her relationship with God, but a little spark went off inside me as I read this. Just as Hosea was instructed to take a sinner as a wife, and to take the children born as a result of her sin, so God took us at the beginning of our existence, and thanks to his sacrifice, the results of our sin don't have to be ours in eternity. Our sin didn't change anything about the way He has ever thought about us. Matter of fact, the very fall of man, may have made our Creator that much more passionate for us to succeed in Him. (But that is a debate for theologians to take on, not me...)
Back from that trail, and finishing up, Hosea spends 10 chapters describing God's words of rebuke and judgment, Chapter 11 describing God's continuous love, chapter 12 and 13 were almost like a courtroom scene, bringing charges and judgment, and the last chapter, chapter 14 was only 9 verses. But in those 9 verses described exactly what God is and how He works.
God is LOVE, and FORGIVENESS. After all the punishments and judgments, God says in Hosea 14 - "Return to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity..." (no longer out of judgment) and Verses 4-8 simply state what He will do in our forgiveness. Amazing, that it can take hundreds of verses and statements to describe our state of sin (and that's on the lighter side), but only 4 verses to describe how eager our Lord is to take us back. And in ALL those Chapters and verses in Hosea is ONE underlying theme to take home: GOD'S UNDYING AND UNQUENCHABLE LOVE.
Nothing like a spoonfull of "your unworthy, I'm leaving" to start your day off. Stick that in your coffee and stir it, right? So, I read it twice.
Here's why:
Hosea 10:13 -
"You have plowed wickedness; " great.
"You have reaped iniquity; " awesome.
"You have eaten the fuit of lies, " wow.
Here's the kicker: "Because you trusted in your own way." Pause for affect.
On that note, let's hit up the good news first. The book of Hosea is ultimately about the loyalty of God's love. In spite of our dirt, in spite of our sickness, in spite of our utter unworthiness of Him, in the end we're clean, we aren't sick, and we are, in fact worthy in His eyes. How does that work? (read my blogs "A new taste..." and "What IS so amazing about grace?") Grace, and as in the message of the book of Hosea, Forgiving Love.
Hosea uses the metaphor of an unfaithful wife to parallel with the spiritually unfaithful Israel. The first 10 chapters drive this home. Although sprinkled throughout those first 10 chapters are little rays of hope. Little rays of sunshine not unlike those same rays that were shining through the window this morning.
Hosea 3:1 - "Then the Lord said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans."
Hosea 3:1 perfectly illustrates God's unquenchable love for faithless Israel. God tells Hosea to take BACK his wife (who was still in the occupation of prostitution). Let's back up a step. Hosea 1:2 - "Go take yourself a wife of harlotry, and children of harlotry..."
Most of us know that this is a literal referance to the fallen state of Israel, and her relationship with God, but a little spark went off inside me as I read this. Just as Hosea was instructed to take a sinner as a wife, and to take the children born as a result of her sin, so God took us at the beginning of our existence, and thanks to his sacrifice, the results of our sin don't have to be ours in eternity. Our sin didn't change anything about the way He has ever thought about us. Matter of fact, the very fall of man, may have made our Creator that much more passionate for us to succeed in Him. (But that is a debate for theologians to take on, not me...)
Back from that trail, and finishing up, Hosea spends 10 chapters describing God's words of rebuke and judgment, Chapter 11 describing God's continuous love, chapter 12 and 13 were almost like a courtroom scene, bringing charges and judgment, and the last chapter, chapter 14 was only 9 verses. But in those 9 verses described exactly what God is and how He works.
God is LOVE, and FORGIVENESS. After all the punishments and judgments, God says in Hosea 14 - "Return to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity..." (no longer out of judgment) and Verses 4-8 simply state what He will do in our forgiveness. Amazing, that it can take hundreds of verses and statements to describe our state of sin (and that's on the lighter side), but only 4 verses to describe how eager our Lord is to take us back. And in ALL those Chapters and verses in Hosea is ONE underlying theme to take home: GOD'S UNDYING AND UNQUENCHABLE LOVE.
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