Forsaking the Lord (Hosea 1:2)

 


Monday, July 29, 2024


Psalm 69:1-16

Hosea 1

Romans 4:1-12


Observance: Mary and Martha of Bethany


Forsaking the Lord (Hosea 1:2)


Have you ever sat down and read through any of these minor prophets before? (We call these prophets the “minor” prophets not because they are less important, but because their books are shorter.) I wonder if you ever paid attention to the names before? Because, if you have been following along for awhile, you may begin to recognise some of the names such as these kings listed in verse one. Do you remember evil King Ahaz? What about good king Hezekiah? Or poor old king Jeroboam, with his ups and downs?


When we move from historical narrative to prophecy, such as we have by moving from Chronicles to the Minor Prophets, we start to get a real sense of just how bad national apostasy is. The historical flow of Chronicles could even be considered somewhat hopeful, particularly in contrast to the way the same content is treated in the books of Kings. But when we get to what the prophets were saying during that time, which is a particularly intimate way of seeing things from God’s perspective, things start to get really bleak.


God told Hosea that simply saying the words wasn’t enough; Hosea had to live out what God wanted the people to hear. And God wanted the people to hear that they were prostituting themselves spiritually, so Hosea had to go and marry a prostitute.


Yet even in these opening words of the first chapter we hear the promise of hope. God quotes himself, saying the same words he spoke to Abraham all those generations ago: that his people will be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered.


Abraham is a bit of a theme for today, as St Paul references the patriarch as well. The faith in God which Abraham held is the faith that saves; a faith that is a deep trust.


If we believe, or trust, that the Lord Jesus died and rose again, ascended into heaven, and is now seated above every authority, what does that mean for how we live today? When we see our own nation falling into spiritual prostitution, looking for help anywhere except in the Lord Jesus, is our response to go along with them? Or do we trust that the words given to Abraham, Hosea and St Paul are the same words spoken to us, spoken by the same God? And will we trust that those words are true, that Jesus is gathering a people that will be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered?


Father God, grant me your Holy Spirit, so that I may have the faith of Abraham and hold to your eternal promises.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Lord Was Moved (2 Chronicles 33:13)

Image
  Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Psalms 143; 146 2 Chronicles 33:1-20 Romans 15:14-21 Observance: Augustine of Hippo, bishop and teacher (d. 430) The Lord Was Moved (2 Chronicles 33:13) In our passage from St Paul’s letter to the Romans, the apostle is making a small break in his preaching to tell his audience that he is not telling them anything they do not already know. This is perfectly understandable if we recognise that this letter is a sort of fundraising appeal for his missionary work: the apostle wants to get on and start planting the gospel in places where Christ is not known, and so he gives the church in Rome a run-down on what his theology is, so that they will feel comfortable in supporting him financially. The fact that we have this fundraising appeal as part of inspired scripture can teach us something important: God wants us to keep being reminded of certain eternal truths. Reading through the story of King Manasseh can feel a bit same...
Read more

I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God.

  Friday, September 8, 2023 Psalms 20; 21 1 Kings 5 Acts 25:13-27 Observance: Birth of Mary, Mother of the Lord I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God. How big do you dream? Try this experiment on yourself: next time you are walking down the street, observe where your eye level sits. Do you watch your feet move around the cracks in the footpath? Do you do that trick where you stare blankly into the middle distance, so as to avoid making eye contact with passers-by? How do you think that relates to your spiritual aims, and the requests you make of God? Solomon dreamt big. He knew perfectly well that the God of his nation was also the God of the entire universe. No house would be entirely suitable, nor appropriate. But by golly he was going to give it a red-hot go. And just look at how much work he put into it: an entire nation of people were hired to provide the best timber on the planet. His own nation too was put to work, either a...
Read more

Marvellous? (Zechariah 8:6)

Image
  Wednesday, October 16, 2024 Psalm 105:1-22 Zechariah 7:1-8:8 1 Peter 1:18-2:3 Observance: Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, bishops and martyrs (d. 1555) Marvellous? (Zechariah 8:6) There are several phrases that, when we see them in the Bible, should make us sit up and pay attention. Anything to do with the “Day of the Lord” is one of them; another is when God speaks about when “they shall be my people and I shall be their God”. This second phrase, which, because of its frequency, risks becoming bland to our hearts, is so tremendously deep and rich in what it speaks of, is nothing less than the gospel of Jesus Christ. We remember way back in Genesis that God would walk through the Garden of Eden in the cool of the afternoon and speak with Adam and Eve about their day. One can imagine the scene: an enchanted place, a place with no evil, our first parents probably bouncing along, joyfully telling their loving Maker about all the wonderful things the...
Read more