"I will heal their waywardness
and love them freely,
for my anger has turned away from them.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily.
Like a cedar of Lebanon
he will send down his roots;
6 his young shoots will grow.
His splendor will be like an olive tree,
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
7 Men will dwell again in his shade.
He will flourish like the grain.
He will blossom like a vine,
and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon. Hosea14:4-7
Experiencing the compassion of the Father is the fifth part of the parallels between Hosea and the parable of the Prodigal Son (which Tim Keller rightly says is actually about the Lavishness of the Father's love)
In the story of the Lost Son and Lavish Father, we read that the son returns, expecting nothing more than to be given the status of a lowly servant... But look at what the Father does:
"But the father said to his servants, `Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate." (Luke 15:22-24)
Through Hosea, our Father in Heaven shows the same beautiful generosity:
- I will heal their waywardness
- My anger has turned away (which is what Jesus did on the cross)
- There can be growth - note the many agricultural images (dew, blossom, cedar, roots, shoots, olive, shade, grain, vine, and wine)
What an incredible lavishness we see in this imagery.
What a gracious and kind God!
- When we can't change our ways, He will heal our waywardness by the power of the Holy Spirit who transforms us.
- Jesus has absorbed righteous wrath on the cross, turning God's holy anger from us
- We can bear much fruit (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness...)
Do I hear an Amen or Hallelujah?
Let's especially glorify His name this Sunday in worship!
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Friday, October 18, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-10-17 [Hosea Highlights] A striking parallel
1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God.
Your sins have been your downfall!
2 Take words with you
and return to the LORD.
Say to him:
"Forgive all our sins
and receive us graciously,
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.
3 Assyria cannot save us;
we will not mount war-horses.
We will never again say `Our gods'
to what our own hands have made,
for in you the fatherless find compassion." Hosea14:1-3
This is a beautiful passage of repentance:
Notice the steps:
1. Realise your brokenness
2. Prepare words
3. Return to the Lord
4. Acknowledge that nothing else can save you
5. Experience the compassion of the Father.
Now look at how Jesus tells the story of the Prodigal Son (remembering that Hosea has moved from the Husband metaphor to the Father metaphor.)
"When he came to his senses, he said, `How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20 So he got up and went to his father." (Luke 15)
Look at the steps:
1. Hosea: Your sins have been your downfall
Prodigal: I am starving to death - I have sinned.
2&3. Hosea: Take words with you and return
Prodigal: I will go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you
4.Hosea: Assyria cannot save us...
Prodigal: How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! (My own plan didn't work - I need to be with my father)
We'll look at 5 tomorrow...
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Your sins have been your downfall!
2 Take words with you
and return to the LORD.
Say to him:
"Forgive all our sins
and receive us graciously,
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.
3 Assyria cannot save us;
we will not mount war-horses.
We will never again say `Our gods'
to what our own hands have made,
for in you the fatherless find compassion." Hosea14:1-3
This is a beautiful passage of repentance:
Notice the steps:
1. Realise your brokenness
2. Prepare words
3. Return to the Lord
4. Acknowledge that nothing else can save you
5. Experience the compassion of the Father.
Now look at how Jesus tells the story of the Prodigal Son (remembering that Hosea has moved from the Husband metaphor to the Father metaphor.)
"When he came to his senses, he said, `How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20 So he got up and went to his father." (Luke 15)
Look at the steps:
1. Hosea: Your sins have been your downfall
Prodigal: I am starving to death - I have sinned.
2&3. Hosea: Take words with you and return
Prodigal: I will go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you
4.Hosea: Assyria cannot save us...
Prodigal: How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! (My own plan didn't work - I need to be with my father)
We'll look at 5 tomorrow...
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-10-16 [Hosea Highlights] GraveRobber
I will ransom them from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
Where, O death, are your plagues?
Where, O grave, is your destruction? Hosea13:14
Chapters 12 and 13 of Hosea are tough reading... The text see-saws between judgement and mercy. Again and again, the judgement is justified and Israel's failure is made clear.
But there remains an ongoing "but"...
Although Israel has failed and by earthly standards has fallen beyond redemption, there is still unexpected mercy that interjects itself into their ongoing failure.
Even though these chapters pull no punches on the tough consequences of abandoning God, there are moments of grace, love and mercy throughout.
Here are some examples...
* God urges them to repent in 12:6 : "But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always."
* He reminds them of how He raised Moses to lead the Exodus in 12:13 "The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt, by a prophet He cared for Him."
* In 13:5 He shows His care for them: "I cared for you in the desert, in the land of burning heat."
And in our text verse we have the incredible promise that He will defeat the power of the grave - a beautiful promise that Paul quotes in 1Cor15 in relation to Jesus' resurrection.
Yes - we have sinned and our sin is terminal, but unexpected GRACE will rob us out of our graves.
What an amazing God!
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
I will redeem them from death.
Where, O death, are your plagues?
Where, O grave, is your destruction? Hosea13:14
Chapters 12 and 13 of Hosea are tough reading... The text see-saws between judgement and mercy. Again and again, the judgement is justified and Israel's failure is made clear.
But there remains an ongoing "but"...
Although Israel has failed and by earthly standards has fallen beyond redemption, there is still unexpected mercy that interjects itself into their ongoing failure.
Even though these chapters pull no punches on the tough consequences of abandoning God, there are moments of grace, love and mercy throughout.
Here are some examples...
* God urges them to repent in 12:6 : "But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always."
* He reminds them of how He raised Moses to lead the Exodus in 12:13 "The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt, by a prophet He cared for Him."
* In 13:5 He shows His care for them: "I cared for you in the desert, in the land of burning heat."
And in our text verse we have the incredible promise that He will defeat the power of the grave - a beautiful promise that Paul quotes in 1Cor15 in relation to Jesus' resurrection.
Yes - we have sinned and our sin is terminal, but unexpected GRACE will rob us out of our graves.
What an amazing God!
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-10-15 [Hosea Highlights] Roaring
They will follow the LORD;
he will roar like a lion.
When he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling
like birds from Egypt,
like doves from Assyria.
I will settle them in their homes,"
declares the LORD. Hosea11:10-11
Have you heard a lion roar?
As a 17 year old I went on
walk-through-the-Timbavati-reserve-leadership-course. It was 4AM in the
morning and it was my turn to do campfire duty while everyone else
slept. The lions started roaring. My hair stood on end, the air vibrated
with the sound and I sat spellbound by the power and majesty of those
roars. I will never forget that moment. (We found their spoor less than
100m away from our campsite.)
God's promise to Hosea and Israel is that He would call them back and
that they would return. In typical Hebrew poetry fashion the past and
future are intertwined: While he looks to a future returning, he also
remembers the Exodus from Egypt.
Although the Northern Kingdom was never re-established, those in the ten
tribes who did not intermarry with other nations would ultimately return
to the after-the-exile-rebuilt Jerusalem and as a nation they would no
longer be Israel or Judah, but the "Jews."
But there is another angle:
One of the Messianic Titles for Jesus is "Lamb of God." It is a title we
are familiar with and comforted by. But, in sharp contrast, another
title for the Messiah is "Lion of Judah..."
When we talk about the crucifixion, we think of the Lamb of God dying in
our place, but there is a moment where the Lamb is a Lion... The gospels
speak of a "loud cry" as Jesus breathes His last and says "It is
Finished" and "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." (The Greek
word for "It is finished" is "Tetelestai" and it means "Paid in Full!")
The Lion is roaring: "You can come to me - I have done the unexpected -
I am dying for your sin and by death I will conquer death - It is done,
complete and finished!"
How was mercy obtained?
How is it that God could offer us forgiveness?
Because He is God and not a man!
We could not imagine a God who could be both the Lamb of Sacrifice and
the Lion who will conquer death, but this is who He is.
And His roar is this: "If you come to me, you will encounter majestic
and triumphant love that went to the cross for you!"
Hallelujah!
he will roar like a lion.
When he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling
like birds from Egypt,
like doves from Assyria.
I will settle them in their homes,"
declares the LORD. Hosea11:10-11
Have you heard a lion roar?
As a 17 year old I went on
walk-through-the-Timbavati-reserve-leadership-course. It was 4AM in the
morning and it was my turn to do campfire duty while everyone else
slept. The lions started roaring. My hair stood on end, the air vibrated
with the sound and I sat spellbound by the power and majesty of those
roars. I will never forget that moment. (We found their spoor less than
100m away from our campsite.)
God's promise to Hosea and Israel is that He would call them back and
that they would return. In typical Hebrew poetry fashion the past and
future are intertwined: While he looks to a future returning, he also
remembers the Exodus from Egypt.
Although the Northern Kingdom was never re-established, those in the ten
tribes who did not intermarry with other nations would ultimately return
to the after-the-exile-rebuilt Jerusalem and as a nation they would no
longer be Israel or Judah, but the "Jews."
But there is another angle:
One of the Messianic Titles for Jesus is "Lamb of God." It is a title we
are familiar with and comforted by. But, in sharp contrast, another
title for the Messiah is "Lion of Judah..."
When we talk about the crucifixion, we think of the Lamb of God dying in
our place, but there is a moment where the Lamb is a Lion... The gospels
speak of a "loud cry" as Jesus breathes His last and says "It is
Finished" and "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." (The Greek
word for "It is finished" is "Tetelestai" and it means "Paid in Full!")
The Lion is roaring: "You can come to me - I have done the unexpected -
I am dying for your sin and by death I will conquer death - It is done,
complete and finished!"
How was mercy obtained?
How is it that God could offer us forgiveness?
Because He is God and not a man!
We could not imagine a God who could be both the Lamb of Sacrifice and
the Lion who will conquer death, but this is who He is.
And His roar is this: "If you come to me, you will encounter majestic
and triumphant love that went to the cross for you!"
Hallelujah!
Friday, October 11, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-10-11 [Hosea Highlights] Not like us...
7 My people are determined to turn from me.
Even if they call to the Most High,
he will by no means exalt them.
8 "How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboiim*?
My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion is aroused.
9 I will not carry out my fierce anger,
nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.
For I am God, and not man--
the Holy One among you.
I will not come in wrath. Hosea11:7-9
As we saw in ch.1-3, God is the God who does the unexpected:
- Nobody would have blamed Hosea for giving up on his wayward wife.
- None of us would expect God to be patient when His "people are determined to turn" from Him.
But God is the God of the unexpected. After making His case clear and demonstrating that His people have completely overdrawn their accounts, Hosea shows us God's heart...
In an incredibly beautiful burst of poetry God makes His ongoing love and compassionate forgiveness for His people clear:
- How can I give you up?
- How can I let you be swept up in judgement?
- My heart is changed, my compassion is aroused
And it all hinges around this statement:
"I am God not man, the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath"
In essence God is saying: "I'm not like you."
I can balance Justice and Love,
I can hold Wrath and Mercy,
I can truly forgive.
We struggle with forgiveness - we come to a place where the wrong we have done or the wrong done to us or others is just too big - we just cannot deal with it.
Thankfully God is not like us!!!
(Let's celebrate that in worship on Sunday!)
Next week we'll see how His mercy works...
-----------------------
* "Admah and Zeboiim were cities that were overthrown when Sodom was destroyed." (NIV Study Bible)
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Even if they call to the Most High,
he will by no means exalt them.
8 "How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboiim*?
My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion is aroused.
9 I will not carry out my fierce anger,
nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.
For I am God, and not man--
the Holy One among you.
I will not come in wrath. Hosea11:7-9
As we saw in ch.1-3, God is the God who does the unexpected:
- Nobody would have blamed Hosea for giving up on his wayward wife.
- None of us would expect God to be patient when His "people are determined to turn" from Him.
But God is the God of the unexpected. After making His case clear and demonstrating that His people have completely overdrawn their accounts, Hosea shows us God's heart...
In an incredibly beautiful burst of poetry God makes His ongoing love and compassionate forgiveness for His people clear:
- How can I give you up?
- How can I let you be swept up in judgement?
- My heart is changed, my compassion is aroused
And it all hinges around this statement:
"I am God not man, the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath"
In essence God is saying: "I'm not like you."
I can balance Justice and Love,
I can hold Wrath and Mercy,
I can truly forgive.
We struggle with forgiveness - we come to a place where the wrong we have done or the wrong done to us or others is just too big - we just cannot deal with it.
Thankfully God is not like us!!!
(Let's celebrate that in worship on Sunday!)
Next week we'll see how His mercy works...
-----------------------
* "Admah and Zeboiim were cities that were overthrown when Sodom was destroyed." (NIV Study Bible)
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Thursday, October 10, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-10-10 [Hosea Highlights] First Husband, now Father
"When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 But the more I called Israel,
the further they went from me.
They sacrificed to the Baals
and they burned incense to images.
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize
it was I who healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love;
I lifted the yoke from their neck
and bent down to feed them. Hosea11:1-4
We come to the last section of Hosea which deals with God's ongoing love for His people. Chapter 11 in particular is one of the most gripping Old Testament pictures of God's relentless and indomitable love.
When we looked at chapters 1-3 we were confounded by the image of Hosea being a faithful husband even though his wife was chronic in her unfaithfulness. In this "living parable" we saw how God's love goes above and beyond what we could expect. When the world expected Hosea to give up on Gomer, he did the unexpected to pursue her, woo her and restore her.
Now in chapter 11 the imagery changes:
Here God is portrayed, not as Husband, but as Father.
God is the Father and Israel is the son.
And what sad imagery it is:
From the very beginning the Father has loved Israel.
He has held them in His arms, He has taught them to walk, He has healed them, rescued them and fed them.
But there has been a sad cycle: He calls and they move further away!
This passage vibrates with emotion and sadness. If we imagined that God had physically written these words on a scroll, it would be easy to imagine the tear-stains on the ink.
Think about Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son... I imagine that the Father in that story would read these words of Hosea and say "That's how I feel..."
It's easy to imagine God as a Righteous Judge being angry and indignant at our sin. Hosea's poetry catches us unaware. A Great God who grieves, heartbroken, over His children is not what we would expect...
But it's true.
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 But the more I called Israel,
the further they went from me.
They sacrificed to the Baals
and they burned incense to images.
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize
it was I who healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love;
I lifted the yoke from their neck
and bent down to feed them. Hosea11:1-4
We come to the last section of Hosea which deals with God's ongoing love for His people. Chapter 11 in particular is one of the most gripping Old Testament pictures of God's relentless and indomitable love.
When we looked at chapters 1-3 we were confounded by the image of Hosea being a faithful husband even though his wife was chronic in her unfaithfulness. In this "living parable" we saw how God's love goes above and beyond what we could expect. When the world expected Hosea to give up on Gomer, he did the unexpected to pursue her, woo her and restore her.
Now in chapter 11 the imagery changes:
Here God is portrayed, not as Husband, but as Father.
God is the Father and Israel is the son.
And what sad imagery it is:
From the very beginning the Father has loved Israel.
He has held them in His arms, He has taught them to walk, He has healed them, rescued them and fed them.
But there has been a sad cycle: He calls and they move further away!
This passage vibrates with emotion and sadness. If we imagined that God had physically written these words on a scroll, it would be easy to imagine the tear-stains on the ink.
Think about Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son... I imagine that the Father in that story would read these words of Hosea and say "That's how I feel..."
It's easy to imagine God as a Righteous Judge being angry and indignant at our sin. Hosea's poetry catches us unaware. A Great God who grieves, heartbroken, over His children is not what we would expect...
But it's true.
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-10-09 [Hosea Highlights] It is time to seek the Lord
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the LORD,
until he comes
and showers righteousness on you.
13 But you have planted wickedness,
you have reaped evil,
you have eaten the fruit of deception.
Because you have depended on your own strength
and on your many warriors,
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,
so that all your fortresses will be devastated... Hosea10:12-14
Hosea chapters 6-10 deal with Israel's persistent failure and hardened heart. These chapters document their disobedience and rejection of God's ways. At the end of chapter 10 we see the inevitable climax of their sin:
- They planted wickedness and reaped evil
- They (willingly) ate the fruit of deception
- They depended on their own strength.
And so war (in the form of the Assyrian invasion) will come.
But it is verse 12 that has grabbed my heart:
Even here, in midst of judgement, God is still appealing to them:
- Sow righteousness - reap love
- Break up your unplowed ground
- Seek the Lord.
It is a powerful image - Hosea sees a field (representing their relationship with God) - It is unplowed and unused.
If they would seek Him, He will bring showers of righteousness.
Imagine two fields:
One barren, dry, unplowed and unfruitful.
Another plowed, sowed, rain falling gently and plants sprouting.
If I want to be the second field, I need to walk in righteousness and love, I need to break the unplowed ground of devotion and seek the Lord.
And the rain will come!
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the LORD,
until he comes
and showers righteousness on you.
13 But you have planted wickedness,
you have reaped evil,
you have eaten the fruit of deception.
Because you have depended on your own strength
and on your many warriors,
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,
so that all your fortresses will be devastated... Hosea10:12-14
Hosea chapters 6-10 deal with Israel's persistent failure and hardened heart. These chapters document their disobedience and rejection of God's ways. At the end of chapter 10 we see the inevitable climax of their sin:
- They planted wickedness and reaped evil
- They (willingly) ate the fruit of deception
- They depended on their own strength.
And so war (in the form of the Assyrian invasion) will come.
But it is verse 12 that has grabbed my heart:
Even here, in midst of judgement, God is still appealing to them:
- Sow righteousness - reap love
- Break up your unplowed ground
- Seek the Lord.
It is a powerful image - Hosea sees a field (representing their relationship with God) - It is unplowed and unused.
If they would seek Him, He will bring showers of righteousness.
Imagine two fields:
One barren, dry, unplowed and unfruitful.
Another plowed, sowed, rain falling gently and plants sprouting.
If I want to be the second field, I need to walk in righteousness and love, I need to break the unplowed ground of devotion and seek the Lord.
And the rain will come!
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Friday, October 4, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-10-04 [Hosea Highlights] What God requires
6 I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me. (Good News Translation) Hosea6:6
There are a number of places in the OT where God urges us to throw of the cloak of tradition and ritual and to get real. Hosea 6:6 is one of them. Here are some other passages that point us in the same direction:
Proverbs 21:3 To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
Psalm 51:16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
1 Samuel 15:22 But Samuel replied:
"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
Isaiah 1:11 "The multitude of your sacrifices--
what are they to me?" says the LORD.
"I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats....
17 learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.
Amos 5:21 "I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
I cannot stand your assemblies.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Micah 6:6 With what shall I come before the LORD
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Psalm 40:6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.
7 Then I said, "Here I am, I have come--
it is written about me in the scroll.
8 I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart."
This is certainly food for thought!!!
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
There are a number of places in the OT where God urges us to throw of the cloak of tradition and ritual and to get real. Hosea 6:6 is one of them. Here are some other passages that point us in the same direction:
Proverbs 21:3 To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
Psalm 51:16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
1 Samuel 15:22 But Samuel replied:
"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
Isaiah 1:11 "The multitude of your sacrifices--
what are they to me?" says the LORD.
"I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats....
17 learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.
Amos 5:21 "I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
I cannot stand your assemblies.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Micah 6:6 With what shall I come before the LORD
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Psalm 40:6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.
7 Then I said, "Here I am, I have come--
it is written about me in the scroll.
8 I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart."
This is certainly food for thought!!!
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Thursday, October 3, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-10-03 [Hosea Highlights] Hopeful call to repentence
Come, let us return to the LORD.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.
2 After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence.
3 Let us acknowledge the LORD;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth. Hosea6:1-3
Chapters 6-10 are a description of the judgement that will fall on Israel because of her stubborn disobedience.
What is striking is that this tough section starts with the prophet's passionate cry: "Let us return to the Lord, because He will heal and restore us."
We may struggle with the idea of "He has torn us to pieces" and "He has injured us", but let's remember the imagery we started with: Gomer running away from Hosea and getting herself into trouble and slavery. If Hosea had restrained her from running away then she would not have got into trouble, so, in a way Hosea is responsible for her being in slavery.
It is in this sense that Hosea "blames" God for Israel's wounds.
They brought judgement on themselves, but only because of the freedom that God gave them.
What is hard to ignore are the parallels we encounter here:
- The three days that Jesus was in the tomb
- The prophecies of the wounded healer in Isaiah 53
- The way Jesus was "torn to pieces" when He was whipped
- The torn temple curtain that enables us to "live in His presence"
- And the promise of winter and spring rains and streams of living water.
Although we can't strictly call this a Messianic prophecy, I am certainly comfortable to see a Messianic pre-echo...
What a gracious God - that even judgement is preceded with mercy.
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.
2 After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence.
3 Let us acknowledge the LORD;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth. Hosea6:1-3
Chapters 6-10 are a description of the judgement that will fall on Israel because of her stubborn disobedience.
What is striking is that this tough section starts with the prophet's passionate cry: "Let us return to the Lord, because He will heal and restore us."
We may struggle with the idea of "He has torn us to pieces" and "He has injured us", but let's remember the imagery we started with: Gomer running away from Hosea and getting herself into trouble and slavery. If Hosea had restrained her from running away then she would not have got into trouble, so, in a way Hosea is responsible for her being in slavery.
It is in this sense that Hosea "blames" God for Israel's wounds.
They brought judgement on themselves, but only because of the freedom that God gave them.
What is hard to ignore are the parallels we encounter here:
- The three days that Jesus was in the tomb
- The prophecies of the wounded healer in Isaiah 53
- The way Jesus was "torn to pieces" when He was whipped
- The torn temple curtain that enables us to "live in His presence"
- And the promise of winter and spring rains and streams of living water.
Although we can't strictly call this a Messianic prophecy, I am certainly comfortable to see a Messianic pre-echo...
What a gracious God - that even judgement is preceded with mercy.
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-10-02 [Hosea Highlights] The extent of brokenness
Judah's leaders are like those who move boundary stones.
I will pour out my wrath on them like a flood of water.
11 Ephraim is oppressed,
trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols.
12 I am like a moth to Ephraim,
like rot to the people of Judah.
13 "When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sores,
then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and sent to the great king for help.
But he is not able to cure you, not able to heal your sores. Hosea5:10-15
Hosea chapter 5 is all about the extent of the brokenness of God's people. In this chapter the prophet names the priests, the Royal House, the shepherds, Ephraim/Israel (Northern Kingdom), and Judah (Southern Kingdom).
It is a sad and depressing chapter. It catalogues the stubborn rebellion that has taken root in the hearts of the people:
* Hosea accuses Judah's leaders of moving boundary stones. This means that they have turned their back on ancient truths and traditions.
* Ephraim is even worse, in spite of the fact that they are experiencing consequences and judgement for their idolatry, they persist in their pursuit of idols. They simply refuse to learn from their mistakes.
In some ways, this is a reflection of modern society and even the church. As a society we are moving boundary stones - departing from tried and trusted norms and values and embracing "new moralities" without thinking through where these will take us. We're unashamedly worshipping at the shrines of techno-materialism and the adulation of ourselves.
The challenge of this chapter is to grasp both its _truth_ and its _purpose_:
- The truth is that it is a timeless and insightful analysis of a society that drifts away from God.
- The purpose is not to depress us, create images of God as a hard-to-please-judge, or produce paralysing guilt, but rather to understand the urgent situation we are in.
Israel tried to resolve their situation politically - but they would need to come to a place of admitting their need.
The chapter ends with God doing whatever He can to get their attention:
14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
like a great lion to Judah.
I will tear them to pieces and go away;
I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them.
15 Then I will go back to my place
until they admit their guilt.
And they will seek my face;
in their misery they will earnestly seek me."
May we open our hearts to God long before He has to shake us up like this.
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
I will pour out my wrath on them like a flood of water.
11 Ephraim is oppressed,
trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols.
12 I am like a moth to Ephraim,
like rot to the people of Judah.
13 "When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sores,
then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and sent to the great king for help.
But he is not able to cure you, not able to heal your sores. Hosea5:10-15
Hosea chapter 5 is all about the extent of the brokenness of God's people. In this chapter the prophet names the priests, the Royal House, the shepherds, Ephraim/Israel (Northern Kingdom), and Judah (Southern Kingdom).
It is a sad and depressing chapter. It catalogues the stubborn rebellion that has taken root in the hearts of the people:
* Hosea accuses Judah's leaders of moving boundary stones. This means that they have turned their back on ancient truths and traditions.
* Ephraim is even worse, in spite of the fact that they are experiencing consequences and judgement for their idolatry, they persist in their pursuit of idols. They simply refuse to learn from their mistakes.
In some ways, this is a reflection of modern society and even the church. As a society we are moving boundary stones - departing from tried and trusted norms and values and embracing "new moralities" without thinking through where these will take us. We're unashamedly worshipping at the shrines of techno-materialism and the adulation of ourselves.
The challenge of this chapter is to grasp both its _truth_ and its _purpose_:
- The truth is that it is a timeless and insightful analysis of a society that drifts away from God.
- The purpose is not to depress us, create images of God as a hard-to-please-judge, or produce paralysing guilt, but rather to understand the urgent situation we are in.
Israel tried to resolve their situation politically - but they would need to come to a place of admitting their need.
The chapter ends with God doing whatever He can to get their attention:
14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
like a great lion to Judah.
I will tear them to pieces and go away;
I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them.
15 Then I will go back to my place
until they admit their guilt.
And they will seek my face;
in their misery they will earnestly seek me."
May we open our hearts to God long before He has to shake us up like this.
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
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