Background Scripture: Hosea 13: 1 - 14: 9
Focus passage:  "Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a flourishing juniper; your fruitfulness comes from me.”  Hosea 14:8

As we conclude our look at the book of the prophet Hosea and its litany of troubles for Israel, I believe that we must step back and take a look at the big picture and the big question:  Are you ready for it? -- here it is:

"How did the Children of Israel get themselves into such a mess and so very far from Jehovah God?" 

Well, I don't think that you need a doctoral degree in Orthodox Theology or Applied Exegesis to discern the answer.  It wasIDOLATRY.

Now, before we get all smug and complacent about this particular issue, let's agree to first at least look at the definition of idolatry and then honestly assess where we are in relation to this pernicious issue that got the Israelites into such dire straits.  The definition of idolatry, according to Webster, is “the worship of idols (duh!)or excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing.” In other words, an idol is anything that replaces the one, true God or exchanges the truth for a lie (Romans 1:25). The most prevalent form of idolatry in Bible times was the worship of images that were thought to embody the various pagan deities.

Phew!  We're off the hook here in America, right?  We don't bow down to graven images, right?  Not so fast!  I am not sure that we are qualified to even recognize the idols in our own culture or even within the church.  We are much, much better at recognizing them in other cultures.  A story told by Pastor Mark Driscoll illustrates my point:

(I paraphrase his words) - Mark was in East India and walking down a path in the middle of nowhere when, all of a sudden he came upon idols as far as the eye could see.  Strewn around these idols were chicken feathers and blood was everywhere.  Then he spotted a lady who he recognized to be the wife of a local Christian pastor.  He asked her if she would ever consider coming to the United States.  Her reply:  "I did once and I will never return."  He asked her why.  She replied," I can't stomach the idolatry."  This was not what the pastor was expecting to hear.  After all, he was standing in the place where chickens apparently get whacked to appease the chicken god and she tells him that she can't stand American idolatry???  So, he pushed her on this point.  She said:
*Your god is your stomach and you've got restaurants everywhere.
*Your god is your sports teams and you build multi-million dollar stadiums where you go to worship them.
*Your god is your television and you arrange all of the furniture in your living rooms so that all of your family can gather around that alter.

The point:  Anything (and, as it turns out) anything that replaces God in your value system is idolatry.  God doesn't share the stage with anyone.  This ranges from the benign to even the good (my family, my 4.0 GPA, my work, my popularity,etc.).  You see, Israel did not recognize their idolatrous practices because they mixed them with Godly worship, Mosaic law, and the Old Testament sacrificial system.  They gave lip service to the God who brought them out of Egypt and slavery and yet acted as though other things were much more important.

As we close this brief study of Hosea and as I close this e-votion, I ask a disturbing question.  Is the idolatry of our post-modern culture so familiar, so ingrained in our thinking, so...normal in our society...that we don't see it, even when it's in the church?  I fear that, at least sometimes, the answer is yes.  Christ's message delivered through John the Revelator indicates that, for some churches, this will be true.  To the church at Thyatira he says this,"Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols."  To the church at Laodicea he wrote,"So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing (idolatry).’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked."

Who or what do we tolerate that God hates?

Keep and Defend the Faith,
Dan

Mark Driscoll is the pastor of the Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA

Background Scripture:  Hosea 11: 1-11
Focus Passage:  "But the more they were called, the more they went away from me.^[a]
They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images."  Hosea 11:2 NIV

Anyone who thinks of God as a cold, uncaring, impersonal God who may have created all things but then stood at a distance to observe them (Deism) hasn't read Hosea 11.  In fact, they haven't spent much time in the scriptures at all (John 3:16-17).

In that chapter God is shown by the prophet to be a caring father, agonizing over the actions of His beloved (Children of Israel), regretting their choices, reminding them of the manifestations of His love for them in the past, warning them that He has choices to make as well (discipline), and assuring them that His love for them is everlasting.

Because of His omnipotence and omniscience, it is odd for us to think of God as "having choices" as a loving parent, but He does.  But before delving into His choices and ours, let's use popular media (as a positive influence for once) to make our point.

In the 1987 movie “Wall Street” Martin Sheen plays Carl Fox, a mechanic at Bluestar Airline and a leader of his union. Carl is disappointed when his ambitious son Bud, played by Marin Sheen’s son Charlie Sheen, decides to move beyond his small stock firm and attach himself to Mr. Greed himself, the ruthless Gordon Gecko – played by Michael Douglas. Carl feels that Gordon Gecko creates nothing – but makes millions  buying up companies, stripping them of their assets which he resells at a high profit, and leaving the ruined company behind as he advances to new conquests. His ruthless intelligence has made him one of the richest men on Wall Street. Carl correctly sees that Bud, by adopting Gordon Gecko as his mentor and passing on insider information to him, is in danger of selling his soul.

At one point Carl urges his Bud:  “Stop going for the easy buck and start producing something with your life. Create, instead of living off the buying and selling of others.”  This advice falls on deaf ears – and the hurt and furious Carl has to let Bud find out about life the hard way. When Bud tells Gordon Gecko information given him by his father about the future of Bluestar Airline, Gecko pounces upon it and begins a takeover of Bluestar that will ruin the company. At this point Bud finally realizes that he has helped Gordon Gecko ruin the company his father works for, and that he has betrayed his father’s trust. At last he comes to his senses and enters into a fierce struggle with Gecko. After a fierce fistfight with Gecko, Bud is fired – and goes to his Dad – broke and embarrassed.  He apologizes for what he has done.  Carl forgives him – and although they both are broke at the end of the movie – you get the sense that Bud and Carl have each other – and have more than all Gordon  Gecko’s money can give.

The movie presents a powerful message about the choices we make every day and those that God has made.  Yes, God has choices and so do we, every day.  These choices affect us for now and for eternity.

OUR CHOICES:  Every day we have the choice to -
*  use our voices either to bless people or to curse them (James 3:10)
*  use our possessions for the Glory of God or solely for our own selfish interests
*  live in such a way that we don't "fly off the handle" when things don't go our way or act     as if it is all about us
*  love the things that God loves or love the things of the world (2 Tim. 4:10)
*  be a good steward of our time, our money, and our talents or consume it all upon our lusts(James 4:3)
*  (and the ultimate choice) to repent of our sins and be saved or to continue to live as though we are the "masters of our fate and the captains of our soul."

GOD'S CHOICES:  God chooses to -
*  offer you a way to live that doesn't separate you from Himself (John 14:2-3)
*  offer you a way be forgiven from your sins(Acts 4:12)
*  offer you abundant life and eternal life later (John 10:10)
*  offer you a way to use the things in your life (your car, computer, television, home) in a way that does not separate you from Himself (Luke 12:15)
*  offer you free will to accept His blessings or refuse them (Deut. 30:19)

IT'S YOUR CHOICE!

Keep and Defend the Faith,
Dan

"Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God." 1 Corinthians 10:32

This verse can answer many questions. A lot of people will ask "Is ___ a sin?" Well, first we must ask ourselves, would God approve? Does it glorify Him? And if the answer is yes, we must make sure to not cause somone to sin. If something we do (even if it's not a sin in itself) causes someone else to sin, then we are still sinning. The Lord tells us not to cause our brother to sin. We must remember to glorify the Lord EVERY day. The Lord gives us our daily bread. I pray we can remember to carry our cross daily, and remember to every morning we wake up. I pray we can realize that we need to watch out for each other, and not do something that causes someone else to sin. Remember that you represent Christ everyday, and people will know that. I pray our actions can speak loud, and it's not just us SAYING we're Christians, but truly acting to make Jesus famous, everyday. 

Background Scripture:  Hosea 1:1 - 3:5
Focus Passage:  Hosea 3:1 -"Then the Lord said to me, "Go show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress.  Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."

If the pastor announced a forthcoming series of sermons on the book of Revelation, I might predict a certain level of anticipation and enthusiasm.  If he, however, announced a series on the book of Hosea, would you get fired up?  I have to confess that it was with such an attitude that I approached this series of lessons on the first of the "minor"* prophets.  Perhaps it is the paradoxical command by the Lord God to Hosea to go and take to himself a promiscuous wife .  Or, maybe it was the inexplicable directive for him to actually go and buy her back (redeem her) out of her decadent lifestyle.  And maybe, just maybe it is the enigmatic nature of God's persistent love for the unlovely; that He doggedly and relentlessly pursues us when we have nothing of beauty or value to offer Him.  That's not just puzzling, it's CRAZY...at least from our perspective.  We can't wrap our minds around it because, far too often, it's just not how we love.

Her name was Roberta Langella**.  And, from a human perspective, she had nothing to offer God whatsoever.  Born the fourth of six children, she thought her childhood to be fairly normal (as much as can be for a child in Brooklyn,NY).  That is, until in her eleventh year, her mom announced that the family was moving to Florida.  The catch:  her father was not coming along - ever.  She, like so many, was now the product of a broken home and, if the most important adults in her life couldn't be trusted, what was the point of life?

Within just a few years Roberta managed to alienate her family and her friends and, at age 16, came back to New York to live with her dad for a year.  His uncaring attitude led her to drop out of school and pick up a nasty drug habit.  By age eighteen she found herself living with a man who was an IV drug user, twice her age, and abusive.  One day she informed him that she was going to kill herself and he calmly replied, "I'm watching the Jets now.  Talk to me at halftime."  Can you say low self-esteem? 

The next several years were a blur of drugs, abusive relationships, shooting galleries, and the punk culture "dead look."  She had fallen so far, so fast, that she considered herself beyond redemption.  The diagnosis of "HIV positive" from needle sharing served to confirm that assessment.  Then, one day after a five or six day crack binge, she hit rock bottom.  She was out of drugs, out of money, and out of hope.  That is when Roberta remembered that run-down church next to the apartment where she lived in Brooklyn with her first "boyfriend" (I use the term "friend" advisedly.  He once punched her so hard it broke her eardrum).  She remembered that the people who filed into that church each week seemed so happy and so hopeful.

Before she could explain it, she found herself at the alter of the Brooklyn Tabernacle praying the first real prayer of her life.  It was Tuesday, the day of the weekly prayer meeting at the Tabernacle.  Her prayer:  "Oh, God, I need you in my life.  Help me, please!"  That was it.  No flourish, no fanfare, not even so much as a sermon.  At that moment Roberta Langella began to believe that God could love even her.  You see, it appears that God is attracted to helplessness.

One year later she found herself singing in the very choir that she had resented years ago on hot summer nights when the church windows were open.  Her chains were gone.  She could relax in God's love because, if God could love her, He must be an awesome God!  One Easter, the pastor of the Tabernacle asked her to share her testimony with the congregation.  He had to coach her to leave out the more lurid parts but, even so, the Holy Spirit fell on the church like a ton of bricks.  You see, Roberta had asked her estranged father to come and hear her sing in the choir.  He was the first person to the alter that night.

Today, Roberta Langella heads up a ministry called (what else?) "New Beginnings" reaching out to drug abusers, the homeless, and gang members.  Each week she has 100 workers riding the subway to the rehab centers and shelters inviting them to church for a meal.  It appears that there is nobody too dirty, too smelly, or too far gone for her to love.  I wonder where she found that model for loving?

Now, who do you know that's too far gone to save; who's beyond the scope of God's love?

I'm waiting...

Keep and Defend the Faith,
Dan

*We call them "minor prophets" only because of the length of their prophecies.  There are twelve of them in all and, for my money, they are all in the major league and batting .400.

**The story of Roberta Langella is true and has been adapted from Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala. (Zondervan Press, 1997).


 

Background scripture:  Psalm 1: 1-6; 119: 9-16; Mark 1: 35-39
Focus passage:  Psalm 1:1, 4

I begin by admitting that, after having read through the Bible twice in the past two years, I now feel the need to slow down and go much deeper into God's word.  Please don't misunderstand, if you haven't done this I heartily recommend it.  But, meditating on the Bible and spending time in prayer free from distractions can be a challenge for even the most devout in this hectic, media-centric world.  It has been my experience that you must do it on purpose; it takes discipline (root word: disciple).  BUT, IT'S WORTH IT!

Last week our friend David Ramsey reminded us in class of the old computer programmer adage,"Garbage in...garbage out!"  This lesson on meditation certainly bears that out.  Psalm Chapter 1 is a study in contrast.  It is saying that there is God's way and then there is man's way; that meditating on God's life principles and applying them leads to a rich, full life and that every other way devised by man apart from God's wisdom leads to futility and death.

When I read Psalm 1 in preparation for this week's lesson, I was reminded of a factual, historical contrast between two 18th century men.  These men were Jonathan Edwards and Max Jukes.  I preface this historical dichotomy with Deuteronomy 30:19, "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live."

A tale of two (family) trees: 

Jonathan Edwards:  Born 1703 — A man of God and married to a woman of like character.  He was 24 and she was 17.  On their wedding night they consecrated their marriage to the Lord.  Their descendants included 300 clergymen, some missionaries and theological professors; 100 professors; 100 attorneys; 30 judges, 1 dean of a law school; 60 physicians, 1 dean of a medical school; 3 mayors of large cities; 60 authors of fine classics; 14 presidents of universities; 3 State Governors; 1 Controller of the US Treasury; and 1 Vice-President of the USA.  Their descendants did not cost the state a single penny.

Max Jukes:  Born 1700 — An atheist, who married an immoral woman that dabbled in the occult.  Of their 1200 descendants, 310 were professional vagrants and died paupers; 440 wrecked their lives through debauchery; 130 went to jail, 7 for murder, average sentence, 13 years; more than 600 became alcoholics; 60 were habitual thieves; 190 became public prostitutes; and 20 became tradesmen, 10 of whom learned their trade in prison.  That descendancy cost the state of New York $1,250,000 (in 18th century dollars).

The moral:  Although Jukes was certainly not a believer, his life and that of Edwards reminds us of the night-and-day difference between those who know God and meditate on His word and the potential harm for those who don't.  As it turns out, that thing, those activities that you and I tend to push down the list of daily priorities, is the most productive time we can possibly invest.  Another aspect of Psalm 1, seldom thought of, is the spiritual legacy that you and I will leave to our posterity.  I leave you with Psalm 1:1 from the Message Bible.  As you read it imagine that it is being said to Jonathan Edwards or...to you.

"How well God must like you— you don't hang out at Sin Saloon, you don't slink along Dead-End Road, you don't go to Smart-Mouth College."

Keep and Defend the Faith,
Dan

http://www.ravenhill.org/edwards.htm

(Author's note:  Talk about your "salt and light,"  Jonathan Edwards is widely credited with being used of the Holy Spirit to bring about the most sweeping, pervasive revival in American history; The Great Awakening.  This revival in turn directly influenced the men and women who gave us the American Revolution and, hence, our country.)