Sunday, January 25, 2009

Shame and glory

Hosea 4 - 5:14
A judgment against Israel.

For every judgment against Israel, there is salvation, there is grace. For the judgments of Hosea 4 – 5:14, God saves in 5:15-6:3.
We’ve talked a lot in the last few months about harlotry and idolatry. Gomer was a harlot, Angel was a harlot. Both turned to their idols seeking salvation (Gomer to her men, Angel to Michael), but in the end were shown that God alone is salvation. They had to have things removed, they had to be hedged in to be set free.
Here, in Hosea 4 & 5, we see more of the same. God lays his case against Israel, including against its priests. They did not only turn from Him and His commandments, they turned to others for salvation, for knowledge, for fulfillment, for worship (4:11-14), for protection. (5:13) (cf, 2 kings 15:19-20)
God likens Himself again to Israel’s husband (Hosea 5:7, amplified), magnifying the fact that Israel is not only doing stupid things, she is cheating on the One who loves her.

1-3 No one is faithful, and there are consequences.
What are the consequences of your sin? What are things that may not even be punishments, just ripple effects?
Do you see how sin affects more than just you?


4-10 Blame the priests.
First off, God is furious with the priests and prophets of Israel. They are the ones who have played Pied Piper here. God says they “stumble in the daytime.” They have the lamp for their feet and the light for their path, but they also fumble around in broad daylight!
“My people are ruined because they don’t know what’s right or true.”
“You’ve turned your back on knowledge”
“You’ve traded your glory for shame.”
How shameful it is when the people of God falter. How many headlines have been marked by “Rev. so-and-so” stealing or lying or cheating? And it burns those of us who call ourselves Christians.
There is much consequence for those who are instructed to instruct in the ways of God yet do not do it.
We know that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, and yet we are also encouraged to do the best with what knowledge we have. We are quite often the “spiritual leaders” in relationships, are we not? I would venture to say that all of you have a friend who looks up to you, a child, a coworker.
They are constantly seeking your guidance, right? What are you doing with that information? Are you leading them astray? Are you a stumbling block? This is a mighty challenge.
The priests here had a special responsibility because they knew the Word of God. The people did not have Bibles on every coffee table. They looked to the priests and prophets to hear Him.
Let us not trade glory for shame (4:7).

4:9 Like people, like priest

It’s not just priests who will be held accountable. Just because the priests misled them, the people are not getting off scot-free. They still chose to do things they knew went against God.
This is a huge admonition: It is not up to Pastor Edwin or Pastor Skip to make sure you know God’s Word or to hold your hand to keep you from straying into the wilderness. You know when something is flat-out adultery or idolatry, and there is consequence for that.
4:11-14
Israel had turned to idol worship. They worshiped their own bodies, they made sacrifices to false gods. And they gave in to the idolatry that permeated other nations. They had sex temples and gave their wives and daughters over to them, then went and slept around with others.

4:15-19 Don’t drag down Judah
Israel is warned not to drag others into its sin. And it is also told that other places won’t save it: Gilgal is where (in Josh 5:9), God says He has “rolled away His reproach of Egypt on you.” In Gilgal, the Israelites celebrated with feast, circumcision, prayer and Passover the end of their 450 years of Egyptian slavery. Instead, God warns that reproach is coming.
Beth-Aven is a play on words, a reference to Bethel. “Bethel” means “House of God.” But because Jeroboam 1 set up a golden calf (1 Kings 12:28-29), Hosea calls it “Beth Aven,” or “House of Sin” or “House of Deceit.”
This goes back to those ripple effects that we talked about. Israel turned to idols and left itself defenseless, naked. But what about Judah, who was not caving so easily? Their border is rotting away or watched by drunken whores.
Who is watching as we parade our idols around? And where will we turn when hurt sets in?


5:1-5 The sins of harlotry and pride
God here shows them that their harlotry has brought them nothing. Instead, they are stuck deep in corruption and are being slaughtered. They are defiling the whole nation, not just themselves.
What does their pride get them? They are stumbling and guilty.

5:6 Sacrifice without faith
These people sacrifice and say all the right words but God is not listening. He’s looking for something else entirely. (Psalm 51:16-17)

5:9-11 A warning
Assyrians eventually come in and trample through, destroying the lands and people. The Israelites have left themselves totally defenseless, relying on every other thing under the sun except God, who has saved them time and time again. (cf, 2 Kings 15 and 16, and 2 Chronicles 26-27) Israel had time and time again turned to the Assyrians for protection, yet it is those “protectors” that come through and destroy it.
Those things that we replace God with are the things that will eat us alive. They cannot give us fulfillment, they cannot give us security.
What are the things you have replaced God with?


5:1-14 Consequences
These people were being eaten by moths and decay. Dry rot eats from the inside out, making wood weak but appearing strong.
When you abandon the Lord for other lovers, you feel it don’t you?
What does that inner decay feel like? And why do we choose it?


Homework
If you believe that God wants you in church, then how much is enough?
If you believe God wants your prayers, then how much is enough?
If you believe God wants you to do something, then how do you know when you’ve met that requirement?
What we need to understand is that God wants just you. All of you. He wants you from the inside out, not the other way around. Relationship, not sacrifice. He wants love, not merely adherence to law.
Find verses about sacrifice, and choose one to memorize. WE WILL HAVE SHOW AND TELL NEXT WEEK. Give us the verse, and tell us why you chose it. What does God really want from you, and are you giving it to Him? It’s got to be more than words, more than deeds. It’s got to be all of you.
Let us not trade our glory for shame.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Seeing God

So, about once a year I do some work on my blog, updating and such. I was noticing that in 2007 and 2008 I only posted 2 blogs each year. When reading my last entry in 2008, my heart fell and I broke down in tears. I decided to post what I wrote here and challenge all of us to strive this year to portray God according to His Word rather than our circumstances.

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Posted by Robyn at http://breathe-rhemas-luv.blogspot.com/ Sept 2, 2008

Have you had an experience in your life that changed your perspective... forever? For me, that moment was when I had my children. Some may think it would be marriage, but with children, your every decision, word, and action directly effects their outcome. In a marriage, if one messes up, they go to their adult spouse, apologize, work it out, do whatever adults do and usually there isn't any permanent damage to either adult...b/c they're grown ups! They've learned how to deal with another person hurting him/her...hopefully :o). But with children...well, that's a whole other story!!

How many of you have seen a kid having a total breakdown in the middle of the grocery store? What comes to mind? "That woman needs to get a hold of her kid--teach them who's boss!" Hmmm, even thinking about moments like that makes my heart ache for that mom. Those moments are the hardest to be a parent. You try to do right by your kid yet try to discipline all the while the entire store has their eyes on you. What's a mom to do?

How we respond to our children (or for the childless, how we respond to others) in stressful moments, or to our spouse in stressful moments; how we speak to our children (and/or spouse) in tender moments are all presentations of who God is. How we present who God is either in word or deed has an eternal impact on our little ones.

Let me explain.

The Sisterhood of the Yada Yada Traveling Coffee Stains (graceandcoffeestains.blogspot.com) has been going through the book of Hosea and Redeeming Love. As we discussed last night, Sarah's view of God was shaped by her mom and the few men in her childhood. Her mom portrayed God as one who didn't listen to her cries, didn't "fix" her broken heart, and who was a punisher for "things" done wrong. The men, well, we'll save that for another day.

The only God Sarah was privy to was the God portrayed in Nahum 1:2 "The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies."

She never had the opportunity to see the God of Isaiah (Isa 43:1-5 "But now, this is what the LORD says..."Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine...Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you...Do not be afraid, for I am with you.")

or of David (Psalm 146:9 "The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.").

She never saw the love that is always forgiving, always redeeming, never crushing.

So my question to you is, what side of God are you portraying? We as Christians know that God is the Judge sitting on the throne casting judgment and, yes, condemnation to those who have denied Him. However, we also know that this isn't the only side of God. We must be careful not to live our lives portraying only this side of Him. We must live our lives portraying the grace, mercy, and unfailing love of God.

Our constant complaining and negative attitude doesn't portray the loving character of God, does it? See, for me, what I say and do, how I react in a split moment in front of or directed to my kids, is shaping their view of God. I desperately want them to be keenly aware of sin and the damage it does to our lives. B-U-T!!! I don't want God to be the Big Bad God coming down to punish them for their little kid sin. I want them to develop a healthy fear of God. I want Him to be a Guest at the dinner table when we eat mac & cheese, a Comforter in the midst of nightmares, a Cheerleader when they "get it," a Parent in times of discipline and a Daddy spilling out unfailing love and forgiveness for their little kid sins.

Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with mom vision. I worry so much about the impact I'm having on their lives, when really, I'm the one who's being impacted by their lives. Continue to remind me to step out of the way and You be You...reminding me that I am me, not You. Thank you for loving me enough.

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(Can you tell I'm getting stoked about being with you all again?!?!)

Friday, January 2, 2009

Proverbs 13:12

This is a shout out to all my discerning friends. I’ve had a verse on my mind for several months; only problem is I can’t make heads or tales of it. I know me and how the Lord speaks to me, I wouldn’t have a verse that comes to mind daily without any effort to think about it if God wasn’t trying to tell me something. So, I’m casting the net out to see what you all think this verse is communicating…well, to me anyway. I know what it’s communicating, but how is this verse applicable?

Proverbs 13:12
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (NIV)

The Ties That Bind

Hello my Siestas!!!! I have to first say....I'VE MISSED YOU SOOOOO MUCH! I can't wait until we start meeting again, tackling another study that I'm sure will challenge each of us.

I wanted to share something that the Lord has revealed to me that involves each of you; I hope it's a blessing to you to know how special you are.

Since September you all know I took a "break" from study to take a class that was being offered on the same night of study. I will NEVER do that again. Don't get me wrong, the class was great; I just will never replace you all for anything else. The last several months have been so hard. I've cried more, yelled more, and hurt more since September than I have in many years. When wondering what's with all the emotion in my head....I realized that I had not had my weekly dose of wisdom, love, insight, encouragement, and support from the most important women in my life.

I had NO idea how big of an effect you all had on my marriage, my parenting, my job, my everything until I didn't have access to you every week. I look forward to being with you in 2009, sitting at your feet and drawing from your wisdom in the Word.

I've missed you, sisters.