Year 9, Day 211: Hosea 11-12

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Hosea 11-12 show us a bit of the mind of God.  He knows that the people are wandering away from Him.  They are not responding to His prophets’ calls for return.  They are not responding to the small disasters He brings.  He is torn at the prospect of bringing Assyria upon them in a great judgment.  God loves these people as a child.  He knows that like a child, they must be disciplined.  This pains Him.

There is a root issue with humanity that is causing this conflict within God.  The people called out to God in Egypt, and He brought them forth.  The issue is that the more they were called, the more they grew apart from God.  It started in the Exodus.  As soon as they were free from the Pharaoh’s grasp, they rebelled against God by rebelling against Moses.  They weren’t happy with the judges.  They weren’t happy with God and they demanded a king.  They weren’t happy with the Davidic Kings so they appointed their own.  They weren’t happy with a temple in Jerusalem so they built their own in their own kingdom. The people constantly pushed the envelope.  They want to be their own master, not a follower.

This is an inherent flaw in humanity.  We want power.  We want control.  We want to be the master.  The major issue, though, is that if we are all trying to be the ruler then we are no longer in community.  We are in opposition to each other.  If you don’t believe me, look at organizations around the world.  How many organizations are founded under a common goal.  Yet, as the organization grows, factions grow within it.  The organization splinters.  Soon there are factions within factions as people try and grab power.  We want to be the master, not the follower.

That is what makes God’s teachings so difficult.  It is also what makes His teachings so freeing.  He calls us to give up our desire for control. We are to follow Him and His leading.  As we give up our need to grab for power, we can instead focus on the task at hand.  As we give up our need to grab power, we gain meaning and stability in life.

God isn’t calling us to be docile subservient human beings without minds.  He wants us to be leaders and role models.  He wants us to speak truth in the lives of others.  Ultimately, He wants us to do it while following Him.  That’s the big issue that Israel faces as they stare down Gods judgment in the form of Assyrian conquest.

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