What I am thinking about the Book of Hosea
We are called to love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, mind, body and spirit. So why do I feel like I need to be digging into this idea of spiritual adultery to present at retreat? Why is my emphasis on not turning, looking, going back? If we simply love the Lord the way we are supposed to, won’t we avoid any of the pitfalls I am studying about?
What is being impressed on me is that we are unable to do the things that we should or even want to because of our nature. We do not remember from moment to moment, let alone from day to day, what the Lord does for us. We may be thanking God one minute for healing us, but then the next we are trying to figure out how we are going to put food on the table. What had happened to our realization that everything comes for the Lord. That even our ability to work was a gift from Him.
And then there is the problem of sin and idolatry. We cannot go very long without falling into one or the other. We either say something that should not have been said. Think about something that should be avoided or we allow something to come between us and our love for Jesus, usually ourselves. We need constant reminders to get our eyes back on Jesus.
And now we add spiritual adultery into the mix. At first it seemed to me to be the same thing as idolatry and even though there are similarities, I am finding that there are subtle differences. They go hand in hand, but there is an attitude that is different. This is part of what we will be studying.
But again, why do I feel like this is necessary to study in such detail? What are the practical implications of this study and others we have or will do for our retreats? I am feeling that God has called us to get into the details, the minutia, and then share that with others so that they will have a foundation to work out their everyday living; that there will be an understanding for them as they try to love the Lord each and every day but fail. That God’s unfailing love will manifest in their lives and they will know that this is a lifelong process that can only be lived one day, one moment, at a time. There are no quick fixes, only eternal security in the one who created us.
Everything is the way it is in order for God’s glory to shine in every situation. We need Him constantly throughout the day to do and work in us. And when that happens, we and others see His glory. When we fail, we see His glory in His love for us. When we repent we see His glory in His forgiveness. When we are delivered we see His glory in His victory. When we go through difficulties we see His glory in His steadfastness and promises.
God created the world and humanity in such a way that things have to be the way they are; there is no way around it. There can never be a human utopia and we can never reach perfection while we live on this earth. It is completely and utterly impossible. That is why Jesus’ life is soooo unique. He lived a sinless life! We cannot even live a sinless day, unless of course, we are in a coma with no brain activity, but not much gets accomplished that way.
So I am feeling that some of us are called to get into the details and then share them with others. They then take a quick look, in comparison, and then can live their life more effectively for the Lord. Just as the Prophets were called to speak out the truth, the people had the choice then to believe and change or continue doing what they had been doing.
Our ministry is then similar to that of the prophets. To find the truth, to speak it out and pray for the results. We can do no more, and certainly we can do no less. This is a solemn responsibility, to be taken very seriously.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Week 1 Day 4 Love the Lord!
Week 1 Day 4 Love the Lord
Yesterday we were thinking about the Pharisees, who strived to keep the Law but had no room in their lives for mercy and compassion. Jesus was a daily irritation to them because here was a man that was genuinely good, who knew the Law better than anyone else, but then he would go and associate with tax collectors and sinners rather than spend time with them arguing about the minutiae of the Law. He completely upset the orderly world they were trying to live in.
Let’s see how Jesus answers when he was asked what he thought was the greatest commandment. Do you remember what his reply was? Look up Matt. 22:35-40 and write out his answer.
Now write out what Jesus says is the next commandment and next to the first in importance.
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Jesus was saying that if we keep only these two then we are keeping them all. How is this even possible as there are hundreds and thousands of laws and statutes? In your own words explain how keeping these two commandments would make it possible for us to keep the entirety of the Law.
I can remember when my kids were little and I had sent them to clean up some toys they had been playing with. I was busy elsewhere and when I passed by the room I see them playing with something and so I remind them that if they take a few minutes and pick up their room then they can play. A few minutes later the conversation is repeated. And finally I walk by the room and still it is not clean and they are still messing around. As I step into the room, the kids look up and one of them says, ‘Mommy, I love you’ frustrated I look at them and I say, ‘you know if you really loved me, you would have picked up this room the first time I asked’. As I said the words I could feel the Holy Spirit give me a nudge…needless to say, I stopped yelling at the kids for not cleaning and made sure they were finished before I went back to doing what I was doing. Another life lesson learned about how I treat God taught to me by my kids. Ouch!
Back to Hosea, what do you now think of his obedience in following God and marrying a woman of harlotry? Why would a Pharisee never have done what Hosea did?
Why did God ask Hosea to marry a harlot? Look at the verse again to get a hint.
Hosea 1
2 When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea:
“ Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
And children of harlotry,
For the land has committed great harlotry
By departing from the LORD.”
How does Hosea being obedient show that he loved God with his heart, mind, body, soul and spirit? How does it show he loved his neighbor as himself?
Why or how do the Pharisees fall short in keeping these commandments?
So thinking back to what we have discovered…mercy has to do with love and knowledge has to do with much more than just mental knowing…are you beginning to get a picture of what it is God is saying to His people. Take a moment and write out what the Spirit is saying to you through Hosea 6:6 in your own words. Now try giving examples of how this can personally apply to your life. (But remember, I am not talking about a list of dos and don’ts, I am wanting you to think about examples that cover all aspects of your life; body, soul, heart, mind, spirit and strength)
Why is loving God on just an emotional level not enough?
Do you tend to obey God like Hosea (wholeheartedly) or like the Pharisees (do things but no emotion) or like disobedient kids (saying I love you but no action)? Truthfully, we are usually a combination of all of the above. Try to think of an example of each. If none come to mind, ask the Holy Spirit to give some insight.
Do not beat yourself up for the lack of genuine obedience in your life. Instead, take the time now to ask God to help you to be more like Hosea and less like a Pharisee or a child each and every day. And when you do fall short, remember God has shown us mercy and it is possible to repent and then obey!
Yesterday we were thinking about the Pharisees, who strived to keep the Law but had no room in their lives for mercy and compassion. Jesus was a daily irritation to them because here was a man that was genuinely good, who knew the Law better than anyone else, but then he would go and associate with tax collectors and sinners rather than spend time with them arguing about the minutiae of the Law. He completely upset the orderly world they were trying to live in.
Let’s see how Jesus answers when he was asked what he thought was the greatest commandment. Do you remember what his reply was? Look up Matt. 22:35-40 and write out his answer.
Now write out what Jesus says is the next commandment and next to the first in importance.
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Jesus was saying that if we keep only these two then we are keeping them all. How is this even possible as there are hundreds and thousands of laws and statutes? In your own words explain how keeping these two commandments would make it possible for us to keep the entirety of the Law.
I can remember when my kids were little and I had sent them to clean up some toys they had been playing with. I was busy elsewhere and when I passed by the room I see them playing with something and so I remind them that if they take a few minutes and pick up their room then they can play. A few minutes later the conversation is repeated. And finally I walk by the room and still it is not clean and they are still messing around. As I step into the room, the kids look up and one of them says, ‘Mommy, I love you’ frustrated I look at them and I say, ‘you know if you really loved me, you would have picked up this room the first time I asked’. As I said the words I could feel the Holy Spirit give me a nudge…needless to say, I stopped yelling at the kids for not cleaning and made sure they were finished before I went back to doing what I was doing. Another life lesson learned about how I treat God taught to me by my kids. Ouch!
Back to Hosea, what do you now think of his obedience in following God and marrying a woman of harlotry? Why would a Pharisee never have done what Hosea did?
Why did God ask Hosea to marry a harlot? Look at the verse again to get a hint.
Hosea 1
2 When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea:
“ Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
And children of harlotry,
For the land has committed great harlotry
By departing from the LORD.”
How does Hosea being obedient show that he loved God with his heart, mind, body, soul and spirit? How does it show he loved his neighbor as himself?
Why or how do the Pharisees fall short in keeping these commandments?
So thinking back to what we have discovered…mercy has to do with love and knowledge has to do with much more than just mental knowing…are you beginning to get a picture of what it is God is saying to His people. Take a moment and write out what the Spirit is saying to you through Hosea 6:6 in your own words. Now try giving examples of how this can personally apply to your life. (But remember, I am not talking about a list of dos and don’ts, I am wanting you to think about examples that cover all aspects of your life; body, soul, heart, mind, spirit and strength)
Why is loving God on just an emotional level not enough?
Do you tend to obey God like Hosea (wholeheartedly) or like the Pharisees (do things but no emotion) or like disobedient kids (saying I love you but no action)? Truthfully, we are usually a combination of all of the above. Try to think of an example of each. If none come to mind, ask the Holy Spirit to give some insight.
Do not beat yourself up for the lack of genuine obedience in your life. Instead, take the time now to ask God to help you to be more like Hosea and less like a Pharisee or a child each and every day. And when you do fall short, remember God has shown us mercy and it is possible to repent and then obey!
Week 1 Day 3 Mercy vs Sacrifice
Hosea Week 1, Day 3 Mercy vs Sacrifice
We are going to continue on today with the theme of obedience that we took a quick look at yesterday. Remember the verses that we looked at in Hosea:
Hosea 6:5-7
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,
I have slain them by the words of My mouth;
And your judgments are like light that goes forth.
6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7 “ But like men they transgressed the covenant;
There they dealt treacherously with Me.
Looking at Strong’s Concordance we see this word: mercy
Checed 2617 goodness, kindness, faithfulness
And translated in the King James these different ways (the number refers to how many times it was translated as this word) — mercy 149, kindness 40, lovingkindness 30, goodness 12, kindly 5, merciful 4, favour 3, good 1, goodliness 1
Is this giving you a fuller idea of what mercy may have meant in the Old Testament. Seeing it translated so many different ways helps us to once again realize that in the thinking of the ancient Hebrew there is more of a link between what was felt and what was thought and what was done; a much more holistic way of looking at life.
Verse 6 of Hosea 6 is quoted by Jesus at least a couple of times during his 3 ½ year ministry. I am thinking it must have been pretty important if Jesus uses it as a reference to what he is trying to teach. Let’s take a quick look.
Matthew 9
9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
What is Jesus teaching here?
Matthew 12
1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”
3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. 7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord even[b] of the Sabbath.”
What is Jesus teaching here?
So here is the Greek word that is used in the New Testament for mercy:
eleos 1656 translated mercy every time
1) mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them
a) of men towards men: to exercise the virtue of mercy, show one's self merciful
b) of God towards men: in general providence; the mercy and clemency of God in providing and offering to men salvation by Christ
c) the mercy of Christ, whereby at his return to judgment he will bless true Christians with eternal life
Now let’s take a moment and try and put this all into context. We know that God would get upset when sacrifice was just performed out of duty or manipulation rather than love. Our example of Saul was a good one. And we see this most emphatically with the many exchanges that Jesus had with the Pharisees. Because remember these were the religious leaders of Jesus’ time and they were great at making sacrifices. They knew the Law and took great pride in being to point out to others when they were not following the Law the way they felt it should be followed. They would argue amongst themselves as to the exact meaning of certain laws according to which Rabbi they followed.
We have two perfect examples here of their thoughts; first Jesus is eating with sinners and the Pharisees could not understand why a teacher would lower himself as to be seen in public with tax collectors and other known sinners. Then in the other example they chastise Jesus because he does not correct his disciples for picking some grain to eat on the Sabbath, which would have been considered work by them and one did not work on the Sabbath.
In both these cases as we see Jesus quotes from Hosea. But what is his reasoning for doing these things that could cause such controversy? Think about it; He associated with sinners because they were the ones in need of being called to repentance. And he allowed the disciples to pick the grain because they were hungry. So here was Jesus showing mercy to sinners (spiritually) and even his own disciples (physically). Jesus is not just caring for those around him in their outward actions, he was actually concerned about them, their heart condition and whether they needed to eat or not.
What did Jesus want his disciples to understand from this exchange he had with the Pharisees?
But Jesus keeps pointing out to the Pharisees that God desires mercy and not sacrifice. The Pharisees were good at sacrifice, but how were they at mercy? Do you think they even had room in all their rules for mercy?
Do you find that sometimes it is easier to follow the rules than it is to have the right attitude about why those rules are there in the first place? Think of some examples where you follow the rules but your heart is not in it. Do you think God is satisfied with this type of obedience? What are some ways to get the needed attitude adjustment?
I have often heard it taught that we should just obey God and that our attitudes and emotions will follow, after much soul searching I am beginning to wonder if that is true. At this point in time, I am learning that following God means complete surrender to His will….not just what I do but also what I think, feel, desire, choose as well as do.
Write out your thoughts! Can you be obedient in actions only and still be obedient?
We are going to continue on today with the theme of obedience that we took a quick look at yesterday. Remember the verses that we looked at in Hosea:
Hosea 6:5-7
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,
I have slain them by the words of My mouth;
And your judgments are like light that goes forth.
6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7 “ But like men they transgressed the covenant;
There they dealt treacherously with Me.
Looking at Strong’s Concordance we see this word: mercy
Checed 2617 goodness, kindness, faithfulness
And translated in the King James these different ways (the number refers to how many times it was translated as this word) — mercy 149, kindness 40, lovingkindness 30, goodness 12, kindly 5, merciful 4, favour 3, good 1, goodliness 1
Is this giving you a fuller idea of what mercy may have meant in the Old Testament. Seeing it translated so many different ways helps us to once again realize that in the thinking of the ancient Hebrew there is more of a link between what was felt and what was thought and what was done; a much more holistic way of looking at life.
Verse 6 of Hosea 6 is quoted by Jesus at least a couple of times during his 3 ½ year ministry. I am thinking it must have been pretty important if Jesus uses it as a reference to what he is trying to teach. Let’s take a quick look.
Matthew 9
9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
What is Jesus teaching here?
Matthew 12
1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”
3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. 7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord even[b] of the Sabbath.”
What is Jesus teaching here?
So here is the Greek word that is used in the New Testament for mercy:
eleos 1656 translated mercy every time
1) mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them
a) of men towards men: to exercise the virtue of mercy, show one's self merciful
b) of God towards men: in general providence; the mercy and clemency of God in providing and offering to men salvation by Christ
c) the mercy of Christ, whereby at his return to judgment he will bless true Christians with eternal life
Now let’s take a moment and try and put this all into context. We know that God would get upset when sacrifice was just performed out of duty or manipulation rather than love. Our example of Saul was a good one. And we see this most emphatically with the many exchanges that Jesus had with the Pharisees. Because remember these were the religious leaders of Jesus’ time and they were great at making sacrifices. They knew the Law and took great pride in being to point out to others when they were not following the Law the way they felt it should be followed. They would argue amongst themselves as to the exact meaning of certain laws according to which Rabbi they followed.
We have two perfect examples here of their thoughts; first Jesus is eating with sinners and the Pharisees could not understand why a teacher would lower himself as to be seen in public with tax collectors and other known sinners. Then in the other example they chastise Jesus because he does not correct his disciples for picking some grain to eat on the Sabbath, which would have been considered work by them and one did not work on the Sabbath.
In both these cases as we see Jesus quotes from Hosea. But what is his reasoning for doing these things that could cause such controversy? Think about it; He associated with sinners because they were the ones in need of being called to repentance. And he allowed the disciples to pick the grain because they were hungry. So here was Jesus showing mercy to sinners (spiritually) and even his own disciples (physically). Jesus is not just caring for those around him in their outward actions, he was actually concerned about them, their heart condition and whether they needed to eat or not.
What did Jesus want his disciples to understand from this exchange he had with the Pharisees?
But Jesus keeps pointing out to the Pharisees that God desires mercy and not sacrifice. The Pharisees were good at sacrifice, but how were they at mercy? Do you think they even had room in all their rules for mercy?
Do you find that sometimes it is easier to follow the rules than it is to have the right attitude about why those rules are there in the first place? Think of some examples where you follow the rules but your heart is not in it. Do you think God is satisfied with this type of obedience? What are some ways to get the needed attitude adjustment?
I have often heard it taught that we should just obey God and that our attitudes and emotions will follow, after much soul searching I am beginning to wonder if that is true. At this point in time, I am learning that following God means complete surrender to His will….not just what I do but also what I think, feel, desire, choose as well as do.
Write out your thoughts! Can you be obedient in actions only and still be obedient?
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