Inability
As I read through the opening verses of Hosea 9, one of the
thoughts that struck me the most was the inability of the Hebrew people to
properly offer sacrifices because of their rebellion. God warns them through Hosea that the time
will come when they will no longer be able to offer sacrifices. They will be dragged to Assyria and be
prevented from doing righteous behavior even should they want to do so.
I think this is a worthwhile thought to consider for the day. Often as human beings we think that we can do
anything. We think we can do anything
when we want to. But the reality is that
this is not always true. Because of my
sinfulness, I cannot give God praise anytime I want. As we saw yesterday, my attitude might get in
the way. My circumstances might get in
the way. Life happens based on my
choices and I have to deal with consequences.
Sometimes those consequences are so dire that I am in a position where I
cannot do anything pleasing to God.
Again, this goes back to the theme that has been running through
much of the readings the last few days.
My attitude affects my ability to genuinely worship God. Just because I say that God is my savior
doesn’t mean that I’m living it. Just
because my lips say that God is great doesn’t mean that my heart is buying that
message. When the Hebrew people go to
Assyrian bondage, they will no longer be able to properly make sacrifices. When my heart is sinful and I abandon God’s
ways to the captivity of my sin, I find myself in the same place.
The Prophet’s Warning
The middle section of this chapter has to do primarily with the
reaction of the people of Israel and the prophets that God sent among
them. What does God say? His prophets find wrath and anger among the
people. The prophet is considered a fool
and a madman by the Hebrew people. The
prophet was supposed to be the watchman over the Hebrew people. Yet God’s people look for ways to trip Him up
so that they don’t have to listen to him.
The whole people of Israel look for ways to avoid following God’s true
prophets.
In some respects, this passage points us to God’s grace. God knows we are sinful. He knows that we are not perfect. He knows that we will make mistakes. Therefore, God sends us prophets into our lives
who can speak truth to us. God could
leave us to fend for ourselves and know we would irrevocably mess things
up. But no, God sends prophets among us to
keep us on track. God sends prophets
among us to help us find our way back to the path. In His grace He sends people to us when we
need them most.
So, how do we respond? Do
we see them with the eyes of grace that God intends when He sends them to us? Or do we see them with the eyes of a person
who doesn’t want to be pulled out of our sinfulness? That’s a fairly potent question. If we scorn those that God sends to us when
we need them, how should we expect God to act in response?
Lament
To close this chapter, we have a lament from God. God knows that he found His people as a wild
plant in the wilderness. He brought
Abraham out of the pagan land of Ur.
They grew in faith until they went to Egypt, where they drifted away.
In Egypt, God found His people again as though wild in
nature. There God rescued them and
pulled them back into shape. He brought
them out of bondage and freed them to live in the Promised Land. Again they wandered away.
So God mourns. God gave them
what they needed. They turned away and
worshipped foreign gods. They offered
their children up to be sacrificed to the gods.
These were gods who focused their children elsewhere. They sucked away their life until there was
nothing left for God. Slowly –
generation by generation – the people fell away from God until there was nothing
left.
As they reject God, they are rejected by God. As they turn to other things, God releases
them to the passion of their heart. There
is nothing else that a God who values free will can do! If God forces the people to love Him, then
they no longer have free will and their love is meaningless. So God watches the Hebrew people reject Him
again and again. He releases them into
their rejection.
He does it knowing that as they go, some of them will realize what
is happening and begin to return to Him.
He does it because that’s the way love works in a free will
relationship. I think it was Linus from
the classic Peanuts Cartoon who introduced me to a particular sage piece of wisdom
as he advised Charlie Brown. Although, I’m
sure that Charles Schultz was not the originator of the saying. Here it is: “If you love something, let it
go. If it comes back to you, then the
love is truly yours to keep.”
That’s what God is doing here.
God desperately loves the Hebrew people.
But God is letting the Hebrew people reject His prophets and go on their
way. He knows that as they go, some will
return. Those who do were always His.
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