Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, `You are not my people,' they will be called `sons of the living God.' 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will be reunited, and they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel. 1 "Say of your brothers, `My people,' and of your sisters, `My loved one.' Hosea1:10-2:1
Hosea has built a strong case.
He has convincingly shown just cause why God should cut ties with Israel. They have been violent, rebellious, hard-hearted and fully deserving of being scattered, not-loved, and disowned (not-my-people).
But there is a "Yet..."
Israel fully deserves judgement YET God promises mercy, restoration and forgiveness.
The not-my-people and the not-loved will be fruitful, numerous and united.
Jezreel - the place of violence and scattering - will be great.
The disowned will be called 'sons of the living God' and the unloved will be known as the loved one.
This is the unexpected and wonderful reality of Grace.
Grace is unearned, undeserved, and unwarranted.
It is not something we can claim or demand - it is something God does because it says something about Him and not us.
We are loved, claimed and redeemed.
Not because we have earned it or have a right to it, but because God is "unexpectedly" and "unpredictably" good. He does not have to be good - we didn't deserve it. He does not have to show us mercy - we deserve judgement - but with God there is a YET...!
Hallelujah!
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-09-10 [Hosea Highlights] Children's names 3
After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. 9 Then the LORD said, "Call him Lo-Ammi, for you are not my people, and I am not your God. Hosea1:8-9
Gomer's third child is a son who is named "Lo-Ammi" ("Not my nation/people".)
In the third child, the full extent of Israel's failure and God's justified wrath is made known.
We have seen the progression from:
- Jezreel: God scatters
- to Lo-Ruhamah: Not loved
- to Lo-Ammi: Not my people.
Hosea is helping us understand why God is justified in allowing judgment to come on Israel.
- Jezreel: The nation is steeped in senseless bloodshed
- Lo-Ruhamah: The nation has been so self-reliant that they have stepped out of the reach of love.
- Lo-Ammi: They have not lived as the people of God and they have not been devoted to God in sincere worship.
Hosea is the earthly father of these children - they could have the security of his love and protection. But the heartbreak of Gomer's children is three-fold:
- They are scattered by the ongoing cycle of her unfaithfulness
- They have been brought out of the reach of love
- They have lost their identity and belonging.
This is a very sad and sobering picture.
But it is not the end of the story: There is a surprise coming...
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Gomer's third child is a son who is named "Lo-Ammi" ("Not my nation/people".)
In the third child, the full extent of Israel's failure and God's justified wrath is made known.
We have seen the progression from:
- Jezreel: God scatters
- to Lo-Ruhamah: Not loved
- to Lo-Ammi: Not my people.
Hosea is helping us understand why God is justified in allowing judgment to come on Israel.
- Jezreel: The nation is steeped in senseless bloodshed
- Lo-Ruhamah: The nation has been so self-reliant that they have stepped out of the reach of love.
- Lo-Ammi: They have not lived as the people of God and they have not been devoted to God in sincere worship.
Hosea is the earthly father of these children - they could have the security of his love and protection. But the heartbreak of Gomer's children is three-fold:
- They are scattered by the ongoing cycle of her unfaithfulness
- They have been brought out of the reach of love
- They have lost their identity and belonging.
This is a very sad and sobering picture.
But it is not the end of the story: There is a surprise coming...
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Friday, September 6, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-09-06 [Hosea Highlights] Children's names 2
Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the LORD said to Hosea, "Call her Lo-Ruhamah, for I will no longer show love to the house of Israel, that I should at all forgive them. 7 Yet I will show love to the house of Judah; and I will save them--not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but by the LORD their God." Hosea1:6-7
Hosea is a prophet to the Northern Kingdom, Israel. They have been unfaithful to the extreme. Violence and bloodshed (as seen symbolised by the first son, Jezreel) were the order of the day and rampant idolatry was their hallmark.
A bit of background: The Southern Kingdom Judah were more faithful. The NIV Study Bible reminds us that when the Northern Kingdom was finally defeated by the Assyrians in 721BC there were refugees who fled to Jerusalem enlarging the population and requiring an extension of the city walls and King Hezekiah carved an underground aqueduct out of solid rock to bring an ample water supply inside the city walls.
This aqueduct and Divine Intervention (See 2Kings 19) enabled Jerusalem to survive the siege of Sennacherib in 701BC.
Here in our passage, Gomer's second child is called "Unloved" (That's what Lo-Ruhamah means) whereas love and mercy is shown to Judah, and we are reminded that Judah was saved by God and not by military might.
It seems that reliance on horses was a big part of Israel's failure:
They believed in their military might and strategic alliances.
It was self-reliance to the point of self-destruction.
We often recoil at the "harshness" of the naming of Hosea's children - especially "Lo-Ruhama". But we need to recognise that it is sometimes our own self-reliance puts us out of the reach of God's love.
Are you too self-reliant? That's why worship is so important - it affirms that we are not God and that we need Him.
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Hosea is a prophet to the Northern Kingdom, Israel. They have been unfaithful to the extreme. Violence and bloodshed (as seen symbolised by the first son, Jezreel) were the order of the day and rampant idolatry was their hallmark.
A bit of background: The Southern Kingdom Judah were more faithful. The NIV Study Bible reminds us that when the Northern Kingdom was finally defeated by the Assyrians in 721BC there were refugees who fled to Jerusalem enlarging the population and requiring an extension of the city walls and King Hezekiah carved an underground aqueduct out of solid rock to bring an ample water supply inside the city walls.
This aqueduct and Divine Intervention (See 2Kings 19) enabled Jerusalem to survive the siege of Sennacherib in 701BC.
Here in our passage, Gomer's second child is called "Unloved" (That's what Lo-Ruhamah means) whereas love and mercy is shown to Judah, and we are reminded that Judah was saved by God and not by military might.
It seems that reliance on horses was a big part of Israel's failure:
They believed in their military might and strategic alliances.
It was self-reliance to the point of self-destruction.
We often recoil at the "harshness" of the naming of Hosea's children - especially "Lo-Ruhama". But we need to recognise that it is sometimes our own self-reliance puts us out of the reach of God's love.
Are you too self-reliant? That's why worship is so important - it affirms that we are not God and that we need Him.
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-09-03 [Hosea Highlights] Children's names
3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
4 Then the LORD said to Hosea, "Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5 In that day I will break Israel's bow in the Valley of Jezreel." Hosea1:3-4
Gomer's children (we are fairly sure Hosea wasn't the father of all of them) are given symbolic names.
The first-born, a son, is named "Jezreel."
Understanding the symbolism around Jezreel is challenging. Here are some thoughts.
1. "Jezreel" and "Israel" sound similar and although Hebrew poetry doesn't rhyme, Biblical authors often made puns of similar sounding words. Jezreel is both a valley and a town.
2. "Jezreel" means "God scatters (seed)" or "God sows."
3. Jezreel is mentioned in connection with Jehu who defeated Jezebel and all her sons in a particularly bloody confrontation in the town of Jezreel.
4. Jezreel was also the site of Naboth's vineyard which King Ahab wanted and so Jezebel had Naboth falsely accused and murdered. Naboth was a Godly man whereas Ahab was a Baal-worshipper.
The problem with limiting the punishment described in v.4 to Jehu's family, is that Jehu had his orders from God. It makes more sense if the "house of Jehu" is seen as Israel, the Northern Kingdom, over which Jehu's house is king.
The Naboth story is given a lot of prominence in 1Ki.21 with Elijah coming to confront Ahab and it seems that this is the "straw" that breaks the camel's back as far as God's patience with Ahab is concerned. It is therefore significant and ironic that Ahab and Jezebel die in Jezreel.
So... Jezreel is a place of betrayal, bloodshed and retribution. Jezreel and Israel have seen great betrayal and bloodshed, and those who do evil like Ahab and Jezebel will reap the chaos they have sown.
And so it is not surprising that God's response is to "scatter."
If Jezreel (and Israel) and Jehu (and the nation under him) continue to massacre and destroy, then the cycle(the bow) will be broken.
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
4 Then the LORD said to Hosea, "Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5 In that day I will break Israel's bow in the Valley of Jezreel." Hosea1:3-4
Gomer's children (we are fairly sure Hosea wasn't the father of all of them) are given symbolic names.
The first-born, a son, is named "Jezreel."
Understanding the symbolism around Jezreel is challenging. Here are some thoughts.
1. "Jezreel" and "Israel" sound similar and although Hebrew poetry doesn't rhyme, Biblical authors often made puns of similar sounding words. Jezreel is both a valley and a town.
2. "Jezreel" means "God scatters (seed)" or "God sows."
3. Jezreel is mentioned in connection with Jehu who defeated Jezebel and all her sons in a particularly bloody confrontation in the town of Jezreel.
4. Jezreel was also the site of Naboth's vineyard which King Ahab wanted and so Jezebel had Naboth falsely accused and murdered. Naboth was a Godly man whereas Ahab was a Baal-worshipper.
The problem with limiting the punishment described in v.4 to Jehu's family, is that Jehu had his orders from God. It makes more sense if the "house of Jehu" is seen as Israel, the Northern Kingdom, over which Jehu's house is king.
The Naboth story is given a lot of prominence in 1Ki.21 with Elijah coming to confront Ahab and it seems that this is the "straw" that breaks the camel's back as far as God's patience with Ahab is concerned. It is therefore significant and ironic that Ahab and Jezebel die in Jezreel.
So... Jezreel is a place of betrayal, bloodshed and retribution. Jezreel and Israel have seen great betrayal and bloodshed, and those who do evil like Ahab and Jezebel will reap the chaos they have sown.
And so it is not surprising that God's response is to "scatter."
If Jezreel (and Israel) and Jehu (and the nation under him) continue to massacre and destroy, then the cycle(the bow) will be broken.
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Friday, August 30, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-08-30 [Hosea Highlights] It couldn't have been easy
When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD." 3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim Hosea1:1-2
"Why do you put up with her Hosea?"
"Can't you see that she just uses you?"
"Look at what that tramp is doing now! Another guy?? Who is it this time?"
"C'mon Hosea, stand up for yourself! Divorce that unfaithful hussy now!"
I imagine these were the kind of things Hosea's friends were saying... (The last comment probably came from his mother!!)
It couldn't have been easy to be Hosea.
-To marry a woman who would break his heart and trust again and again.
-To act as father and protector to "children of unfaithfulness."
-To live in the humilation of being the husband spurned.
But God asked this of Hosea to wake Israel up.
Israel needed to see God's heart through the life of the prophet.
I can only imagine that something supernatural happened in Hosea's heart. I think he would trump all the critical comments and questions with one simple answer: "But I love her."
God could crumple us up like a failed experiment.
When we look at how unfaithful and broken we are it seems amazing that He puts up with us... I wonder if one of the angels has very humbly suggested to God that He could start again on Mars...
It wasn't easy for Hosea - even less easy for God, but His answer is made clear on the cross...
He LOVES us.
(Let's celebrate that truth in Worship this Sunday!)
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
"Why do you put up with her Hosea?"
"Can't you see that she just uses you?"
"Look at what that tramp is doing now! Another guy?? Who is it this time?"
"C'mon Hosea, stand up for yourself! Divorce that unfaithful hussy now!"
I imagine these were the kind of things Hosea's friends were saying... (The last comment probably came from his mother!!)
It couldn't have been easy to be Hosea.
-To marry a woman who would break his heart and trust again and again.
-To act as father and protector to "children of unfaithfulness."
-To live in the humilation of being the husband spurned.
But God asked this of Hosea to wake Israel up.
Israel needed to see God's heart through the life of the prophet.
I can only imagine that something supernatural happened in Hosea's heart. I think he would trump all the critical comments and questions with one simple answer: "But I love her."
God could crumple us up like a failed experiment.
When we look at how unfaithful and broken we are it seems amazing that He puts up with us... I wonder if one of the angels has very humbly suggested to God that He could start again on Mars...
It wasn't easy for Hosea - even less easy for God, but His answer is made clear on the cross...
He LOVES us.
(Let's celebrate that truth in Worship this Sunday!)
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Thursday, August 29, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-08-29 [Hosea Highlights] Intro
We're going to start a short series on the prophet Hosea. Hosea is one of the so-called "Minor Prophets" whose works are collected in the back of the Old Testament. Hosea is the first of these...
-----------------------------
When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD." 3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim Hosea1:1-2
The name Hosea means "God is my Salvation."
Hosea lived and worked during the time when the Israelites were split into a Northern Kingdom (Israel) and a Southern Kingdom (Judah.) His ministry spanned a tumultuous time because he would see the Northern Kingdom crumble in its sinfulness and rebellion against God and ultimately be overrun by the Assyrians.
The book is remarkable in its portrayal of the God as both husband and father/mother to His people. To make its point, the book tells us about Hosea's marriage (at God's command) to a prostitute. His wife, Gomer, is wayward and unfaithful, and God asks Hosea to be gracious, forgiving and loving.
Hosea's marriage becomes a picture of Israel's unfaithfulness on the one hand and God's faithful, unconditional love on the other.
The book is characterised by the unexpected:
- We would expect Hosea to give up on his wayward wife
- We would expect God to give up on His unfaithful people
- We would expect God to abandon His rebellious child
But the expected becomes the unexpected!!!
We could probably summarise the book in a sentence: "No matter how far we fall or how often we fail, God's love will reach out to us."
The structure of the book is as follows:
Ch1-3 Hosea and Gomer
Ch 4-14 God and Israel
--- Israel's rebellion (4:1-6:3)
--- Israel's punishment (6:4-10:15)
--- God's faithful love (11-14)
We'll go through the highlights of this amazing book in the next few eDevs...
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
-----------------------------
When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD." 3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim Hosea1:1-2
The name Hosea means "God is my Salvation."
Hosea lived and worked during the time when the Israelites were split into a Northern Kingdom (Israel) and a Southern Kingdom (Judah.) His ministry spanned a tumultuous time because he would see the Northern Kingdom crumble in its sinfulness and rebellion against God and ultimately be overrun by the Assyrians.
The book is remarkable in its portrayal of the God as both husband and father/mother to His people. To make its point, the book tells us about Hosea's marriage (at God's command) to a prostitute. His wife, Gomer, is wayward and unfaithful, and God asks Hosea to be gracious, forgiving and loving.
Hosea's marriage becomes a picture of Israel's unfaithfulness on the one hand and God's faithful, unconditional love on the other.
The book is characterised by the unexpected:
- We would expect Hosea to give up on his wayward wife
- We would expect God to give up on His unfaithful people
- We would expect God to abandon His rebellious child
But the expected becomes the unexpected!!!
We could probably summarise the book in a sentence: "No matter how far we fall or how often we fail, God's love will reach out to us."
The structure of the book is as follows:
Ch1-3 Hosea and Gomer
Ch 4-14 God and Israel
--- Israel's rebellion (4:1-6:3)
--- Israel's punishment (6:4-10:15)
--- God's faithful love (11-14)
We'll go through the highlights of this amazing book in the next few eDevs...
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Friday, August 23, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-08-23 [In the beginning...] It was very good!
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Genesis1:31
The word "good" appears seven times in Gen 1:
- v4 God saw that the light was good
- v10 And God saw that it was good (land and sea)
- v12 And God saw that it was good (plants and trees)
- v18 And God saw that it was good (sun, moon and stars)
- v21 And God saw that it was good (fish and birds)
- v25 And God saw that it was good (livestock and ground creatures)
- v31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. (Everything)
There is beauty, magnificence and majesty that permeates all of creation. In spite of the blight of sin's brokenness, the goodness of creation still recharges our souls when we walk on the beach, stroll through the forest or hike through the mountains.
Even if we were to argue that it is simply the earth rotating on its axis and the various colours of the visible light spectrum bending to different extents around the curvature of the earth and being filtered by the dust and smog in the atmosphere, sunsets and sunrises still move us in deep and inexplicable ways.
Even though we can explain a rose by photosynthesis and plant genetics, it doesn't change the fact that we are filled with a sense of awe and a sense of well-being when we look at it.
We can explain that a lion is just a big cat and that the elephant is an unusual genetic specimen (it's nearest relative being the dassie) but when the lion roars and the elephant trumpets our senses stand at attention and it is as if we are suddenly more alive.
God is GOOD - in the most ultimate sense. Creation is pregnant with that goodness - as we experience its goodness we get just a fleeting sense of how incredibly good God is!!!
And so we come back to the idea of Leviathan frolic-ing in the vast ocean God created for that purpose. Our awesomely good God has made a beautifully good world for us to glimpse just some of His GOODness - let's learn to open our eyes and to FROLIC.
-----------------------------------------------------------
That brings us to the end of this series - hope you enjoyed it. Any suggestions for the next series?
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
The word "good" appears seven times in Gen 1:
- v4 God saw that the light was good
- v10 And God saw that it was good (land and sea)
- v12 And God saw that it was good (plants and trees)
- v18 And God saw that it was good (sun, moon and stars)
- v21 And God saw that it was good (fish and birds)
- v25 And God saw that it was good (livestock and ground creatures)
- v31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. (Everything)
There is beauty, magnificence and majesty that permeates all of creation. In spite of the blight of sin's brokenness, the goodness of creation still recharges our souls when we walk on the beach, stroll through the forest or hike through the mountains.
Even if we were to argue that it is simply the earth rotating on its axis and the various colours of the visible light spectrum bending to different extents around the curvature of the earth and being filtered by the dust and smog in the atmosphere, sunsets and sunrises still move us in deep and inexplicable ways.
Even though we can explain a rose by photosynthesis and plant genetics, it doesn't change the fact that we are filled with a sense of awe and a sense of well-being when we look at it.
We can explain that a lion is just a big cat and that the elephant is an unusual genetic specimen (it's nearest relative being the dassie) but when the lion roars and the elephant trumpets our senses stand at attention and it is as if we are suddenly more alive.
God is GOOD - in the most ultimate sense. Creation is pregnant with that goodness - as we experience its goodness we get just a fleeting sense of how incredibly good God is!!!
And so we come back to the idea of Leviathan frolic-ing in the vast ocean God created for that purpose. Our awesomely good God has made a beautifully good world for us to glimpse just some of His GOODness - let's learn to open our eyes and to FROLIC.
-----------------------------------------------------------
That brings us to the end of this series - hope you enjoyed it. Any suggestions for the next series?
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Thursday, August 22, 2013
EmmDev SEND 2013-08-22 [In the beginning...] Homo Sapiens? #3 Responsibility
O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalms8:1-9
The X-men movies series suggests that human beings are still evolving and that homo-sapiens will be surpassed by the next generation of superior humans.
Psalm 8 sees it differently: Humankind, created in the image of God, already has all it needs to be the apex of creation. This is not because of our DNA, the size of our brains or the flexibility of our thumbs. (Some folk are suggesting that the next generations will have more nimble thumbs because of all the sms-texting we are doing!!!)
The Psalm is clear: We are the apex of creation because of one key concept: The responsibility of choice.
* We have the option to praise - and when we do, it silences our enemies.
* We are only a little lower than the angels who were also given the gift of choice (and we know that Satan abused that choice and rebelled.) We have the choice of letting God be our God or trying to be our own gods (that's what Adam and Eve's choice was about.)
* We have the responsibility to look after God's creation - to be custodians of it.
Unfortunately we keep getting this wrong:
- We try to be our own gods
- We abuse creation
- We try to get praise for ourselves instead of praising God.
How do we know when we get it right?
The end of the Psalm makes it clear - we have exercised our choices and responsibilities correctly when God gets the praise.
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalms8:1-9
The X-men movies series suggests that human beings are still evolving and that homo-sapiens will be surpassed by the next generation of superior humans.
Psalm 8 sees it differently: Humankind, created in the image of God, already has all it needs to be the apex of creation. This is not because of our DNA, the size of our brains or the flexibility of our thumbs. (Some folk are suggesting that the next generations will have more nimble thumbs because of all the sms-texting we are doing!!!)
The Psalm is clear: We are the apex of creation because of one key concept: The responsibility of choice.
* We have the option to praise - and when we do, it silences our enemies.
* We are only a little lower than the angels who were also given the gift of choice (and we know that Satan abused that choice and rebelled.) We have the choice of letting God be our God or trying to be our own gods (that's what Adam and Eve's choice was about.)
* We have the responsibility to look after God's creation - to be custodians of it.
Unfortunately we keep getting this wrong:
- We try to be our own gods
- We abuse creation
- We try to get praise for ourselves instead of praising God.
How do we know when we get it right?
The end of the Psalm makes it clear - we have exercised our choices and responsibilities correctly when God gets the praise.
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-08-21 [In the beginning...] Homo Sapiens? #2 Spirit
...the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis2:7
Genesis 2 tells the creation story again, but from another perspective. This should not unsettle us. When describing a car accident, one witness will say "The red car skipped the stop street and was broadsided by the blue car." Another witness will say "The Audi Cabriolet was hit by the Ford Focus and spun around three times but the airbag deployed and the driver got out ok." They are simply relating different details of the same story.
What Genesis 1 describes in one sentence: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them..." Genesis 2 describes in a couple of sentences, including how God made Eve from Adam's rib.
The point of the description here in Gen 2 is that God breathed life into Adam. The Hebrew word for breath is also the Hebrew word for Spirit and so it is clear that what is implied here is that humankind are set apart from all creatures in that we have the capacity to be filled by the Spirit. We can be given life by the Spirit.
This imagery is Genesis' way of telling us that human beings are created to have a relationship with God through the Spirit. The French mathematician, Blaise Pascal, said: "There is a God-shaped hole in every person - a space that only God can fill." Augustine said: "We are restless until we find our rest in Thee."
Human beings are unique - God has breathed into us.
We are eternal and we can relate to God in "Spirit and Truth." (Jesus confirmed this in his conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4)
So as human beings were are created in His image (to reflect Him) but He breathed His Spirit into us (so that we can relate to Him.)
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Genesis 2 tells the creation story again, but from another perspective. This should not unsettle us. When describing a car accident, one witness will say "The red car skipped the stop street and was broadsided by the blue car." Another witness will say "The Audi Cabriolet was hit by the Ford Focus and spun around three times but the airbag deployed and the driver got out ok." They are simply relating different details of the same story.
What Genesis 1 describes in one sentence: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them..." Genesis 2 describes in a couple of sentences, including how God made Eve from Adam's rib.
The point of the description here in Gen 2 is that God breathed life into Adam. The Hebrew word for breath is also the Hebrew word for Spirit and so it is clear that what is implied here is that humankind are set apart from all creatures in that we have the capacity to be filled by the Spirit. We can be given life by the Spirit.
This imagery is Genesis' way of telling us that human beings are created to have a relationship with God through the Spirit. The French mathematician, Blaise Pascal, said: "There is a God-shaped hole in every person - a space that only God can fill." Augustine said: "We are restless until we find our rest in Thee."
Human beings are unique - God has breathed into us.
We are eternal and we can relate to God in "Spirit and Truth." (Jesus confirmed this in his conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4)
So as human beings were are created in His image (to reflect Him) but He breathed His Spirit into us (so that we can relate to Him.)
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
EMMDEV 2013-08-20 [In the beginning...] Homo Sapiens? #1 Image
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them. Genesis1:26-27
While science postulates that humankind developed from earlier species of evolved creatures, Scripture emphasises a clear line between humankind and the rest of creation.
While the rest of creation can be signposts to the glory and the attributes of God's creativity, beauty and fullness, Genesis tells us that God created humanity IN HIS IMAGE.
What does it mean when we say that we are created in His image? Does it mean that God has arms, legs, ears, eyes and a nose? If so, is God white, black or chinese? Does it mean that God has a beard and a friendly father-christmas smile? If so, then how are women created in His image?
The idea of being created in the image of God is better seen in our nature than in our physiology. Being created in His image means we as human beings reflect some of the attibutes of God's nature. Here are some examples:
- We can compose poetry and music: This is to create "out of nothing."
- We can enjoy the beauty of creation and the fruit of our labours.
- We are able to make moral choices between right and wrong. Choices that are not the result of instinct or conditioning, but because we have been given the ability to choose.
- We can love selflessly - or choose not to.
- We are able to enter into a relationship with God or choose not to.
So whether God used the processes of adaptation and development to bring humanity to the fore, or whether He stepped in and did something new but similar to what came before, we don't know.
What we do know is that humankind is unique - there is a clear line: we are in the image of God - reflecting His nature and capable of a relationship with Him.
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--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them. Genesis1:26-27
While science postulates that humankind developed from earlier species of evolved creatures, Scripture emphasises a clear line between humankind and the rest of creation.
While the rest of creation can be signposts to the glory and the attributes of God's creativity, beauty and fullness, Genesis tells us that God created humanity IN HIS IMAGE.
What does it mean when we say that we are created in His image? Does it mean that God has arms, legs, ears, eyes and a nose? If so, is God white, black or chinese? Does it mean that God has a beard and a friendly father-christmas smile? If so, then how are women created in His image?
The idea of being created in the image of God is better seen in our nature than in our physiology. Being created in His image means we as human beings reflect some of the attibutes of God's nature. Here are some examples:
- We can compose poetry and music: This is to create "out of nothing."
- We can enjoy the beauty of creation and the fruit of our labours.
- We are able to make moral choices between right and wrong. Choices that are not the result of instinct or conditioning, but because we have been given the ability to choose.
- We can love selflessly - or choose not to.
- We are able to enter into a relationship with God or choose not to.
So whether God used the processes of adaptation and development to bring humanity to the fore, or whether He stepped in and did something new but similar to what came before, we don't know.
What we do know is that humankind is unique - there is a clear line: we are in the image of God - reflecting His nature and capable of a relationship with Him.
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
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