Gated Community (Jeremiah 29)

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Christopher J Wiles

I grew up in Hagerstown, and so to me the idea of a “gated community” seemed like something out of a movie. Then I moved to Texas. In Dallas, gated communities were everywhere. Visiting friends—whether in a home or just an apartment—required navigating an elaborate set of security checkpoints. Alarm codes, razor wire—things that once seemed excessive were now matters of geographic necessity.

But in time it hit me. The gates and locks and fences weren’t merely physical. They also existed in our minds and in our hearts. Growing up in Church, I was always warned about the “culture war.” Christianity was a lonely underdog in a hostile world. Our task was twofold: (1) Stay “safe,” and (2) “fight back.”

It’s hard to argue. After all, there’s a lot of truth to this image. Following Jesus will certainly put you at odds with the values of other cultures. But what I saw developing—both in me and around me—was a culture based on fear. Safety and security became our greatest values. We retreated behind the walls of Christian culture, emerging only occasionally to lob a few “gospel bombs” at the evolutionists, the liberal democrats, or whoever our common enemy happened to be. In other words, the word “culture” became a way of distinguishing “us” versus “them.” We were the good guys. Why weren’t we doing a better job at reaching the bad guys?

SEEK THE SHALOM OF THE CITY

Israel had a similar experience. During Jeremiah’s ministry, the people experienced the pain of exile. They were removed from the security of their land. They were surrounded by a hostile, pagan culture. What was their solution? Apparently their only solution was one of isolation. They stuck together. After all, there’s safety in numbers.

As a young person, I grew up in a world of “Christian” alternatives. There were Christian schools. Christian bookstores. Christian coffeehouses. Christian books. Christian music. In recent years, I’ve even seen Christian versions of the Nintendo game “Dance, Dance, Revolution.” Granted, there are times, places, and even seasons of life when it’s refreshing to have a “Christian” alternative to pop culture. But my question is: since when did “Christian” become an adjective? To be a “Christian” is to be a follower of Jesus. It’s a term that refers to people—not things. Jesus prayed that future followers would be “in the world but not of the world” (John 17:14). We’ve reversed that. Christian culture has allowed us to remove ourselves from the world while enjoying all the same things. I believe God is challenging us to think differently—to think missionally—just as He did with His people long ago:

This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. ² (This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) ³ He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said: ⁴ This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵ “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶ Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. ⁷ Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” ⁸ Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. ⁹ They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 29:1-9)

Do you hear what God is saying? He’s telling His people to seek the shalom of the city (v. 7). The Hebrew word shalom (translated above as “peace and prosperity”) refers to overall goodness and wholeness. It’s easy to point our finger at the brokenness of the world. It’s far more challenging to seek its restoration.

In Dorothy Sayer’s excellent book Creed or Chaos she has an entire essay entitled “Why Work?” She writes:

The Church’s approach to an intelligent carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him not to be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours, and to come to church on Sundays. What the Church should be telling him is this: that the very first demand that his religion makes upon him is that he should make good tables. Church by all means, and decent forms of amusement, certainly—but what use is all that if in the very center of his life and occupation he is insulting God with bad carpentry? No crooked table legs or ill-fitting drawers ever came out of the carpenter’s shop at Nazareth. Nor, if they did, could anyone believe that they were made by the same hand that made Heaven and earth.

Is it possible—just possible—that the best way to see our world improved is not by merely “being good” but through creativity and engagement? Is it possible that the best way to get prayer back in public schools is to send our kids there? Is it possible that the best way to reach our coworkers and neighbors is to not only invite them to church, but to also share our lives and hearts with them? The gospel tears down the fences of our “gated community,” and provokes us to love those outside them.

GOD’S PLANS FOR YOU

God next reveals His plans for the nation of Israel. Their exile would last for seventy years, after which they would return. They are there for a season—His desire for them to “settle down” and seek the good of the city is motivated by the narrow window of influence His people would have.

¹⁰ This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” (Jeremiah 29:10-14)

If you’ve been in church for a while you have verse 11 on a coffee mug somewhere. But let’s be clear about something: God wasn’t talking to you or me. He was talking specifically to Israel. God has phenomenal plans for all people—we just can’t claim this verse as applying to our lives. Sometimes God can be glorified even when you and I don’t prosper, and even when you and I come to great and often terrifying harm.

This was true of a young pastor named Kyle Lake. Lake wrote a powerful sermon for a Sunday in October of 2005. He concluded with these words of encouragement:

Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun….

If you’ve recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And Grieve well. At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you’re eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift.

Kyle never preached this sermon. These words were in his notes, tucked into his Bible. He was performing a baptism that morning, and while standing in the water he touched a microphone that wasn’t grounded. The electricity killed him instantly.

We don’t always know what the Lord’s plans are. But we can look at His dealings with Israel and count on God to always do what’s best for His kingdom even if it comes at the expense of our own empires. And as we leave our own gated communities, we are reminded that our lives are to be marked by a different set of standards than even our own Christian culture might suggest. Courage—not necessarily security. Compassion—not necessarily offense. Love—not necessarily safety. Because the gospel tells the story of a God who stepped away from security and safety, and calls His people to follow Him in doing the same.

“As the Father has sent me,” Jesus said, “so I send you” (John 20:21).

Fashion Statement (Jeremiah 13)

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Christopher J Wiles

If it’s true that actions speak louder than words, than some of the prophets’ most powerful messages came through object lessons and demonstrations. Isaiah, for example, went naked for three years to show Israel what it would look like to have her comfort stripped away (Isaiah 20:3).

Jeremiah was no different. He would show the people the consequences of their sin through an elaborate fashion statement.

This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.” ² So I bought a belt, as the LORD directed, and put it around my waist. (Jeremiah 13:1-2)

The Hebrew word is ‘ezor, which refers to some sort of linen sash. By not washing it, Jeremiah could be sure the belt wouldn’t wear out. The point is obvious, right? God was asking Jeremiah to show off. To go down to Abercrombie and Fitch and purchase a really nice belt from their lineup of the latest fashions, and then show it off to all his friends. Maybe even leave the pricetag on it so everyone could see just how fine a belt this truly was.

ISRAEL’S DIRTY LAUNDRY

But showing off was only part 1 of God’s message to the nation:

³ Then the word of the LORD came to me a second time: ⁴ “Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.” ⁵ So I went and hid it at Perath, as the LORD told me. ⁶ Many days later the LORD said to me, “Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there.” ⁷ So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.

⁸ Then the word of the LORD came to me: ⁹ “This is what the LORD says: ‘In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt– completely useless! ¹¹ For as a belt is bound around a man’s waist, so I bound the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to me,’ declares the LORD, ‘to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. But they have not listened.’

Do you see the point becoming clear? Israel was intended to be just like this belt. Their whole lives were designed to glorify God—that is, to reveal His significance to the whole world. But they chased after lesser things. Like the linen belt, over time they became completely worthless. This is the truest outworking of Jeremiah 2’s promise—that when I pursue worthless things, I become worthless myself. In short, I waste my life.

“LOOK, LORD. SEE MY SHELLS”

John Piper has an entire book on this very subject. In Don’t Waste Your Life, he tells the story of a couple who retired to spend their life on the beach—nothing short of the American Dream:

I will tell you what a tragedy is. I will show you how to waste your life. Consider a story from the February 1998 edition of Reader’s Digest, which tells about a couple who “took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30 foot trawler, play softball and collect shells.” At first, when I read it I thought it might be a joke. A spoof on the American Dream. But it wasn’t. Tragically, this was the dream: Come to the end of your life—your one and only precious, God-given life—and let the last great work of your life, before you give an account to your Creator, be this: playing softball and collecting shells. Picture them before Christ at the great day of judgment: “Look, Lord. See my shells.” That is a tragedy. And people today are spending billions of dollars to persuade you to embrace that tragic dream. Over against that, I put my protest: Don’t buy it. Don’t waste your life. (John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life, 45-6)

Did you know that one of the fastest growing markets in the U.S. is the sale of “virtual goods?” These are products that you can purchase in an app, or a video game, but don’t exist in the real world. For example, if you’re playing a video game, you might be offered a special item, such as a sword or other item. The sword may only be digital, but the money you pay for it is real. Most of the money is spent on small purchases–$0.99 here, $4.99 there. But how much would you bet is spent on “virtual goods” overall? Try 2.9 billion dollars a year. Analysts estimate that the number will climb to roughly 11 billion by 2016.

This attracted attention when Forbes magazine ran a story about a man who “acquired” and “lost” a spaceship valued at—wait for it–$9,000 dollars. When it was destroyed by the other players, it was reported on as if it were a tragedy. But isn’t the real tragedy that a grown man would spend his money on nothing? He never acquired a spaceship. He never lost a spaceship. The spaceship doesn’t exist. Imagine that scene on the Day of Judgment: “Look, Lord. See my spaceship.” That is a waste.

It’s easy to slam this as simply a bunch of computer geeks with more money than common sense. But really, does it really matter? I mean, do you think the things you spend your time, money, and energy on are that superior in the eyes of God? Maybe it’s not seashells, or a spaceship. Maybe it’s fashion, or sports. “Look, Lord. See my designer handbags.” “Look, Lord. See my fantasy football stats.” And that’s a tragedy equal in magnitude to the loss of an imaginary spaceship.

THE GOSPEL’S TRUE FASHION

The lesson of Jeremiah’s belt is that on our own we can take God’s greatest gifts and turn them into rags. But the beauty of the gospel is that Jesus set aside the royal robes of heaven for the tattered rags of our humanity—He “made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:7). The result is that by trusting in His sacrifice on the cross, we can receive God’s forgiveness and a new reputation.

Paul writes that “all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Do you see both sides to this word picture? The clothing is a free gift. It’s pure grace. But Paul says “you…have clothed yourself.” In other words, I have a responsibility to clothe myself in the gospel, to live out the good news every day of my life.

In Christ, I trade in my tattered rags for a robe of glory. And in Christ I stand complete.

“Work Spouses” and Spiritual Fidelity (Jeremiah 2)

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Christopher J Wiles

Have you ever heard of a “work spouse?” It’s someone of the opposite sex with whom you develop a close connection in the workplace. It might start because of a mutual project, or even an unspoken alliance against a common adversary. You become close. You become connected. Soon you find you’re sharing things with this person you usually only share with your husband or your wife.

It’s called an “emotional affair.” It’s easy to think of this affair as less damaging—as long as it doesn’t “lead to other things.” But many are starting to see the real damage that these types of relationships can bring. A writer for The Huffington Post suggests that emotional affairs can be just as damaging as sexual affairs—if not moreso. She relates a story from her husband:

“When my husband was in his first marriage, his wife would stay up late into the night talking to her best friend’s boyfriend on the phone. He would wake up and hear his wife laughing and talking about things she’d never shared with him before. He longed to share this kind of connection with her, but it wasn’t there… and it never would be, as long as she was confiding in another man. My husband told me that he was more hurt by his ex-wife’s emotional infidelity than if she’d had sex with this other man.” (Lisa Shield, “Emotional Infidelity: Worse than a Sexual Affair?” Appearing on The Huffington Post, September 28, 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/28/emotional-infidelity_n_3977058.html)

We are created for relationship. Nothing cuts us more deeply than betrayal. In our selfishness, we pursue things that promise happiness but deliver disaster. And we do the same thing to God. Think of the idols in your life. What do you spend your money on? What do you daydream about? What stirs your emotions the most readily? Chances are there are things in your life—and mine—that promise us joy, comfort, and security. They become our “work spouse;” rather than trust in God we trust in these idols.

And like a wounded lover, God responds with an unquenchable grief.

THE WEEPING PROPHET

It seems fitting, then, that Jeremiah would be called “the weeping prophet.” He was something of a folk singer—a “Bob Dylan” for his generation. He faced opposition from the “establishment” of the royal authorities, and he wrote a message of brokenness and betrayal. His ministry began in 627 B.C., but it would span into the year 586 B.C., where he would witness the crumbling of the city of Jerusalem when the nation went into exile.

THE BETRAYAL

The first and largest section of the book of Jeremiah contains God’s judgments against the nation of Israel, primarily because of their unfaithfulness. As with other prophets—most famously Hosea—God describes His relationship to His people as one between husband and wife:

The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ² “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD, “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. ³ Israel was holy to the LORD, the firstfruits of his harvest. All who ate of it incurred guilt; disaster came upon them, declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 2:1-3)

Therefore Israel’s unfaithfulness is described as an act of infidelity:

⁴ Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. ⁵ Thus says the LORD: “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless? ⁶ They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells?’ ⁷ And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination. ⁸ The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’ Those who handle the law did not know me; the shepherds transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit. (Jeremiah 2:4-8)

Do you hear the emotion in God’s voice? “What wrong did your father find in me?” In Jeremiah, the same God who made mountains quake and causes the seas to roar lowers His head and weeps with the pain of betrayal.

To love someone is to give a part of yourself away. No one becomes “one flesh” with their spouse without giving them a piece of yourself, and to lose that love is to lose that piece forever. Ask anyone who’s been through the pain of divorce and adultery. One of the questions that hangs heavy in their conscience is the very one that God asks: What did I do wrong? What more could I have given you?

The obvious answer—at least in God’s case—is: “nothing.” By this point, God had shown His people hundreds of years of faithfulness, the most notable is His rescuing them from Egyptian slavery. Why would they run back to the nation that He saved them from?

The painful truth is this: what you embrace you become. The people “went after worthlessness and became worthless” (v. 4). Pursue idolatry and you become an idolater. Pursue adultery and you become and adulterer. Pursue self and you become selfish. Worship anything other than God, and your soul will collapse. So why pursue it?

FALSE PROMISES

Idols—much like our “work spouses”—serve a function. Think about it. What are some reasons a person might turn to a “work spouse?” Is there something wrong with their real spouse? Maybe they feel distant. Disappointed. Unappreciated. Undesired. Suddenly the “work spouse” finds new, subtle allure—and before you know it things spiral out of control.

So if I feel distant from God, if I feel disappointed or disenchanted—then I find it easier to medicate my hurts through the idols that surround me. Money. Sex. Power. Surely these are more immediately satisfying than any of God’s promises—but will their promises sustain me?

Through Jeremiah, God speaks of this shocking exchange:

²⁰ “For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, ‘I will not serve.’ Yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore. ²¹ Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine? ²² Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the Lord GOD. ²³ How can you say, ‘I am not unclean, I have not gone after the Baals’? Look at your way in the valley; know what you have done– a restless young camel running here and there, ²⁴ a wild donkey used to the wilderness, in her heat sniffing the wind! Who can restrain her lust? None who seek her need weary themselves; in her month they will find her. ²⁵ Keep your feet from going unshod and your throat from thirst. But you said, ‘It is hopeless, for I have loved foreigners, and after them I will go.’

²⁶ “As a thief is shamed when caught, so the house of Israel shall be shamed: they, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets, ²⁷ who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they say, ‘Arise and save us!’ ²⁸ But where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you, in your time of trouble; for as many as your cities are your gods, O Judah.

One of my own professors summarizes Israel’s choices this way:

“The people had long ago rejected the Lord’s authority over them and prostituted themselves to other gods, especially the Canaanite fertility [god] Baal (v. 20). There were like a grapevine that yielded wild, bitter fruit, even though it came from high-quality domesticated stock (v. 21). Their guilt was obvious, like a stain on a garment that even soap cannot remove (v. 22). In her wild pursuit of Baal, the nation had acted like the typical young female camel that exhibits total lack of discipline (v. 23) or the typical female donkey in heat that frantically seeks a mate (v. 24). Searching for her false gods, the idol-obsessed nation ran, as it were, until her sandals were worn out and her throat was dry (v. 25). Israel’s idolatry ultimately proved futile and humiliating, especially to the leaders of the community (v. 26).” (Robert B. Chisholm, Handbook on the Prophets, p. 157)

We’ve all been there. We’ve all done this. We’ve all found our “work spouses,” things that satisfy us more readily than the relationship God seeks to build with us. Thankfully, there is good news.

THE GOSPEL

If you remember reading the gospel of John, then you also remember the setting of Jesus’ first public “sign” about Himself. It was at a wedding—turning water to wine, showing that in His kingdom the best is yet to come. I can’t help but think that this was in some way connected to the fact that in Christ, we each have the future promise of sharing in a far greater wedding feast known as the “wedding supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:6).

To love someone is to give a part of yourself away. On the cross, Jesus gave everything. Though our attitude toward God is one of repeated betrayal, His attitude toward us is one of unfathomable mercy. God is profoundly wounded by your sin—and mine. But in His love we have the opportunity to change our attitudes, and once again tune our hearts to sing His grace.

The Trial (Micah 6)

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Christopher J Wiles

Guilt is one of the easiest things to pick up but one of the hardest burdens to carry. In the last century, an author named Franz Kafka wrote a novel called The Trial. The book centers on a man named Josef, who is imprisoned by men from an unknown agency, and put on trial for an unknown crime. One of the guards tells him simply: “the law is attracted to guilt.” Kafka was saying that we’re all outlaws underneath. We all violate the law in some degree or another. And we all carry some secret burden of guilt and shame.

The same is true of Israel. The difference, of course, is that Israel was about to learn the true reason for her guilt: her violation of the laws of God.

THE CHARGES (6:1-5)

In the final chapters of Micah, God’s court case against Israel reaches a fevered pitch:

Hear what the LORD says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. ² Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth, for the LORD has an indictment against his people, and he will contend with Israel. ³ “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me! ⁴ For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. ⁵ O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the LORD.” (Micah 6:1-5)

God had been nothing but good to His people. They had returned His goodness with complaints and rebellion. Do you hear the emotion in God’s voice? He pleads with them—what have I done to you?…Answer me! But God’s relationship with His people had been one of love and generosity—the only problem was that it was tragically one-sided.

In verse 5 God reflects back on the incident from Numbers 22-24. Balak was the king who wanted to curse Israel, so he contacted a hired gun named Balaam to do his dirty work. But on his way, God spoke through Balaam’s donkey, opening Balaam’s eyes to the truth. What truth? That God could never be counted on to curse his people. He had treated them only with love and kindness—acts that had gone with neither gratitude nor returned affections.

MICAH’S RESPONSE (6:6-8)

Micah responds on the people’s behalf. In light of all God has done, what could the people possibly be expected to do in return?

⁶ “With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? 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 thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” (Micah 6:6-7)

But God wasn’t interested in these outward expressions. Religion is cheap. Devotion can be fabricated. No, what the Lord truly wants is a lasting commitment to the covenant that He had with His people, a covenant summarized in verse 8:

⁸ He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

Israel had failed to do this. They couldn’t possibly hope to pay back the Lord’s goodness with some fast obedience. And so their guilt remained.

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (6:9-16)

In the next section, God outlines Israel’s crime and her worthy punishment.

Crime (6:9-12)

⁹ The voice of the LORD cries to the city– and it is sound wisdom to fear your name: “Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it! ¹⁰ Can I forget any longer the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is accursed? ¹¹ Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights? ¹² Your rich men are full of violence; your inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. (Micah 6:9-12)

As we saw yesterday, the problem that Israel faced was one of idolatry. They looked to surrounding nations for objects of comfort, joy, and security. And now they were reaping what they’d sown. The country was in ruins. How could this be fixed?

The same could be said for us. When we allow an idol to control our lives, we will soon find ourselves sitting in ruin. For instance, if lust is my god, then I may soon find myself a victim on my idolatrous addiction to pornography (or worse). If wealth is my god, then I may live a lonely, miserable life trying to climb the corporate ladder. If God is against me, then who can be for me?

Punishment (6:13-16)

¹³ Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow, making you desolate because of your sins. ¹⁴ You shall eat, but not be satisfied, and there shall be hunger within you; you shall put away, but not preserve, and what you preserve I will give to the sword. ¹⁵ You shall sow, but not reap; you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine. ¹⁶ For you have kept the statutes of Omri, and all the works of the house of Ahab; and you have walked in their counsels, that I may make you a desolation, and your inhabitants a hissing; so you shall bear the scorn of my people.” (Micah 6:13-16)

Omri and Ahab had been some of the worst kings the northern kingdom had ever known (1 Kings 16-22). They were an integral part of what had led the nation into ruin. But in truth, the whole nation was worthy of God’s fierce anger.

HOPE (7:7-20)

But Micah concludes with a note of hope.

⁷ But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. ⁸ Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me. ⁹ I will bear the indignation of the LORD because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication. (Micah 7:7-9)

Have you ever felt beaten down? Struggled with past guilt? Worried about your worthiness before God? Then Micah’s message is simple: Don’t waste your guilt. It can’t be hidden. It can’t be swept under the rug. It can’t be hidden beneath a life of religious obedience. It must instead be dealt with. It must instead de erased with the swift blow of God’s justice.

Micah concludes with confidence that God would execute judgment for him. And the beautiful thing is that this is exactly what God did through Jesus. On the cross, Jesus receives the blows of justice that we deserve so that we can receive the verdict of “not guilty.”

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

Jesus is the “propitiation for our sins,” meaning that He received God’s anger so that we may receive God’s mercy. Micah’s name means “Who is like God?” And so it is only fitting that his closing words echo his namesake:

¹⁸ Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. ¹⁹ He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. ²⁰ You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old. (Micah 7:18-20)

Who is like God, indeed?

Regime Change (Micah 4)

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Christopher J Wiles

It’s like a string of dominoes. Only worse, because when a set of dominoes fall it’s much easier to pick up the pieces and rebuild. But when you endure a cultural collapse—that’s another thing entirely. Most busy themselves with the blame game. Fingers are pointed. Wrongdoers are called onto the carpet. And all the while CNN continues to roll footage of the smoldering cinders of society, as the rest of us are left to ask why?

The Bible tells us that the problems of this world are the by-product of man’s corrupt heart. Did we know, back then? In the garden, I mean. Did we know that when we ate the forbidden fruit, when we felt its juice roll down our chins—did we know the set of dominoes that would tumble into our children’s future? Or did we even care to ask such questions, held captive by the tyrannical regime of self.

God, in His unfailing wisdom and love, had a plan. He would reach into this broken world of ours to lift a man’s gaze away from self and toward the horizon. Abraham would be the father of the nation of Israel. His innumerable descendants would reap the benefits of God’s unconditional blessing. A few hundred years later, Moses came into the picture. After rescuing His people from slavery, God gave them a set of laws to follow. God would never take back His blessings, but the only way for Israel to enjoy life with God was to do things God’s way. The book of Deuteronomy is essentially a series of sermons—something of a revival meeting before the people entered the Promised Land.

Time shifted for the nation of Israel. The people had allowed something of a regime change to take place. They had turned from the worship of God to dependence on foreign idols. And so when we open the book of Micah, the scene has shifted. We have abandoned the big tent revival for a courtroom drama. God is now taking the stand against His own people.

Micah’s name meant “Who is like God?” The people were about to get a very personal answer to this question. If you were with us in Sunday’s message, one of the points that we brought out was that personal choices have public consequences. Sin rarely impacts just the individual. In Micah 1-3, we see that the idolatry and corruption of man’s heart had something of a ripple effect, impacting the religious and political landscape of Micah’s day.

NEW HORIZON

But here’s the good news. The gospel represents something of a regime change. In Micah 4, we see that the tables turn. God would be in control again, so long as we fix our eyes on His horizon:

It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, ² and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. ³ He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; ⁴ but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. ⁵ For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever. (Micah 4:1-5)

Micah 4:3 is one of my favorite verses—“swords into plowshares.” There’ll be a day when we turn our M-16’s into farm tools and our Abram’s tanks into tractors. What man means for destruction God can use to cultivate life.

The name “Zion” is used here to refer to Jerusalem. But Zion has other, lasting implications as well. Zion and Jerusalem refer to God’s Holy City, a city that endures even in God’s new creation:

²² But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering… (Hebrews 12:22)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:1-2)

TOTAL REVERSAL

The future looks rocky for the nation, but God promises that a faithful remnant will be held together by His grace:

⁶ In that day, declares the LORD, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted; ⁷ and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore. ⁸ And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former dominion shall come, kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem. (Micah:4:6-11)

Are you beginning to see what’s happening here? God’s reversing the effects of idolatry. He’s healing the wounds the people have inflicted on themselves. That ripple effect we saw earlier? Sin’s worst effects became evident at the cross. The worst of it has been dealt with—paid by the blood of Jesus. This means that God now reaches back through the ravages of sin and heal every raw wound—effectively setting the dominoes back into place.

FINDING STRENGTH

God has a massive plan for total regime change. And with this change comes renewed strength:

⁹ Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, that pain seized you like a woman in labor? ¹⁰ Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you shall go out from the city and dwell in the open country; you shall go to Babylon. There you shall be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. ¹¹ Now many nations are assembled against you, saying, “Let her be defiled, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.” ¹² But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor. ¹³ Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze; you shall beat in pieces many peoples; and shall devote their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth. (Micah 4:9-13)

God wants us to be far-sighted. He wants us to see the grandeur of a city that far outshines the greatest of our monuments. And He wants to forever be our true, exalted King.

In Tolkien’s classic Lord of the Rings series, we see an elaborate snapshot of this same shift. The people of Middle-Earth have finally dealt with the evil Lord Sauron, and now the kingdom is presided over by her rightful king:

“In his time the City was made more fair than it had ever been, even in the days of its first glory; and it was filled with trees and with fountains, and its gates were wrought of mithril and steel, and its streets were paved with white marble; and the Folk of the Mountain labored in it, and the Folk of the Wood rejoiced to come there; and all was healed and made good, and the houses were filled with men and women and the laughter of children, and no window was blind nor any courtyard empty; and after the ending of the Third Age of the world into the new age it preserved the memory and the glory of the years that were gone.” (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King: “The Steward and the King,” p. 266)

This is what the whole world will look like. The gospel promises a day when God’s city descends to earth, when Jesus comes back to rule and reign, when you and I are able to rest in the peace of God’s eternal kingdom. And until that day, there is no amount of suffering, no amount of injustice, that can rob us of the joy of this promise.

A Woman with a Past (Hosea 12)

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Christopher J Wiles

The church is a “woman with a past.” You know the type. For all our social “progress,” our world still frowns on sexual promiscuity. And this is precisely what the church has become. Sure, we’d like to live under an assumed innocence, but the concept of sin simply won’t let us escape the gravity of knowing that we are all have “a past.” In his book Reagan’s America, Gary Willis writes:

“We are hostages to each other in a deadly interrelatedness. There is no ‘clean slate’ of nature unscribbled on by all one’s forebears….At one time a woman of unsavory enough experience was delicately but cruelly referred to as ‘having a past.’ The doctrine of original sin states that humankind, in exactly that sense, ‘has a past.’” (Gary Willis, Reagan’s America: Innocents at Home, p. 384)

In Hosea 12, Israel’s past comes back to haunt her. Like Gomer, Israel was a “woman with a past.” And now, we’ll see how God deals with this.

LESSONS FROM HISTORY

The passage opens by looking at the history of Jacob:

Ephraim feeds on the wind and pursues the east wind all day long; they multiply falsehood and violence; they make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried to Egypt. ² The LORD has an indictment against Judah and will punish Jacob according to his ways; he will repay him according to his deeds. ³ In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he strove with God. ⁴ He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor. He met God at Bethel, and there God spoke with us– ⁵ the LORD, the God of hosts, the LORD is his memorial name: ⁶ “So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.” (Hosea 12:1-6)

If you have a background in church, you probably remember the story of Israel. God had first made a promise to Abraham—that his many descendants would possess God’s promised land. Abraham became the father of Isaac, and Isaac had two twin sons: Jacob and Esau. Esau was technically the firstborn, but Jacob came out clutching his brother by the heel. Even the name “Jacob” means “heel-grabber,” what became a self-fulfilling prophecy as Jacob grew to become a shrewd manipulator and con artist. He scammed his family out of his brother’s share of the inheritance, and took off. Later, worried that Esau would exact revenge, he tried to buy him off by sending cattle and livestock ahead of him. Then, when the sun had set and he was all alone, he was hurled to the ground by a powerful force (Genesis 32). Though he’d lived a life of conning his family and manipulating his way into success, he could not best his opponent, and his hip was torn out of joint. Only when he admitted his name was Jacob did the mysterious opponent let go. We’re left to believe that this man wrestled with God himself. Jacob would never be the same. His encounter with God would leave him with a permanent limp—but also a new name. Do you remember what name he was given? Israel. It was a name that literally meant “God fights.” Returning to a place called “Bethel,” Jacob/Israel made good on a former vow of obedience.

So Israel was a nation that had emerged from a checkered past. We all do. Forget even your family for a moment—though I’m sure you’d find plenty of “nuts in your family tree” (to borrow Randy Buchman’s phrase). Think about your own past. Any secrets? Any regrets? Any skeletons in your closet? Chances are there are things in your life that you’d rather not be there. And this is why you need the gospel.

MISPLACED PRIDE

The irony is that Israel wasn’t remorseful over her past. In fact, she’d seemed to have forgotten all about it. Instead, their response was one of misplaced pride:

⁷ A merchant, in whose hands are false balances, he loves to oppress. ⁸ Ephraim has said, “Ah, but I am rich; I have found wealth for myself; in all my labors they cannot find in me iniquity or sin.” ⁹ I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; I will again make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the appointed feast. ¹⁰ I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions, and through the prophets gave parables. ¹¹ If there is iniquity in Gilead, they shall surely come to nothing: in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls; their altars also are like stone heaps on the furrows of the field. (Hosea 12:7-11)

No one likes to feel guilty. In today’s world, the message is consistently one of “What have you done for me lately?” You’re only as good (or bad) as your last performance. I may have sin in my life, but as long as I’m maintaining a good public image, I’m fine. That’s what Israel was doing. Sure, Israel was oppressing surrounding nations, but she looked so good doing it.

THE UNLOVED BRIDE

Jacob would later serve as a shepherd—probably one of a larger staff—in order to marry Rachel:

¹² Jacob fled to the land of Aram; there Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he guarded sheep. ¹³ By a prophet the LORD brought Israel up from Egypt, and by a prophet he was guarded. ¹⁴ Ephraim has given bitter provocation; so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him and will repay him for his disgraceful deeds. (Hosea 12:12-14)

You remember this story, right? Not exactly Hallmark channel material. Jacob served for seven years for Rachel, but the night after their wedding, he awoke to discover that it wasn’t Rachel, but her older sister Leah. He was forced to work another seven years to marry Rachel, a woman he loved because he found her more beautiful. So now Israel had two wives. One was beautiful and loved—yet infertile. The other was unloved—yet fertile. God would continue the line of Israel through Jacob’s unloved bride.

And so the rest of Israel’s history was marked by God’s faithfulness in the midst of man’s failings. And that’s the real nature of the gospel. Like Leah, we are not loved because we are beautiful. But in the gospel, we become beautiful because we are loved. God is in the business of reversing our histories in order to provide for our futures.

Paul writes:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. (Ephesians 1:3-4)

When were we chosen? Before the foundation of the world. Before time itself even began. What’s in your past? Failure? Sin? Regret? The gospel tells us that because of God’s love, we can look at our past and see the word chosen. And for what purpose? To be “holy and blameless before him.” For some of us, this means that like Jacob, we walk with a limp. But it also means that like Jacob, we receive a new name and a new promise of life.

This is why the whole book of Hosea concludes with a call for the nation to repent—to change their attitude and to once again experience the life that God provides:

Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. ² Take with you words and return to the LORD; say to him, “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips. ³ Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.” ⁴ I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. ⁵ I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; ⁶ his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. (Hosea 14:1-6)

The same experience can be yours as well. Are you ashamed of your past? Do you long for a better future? Perhaps today is the day for you to believe the gospel—to tell God that your life is damaged but that you trust in the work that Christ has done for you. Consider contacting one of our pastors today; we’d love to hear from you.

Emancipated Minors (Hosea 11)

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Christopher J Wiles

Spouses aren’t the only ones who can file for divorce. In extreme cases, children can legally divorce their parents. It’s known as being an “emancipated minor,” an escape hatch for those living in cases of extreme duress. Writing for the New York Times, Dr. Richard Friedman writes:

“Granted, no parent is perfect. And whining about parental failure, real or not, is practically an American pastime that keeps the therapeutic community dutifully employed….

Of course, we cannot undo history with therapy. But we can help mend brains and minds by removing or reducing stress.

Sometimes, as drastic as it sounds, that means letting go of a toxic parent.” (Richard A. Friedman, “When Parents are too Toxic to Tolerate.” The New York Times, October 19, 2009)

Surely there’s value to this. It’s hard to imagine what it must be like to grow up with a “toxic parent.” The safety and wellbeing of a child should never be threatened or compromised. But who decides when a parent is truly “toxic?” Could this lead to the same kind of “divorce culture” that dominates the landscape of marriage? In traditional cultures, the value of the family was so prized that society made divorce very difficult. But in today’s culture, the value of the individual is so prized, that society makes divorce very easy. I don’t know what implications—if any—this has for children and their parents, but when a culture places the needs of individuals over the needs of others its often a slippery slope toward ruin.

EMANCIPATED MINORS

The same thing happened between God and Israel. Notice that the word picture switches. God’s relationship to Israel is no longer husband and wife but Father and son:

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. ² The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. ³ Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. ⁴ I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them. (Hosea 11:1-4)

Ephraim, you may recall, was the largest tribe in Israel’s Northern Kingdom. God had dealt kindly and justly with His people—His “son,” as He calls them. Yet they became the emancipated minor, looking for help and security elsewhere.

HAVE IT YOUR WAY

God’s response to this was to allow His people to have it their way. They would remain in exile—apart from God’s promises—because they were reaping exactly what they’d sown. The rival nation of Assyria would govern them:

⁵ They shall not return to the land of Egypt, but Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me. ⁶ The sword shall rage against their cities, consume the bars of their gates, and devour them because of their own counsels. ⁷ My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all. (Hosea 11:5-7)

This is where it gets deeply, painfully personal. How many times do you or I insist on doing life our own way? In today’s world, I am sovereign. My smart phone can do more for me than God can—at least that’s the way it seems. My weather app can inform my travel plans way more readily than prayerfully seeking God’s will. My Facebook app can offer me connectivity way more immediately than God’s community. My Google app offers me information (and advice) way more accessibly than the pages of Scripture. And my Netflix app offers me an escape from a world that God naggingly insists I journey through.

In other words, I am addicted to self-sufficiency. I have exchanged the lasting joy of God’s kingdom for a fake empire that offers me everything yet promises me nothing. And generally speaking, I can coast through life enjoying what this other kingdom offers. It’s only when things start to rattle apart, when I stand on the smouldering ruins of my own self-sufficiency, that I realize that I need help. I need a light to penetrate this kingdom of shadows, and save me from myself.

LOVE WINS

God’s anger is nothing without His love, just as His love is nothing without His anger. He is angry because His people have rejected His goodness for a lie, but in His love He will not grant them the full measure of judgment that they deserve:

⁸ How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. ⁹ I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath. ¹⁰ They shall go after the LORD; he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west; ¹¹ they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria, and I will return them to their homes, declares the LORD. ¹² Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit, but Judah still walks with God and is faithful to the Holy One. (Hosea 11:8-12)

The gloriously good news of the gospel is that though we deserve God’s anger, He grants us His love. In our rebellion we became the emancipated minor. In God’s love we became “adopted as sons” (Galatians 4:5).

Do you understand the full meaning of this word picture? If God is merely a judge, you may be thankful He pardoned your crimes. But a pardon alone is not enough to provoke your love. A judge can pronounce your innocence, but he can never tell you what to do with your guilt. That’s why “adoption” is so powerful. If God is my Father, than I receive not just His forgiveness, but also the inheritance of His kingdom (Romans 8:17). Not everyone has a good picture of a “father”—that’s actually why we enact laws to emancipate minors to begin with. But God is a perfect Father—a Father unlike any of His earthly shadows, and unlike our wildest dreams.

It truly is “His kindness that leads to repentance” (Romans 2:4). So to be adopted as God’s son is to sever my allegiance with the kingdoms of this world. And to be adopted as His son means that I can have the confidence that my sins have been forgiven, and that I can receive the promise of lasting joy.

You Can’t Get There from Here (Hosea 4)

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Christopher J Wiles

Have you ever heard the expression, “you can’t get there from here?” Sometimes you get so lost you have to move backwards before you can start moving forwards. I can remember a time when I was driving cross-country, and missed an exit. The trouble was, I hadn’t really noticed. And while I was squinting at my “Mapquest” directions—oh, the days before smart-phones—I also missed the speed limit sign. So it wasn’t until I was pulled over by an Arkansas cop that I realized that I was over 100 miles off-course, and it would take another two hours just to retrace my steps. Sometimes, you can’t get there from here.

And that’s what’s going on with Israel. In Hosea 1-3, God reveals His plan for dealing with an adulterous people. But starting in chapter 4, God outlines just how bad the situation is. The whole system is broken. It won’t be an easy fix. The only way forward is for the entire nation to retrace their steps, to find their way back to God again.

BREACH OF COVENANT

God uses this opportunity to make His charge against Israel all the more specific:

Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; ² there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. ³ Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away. (Hosea 4:1-3)

The nation was guilty of a breach of covenant. What’s a covenant? A covenant was a promise made between two parties. In this case, God had made the nation a promise of blessing and fellowship. These promises date all the way back to Abraham (Genesis 12-15), but became more focused, more defined through men like Moses and David. God’s promises were unconditional—a sheer act of grace—but the only way to flourish within God’s promises was to live life God’s way. That’s what the Law was about. To borrow an illustration from a pastor named Tim Keller, the law was like the owner’s manual for your car. Nothing in it was arbitrary. If you want your car to work the way it was supposed to, you follow what is written in the owner’s manual. In the same way, the Law shows us how to live. Deviating from this Law deprives us of all life in God’s promises has to offer.

The problem is that Israel had tossed their owner’s manual long ago. Do you notice in verse 2 that at least half of the “ten commandments” are listed? The nation was in clear violation of their relationship with God.

EVEN RELIGION IS BROKEN

You’d think this would be an easy fix. If the problem was that the nation was immoral, than surely a strong dose of morality would fix that right up. But even if that was true—which it’s not—the religious system was so damaged that it was of no help at all.

⁴ Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest. ⁵ You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother. ⁶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. ⁷ The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame. ⁸ They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity. ⁹ And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. ¹⁰ They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the LORD to cherish ¹¹ whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding. (Hosea 4:4-11)

Apparently the priests were guilty of pursuing religion for their own ends. It’s hard to say what this meant exactly, but the language of “increase” (v. 7) seems to suggest that somehow they were using the ministry for profit.

WHAT YOU WORSHIP YOU BECOME

Meanwhile, the people pursued their own religious ends. Verses 12-14 describe the nature of the nation’s spiritual adultery.

¹² My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore. ¹³ They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the whore, and your brides commit adultery. ¹⁴ I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes, and a people without understanding shall come to ruin. (Hosea 4:12-14)

One of my own professors summarizes the cultural background this way:

“These rituals involved drinking intoxicating wine, consulting pagan gods through divination, and offering sacrifices. The Israelites encouraged their daughters to visit the shrines, hoping that their participation in ritual sex with the priests of [other gods] would encourage these gods to give them numerous children.” (Robert Chisholm, Handbook on the Prophets, p. 350)

The problem could not simply be reduced to a lack of morals. It ran much deeper than that. The problem was a heart that was inclined away from God and toward self, a heart that sought a solution anywhere it could be found. The problem is that the further the nation went from God, the deeper their need became.

GOD’S JUDGMENT

God’s judgment can be finally seen in the last verses:

¹⁵ Though you play the whore, O Israel, let not Judah become guilty. Enter not into Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-aven, and swear not, “As the LORD lives.” ¹⁶ Like a stubborn heifer, Israel is stubborn; can the LORD now feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture? ¹⁷ Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone. ¹⁸ When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring; their rulers dearly love shame. ¹⁹ A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. (Hosea 4:15-19)

The people “shall be ashamed,” He says. Sometimes idolatry is its own consequence. We alternately treat God’s world like a treasure chest or an ashtray—forgetting that it was never about us to begin with.

What lesson is here for us? It is simple. We can’t possibly live our lives the way we want, and simply add in a few religious sentiments here and there. There is no substitute for a lifetime of faithfulness. That’s what God wants from us. And the gospel says that this is what God provides. To the church in Rome, Paul writes:

“³ For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” ⁴ Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. ⁵ And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness…” (Romans 4:3-5)

What does it mean to have our faith “counted as righteousness?” It means that even though we have no righteous deeds of our own, God treats us as though we do. It means that when He looks at our record, He sees not our violations, but a record of perfect obedience. How is this possible? Because on the cross, Christ exchanged our reputation for His. On the cross Jesus received the judgment that we deserve, so that we might receive the acceptance that we don’t deserve.

Therefore a lifestyle of radical holiness is not a requirement of the gospel—but it is the sweet fruit of it. As we live and grow in Christ, so will our character be drawn away from the idols of our world, and closer to the character of Christ.

If we want that life, then the bad news is that we “can’t get there from here.” We can’t achieve Christ’s character from where we’re at. Hosea shows us that in shocking, painful clarity. But the gospels says that Christ did the hard work for us, and the rest is joyful, faithful obedience.

Still the One (Hosea 2-3)

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Christopher J Wiles

Humans were created for relationship. No one goes through life alone. Yet our cultural landscape is dominated by the ruins of broken relationships. Our souls bear the scars of isolation and betrayal like some ugly roadmap. In our “enlightened” world, it’s easy to dismiss the outdated idea of “sin.” But we can’t deny the way that loneliness haunts us like a ghost.

God’s word explains why. See, you and I were created for relationship—with each other, but also with the God who created us. But there’s a problem. We too easily and too regularly are entrapped by the vacuum of self. The result of sin is death—not just natural death, but spiritual death. Relational death. Emotional death.

This, as they say, is the bad news. And it’s a message written in the pages of scripture, and in the very life of a man named Hosea. We met Hosea yesterday—the man with the unlikely task of marrying a prostitute. What did that show? Two things: (1) just how far the nation had sunk in their spiritual adultery, and (2) just how far God was willing to go to redeem His people.

Nearly every major religion agrees that there’s something wrong with the world. Religion commonly says: “You’re broken. Here’s how you may be fixed.” And then you’re handed a holy book that reads like the instruction manual for the space shuttle. In other words, you and I are left to fix ourselves. We may enter back into fellowship with a god—but only if we can become worthy through obedience and hard work.

Christianity is radically, inconceivably different. Christianity says: “You’re broken. And there’s nothing you can do to fix it.” Again, that’s the bad news. The good news is that in His great love, God actually steps in to fix the relationship that you and I tore apart so recklessly. And if we understand this, then we begin to understand exactly what Hosea is saying.

STILL THE ONE

Listen to what God says through the prophet Hosea:

¹⁴ “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. ¹⁵ And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁶ “And in that day, declares the LORD, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ ¹⁷ For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. ¹⁸ And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. ¹⁹ And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. ²⁰ I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD. (Hosea 2:14-20)

Do you hear what he’s saying? This is God speaking. It is through an act of God—not man—that the relationship might be restored. And this is a supreme expression of love.

It’s a theme common in modern music. In 1976 the band Orleans released a song called “Still the One,” a song that has since been performed by a variety of musicians. The lyrics of the chorus might sound familiar:

You’re still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You’re still the one I want for life

You’re still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You’re still the one I kiss good night

Obviously, man’s relationship with God stops short of an actual romance. We are not God’s equals—but that’s what makes this gesture of love all the more staggering. Despite our great sin, God still shows us His great love.

RESTORING THE BLESSING

When I was younger I used to assume that the best we could expect from God was forgiveness. And this is a spectacular, undeserved gift, to be sure. But the gospel says that God has even more for us. Just listen to what He said through Hosea:

²¹ “And in that day I will answer, declares the LORD, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth, ²² and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel, ²³ and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.'” (Hosea 2:21-23)

Do you remember how the names “Jezreel,” “No Mercy” and “Not My People” were given to the sons of Hosea and Gomer? Now God is saying that this won’t be their lasting fate. He will show mercy. He will show blessing. He will place His people “in the land,” meaning He will restore Israel forever in her promised land.

That means that the gospel means more than just “getting off the hook.” God also offers us blessing. Here’s what God’s word later tells us:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” (Ephesians 1:2-4)

God’s desire is not just to eliminate the bad, but to restore the good. And the best aspects of this comes to us in a doctrine known as “reconciliation.”

RECONCILIATION

In Hosea 3 we see two wedding photos side by side on the mantle. One photo is Hosea and Gomer; the other is God and His people.

Hosea and Gomer

And the LORD said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” ² So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. ³ And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” (Hosea 3:1-3)

Despite her unfaithfulness, God told Hosea to pursue Gomer. Their relationship would be restored.

God and His people

⁴ For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. ⁵ Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days. (Hosea 3:4-5)

Despite her unfaithfulness, God would pursue His people. Their relationship would be restored. This is the very heart of the gospel, that “…in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 2:19)

In the classic novel Don Quixote, the title character falls in love with an ordinary farm girl—renaming her “Dulcinea del Toboso.” In the novel, this was part of Quixote’s larger madness. Towards the end of the novel, he begins to realize that sometimes ordinary things are just that—ordinary things. There’s no need to mistake an inn for a castle. But in the 1972 musical adaptation, we hear him say something quite beautiful:

“When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? To surrender dreams – -this may be madness; to seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness! But maddest of all – -to see life as it is and not as it should be.”

This is what God does for His people. It would be madness indeed to see only adulterers and whores. It is supreme love for God to see life not “as it is” but “as it should be”—the way He intended it before the cancer of self ripped us from His embrace.

God’s people find their strength not in their own beauty, but in the splendor bestowed upon them despite our wayward reputation. And despite our faults, despite our failings, despite our fears, it is God alone who is still the One to whom we look for lasting comfort and enduring joy.

A Match Made in Heaven (Hosea 1)

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Christopher J Wiles

Few things are as damaging as success. Too often we struggle for just another rung on that ladder—only to later realize it’s been propped against the wrong wall.

The year was roughly 800 B.C. Israel had experienced an unprecedented level of material and military success (you can actually read about this in 2 Kings 14:25-28; 2 Chron. 26:2, 6-15). Unfortunately, it was a level of success that had eroded the nation’s trust in God. As a result, the people of Israel turned from worshipping God to trusting in the various material idols of the day.

It may be unusual to think about such things on the day after Super Bowl Sunday. Don’t misunderstand me; there’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying the game or spending some time with family and friends. But surely you’d agree that there is always some measure of the event that reflects America’s sense of excess. Two writers call the event

“a national day of gluttony for Americans to unabashedly embrace the joys of advertising, consumerism and greasy foods… Football taps into our most violent, survival instincts. It repeatedly draws a line in the dirt and dares opponents to cross it. While it offers rules of engagement, often the meanest and nastiest prevail.…Football reminds us of who we are and how we got here, what battles had to be fought, what bodies had to be sacrificed to forge a nation.” (Craig Detweiler, Barry Taylor, A Matrix of Meanings)

Again, we don’t need to condemn televised sports in order to recognize that for millions of Americans, this event reflects and shapes what we worship. The Super Bowl—and the commercials that rival the importance of the game itself—reveals what our culture holds as ultimately valuable. It is a religion, pure and simple, one built on consumerism and sexuality.

GOD’S MESSENGER

Like most of the prophets, we don’t know much about Hosea.

“The word of the LORD that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.” (Hosea 1:1)

His name meant “He has saved,” meaning that God has saved His people. He was probably active sometime between 760-715 B.C.

GOD’S MESSAGE

God has a very unusual plan for Hosea. Through Hosea, God’s message would be more than merely words, but also a very specific action.

² When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.” ³ So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. (Hosea 1:2-3)

What you worship, you become. Israel had been betrothed to God like a bride, but in their unfaithfulness they became a whore. Few stories are more shocking than the story of Hosea and Gomer. We know little about Gomer, other than she carried the kind of reputation that Israel would have easily known about. Hosea’s marriage served to underscore God’s message: when you worship other things, you become a lesser thing. God’s relationship to His people was as stable as Hosea’s relationship to a prostitute.

GOD’S JUDGMENT

God’s judgment of His people would then be seen through the children of Hosea and Gomer. Each of their three kids revealed a little more about God’s character and fierce holiness.

Jezreel

⁴ And the LORD said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. ⁵ And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

This may be confusing. Jezreel was the name of Hosea’s first son, but it was also the name of an Israelite town. In the previous century, the area had been the site of a radical slaughter by King Jehu (2 Kings 9:27-28; 10:12-31). Because the king had overstepped his bounds, the people would be punished.

Lo-Ruhamah (“No Love/Mercy”)

⁶ She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the LORD said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. ⁷ But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”

Hosea’s second child—a daughter—would be named Lo-Ruhamah, which literally means “No Love” or “No Mercy.” Out of a deep commitment to Holiness, God would not show mercy to Israel in response to her sins.

Lo-Ammi (“Not My People”)

⁸ When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. ⁹ And the LORD said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”

Hosea’s third child (second son) was named “Lo-Ammi” meaning “Not My People.” God would distance Himself from His chosen people. That was the magnitude of the separation that had taken place.

GOD’S MERCY

The only thing more staggering than the magnitude of God’s anger is the magnitude of God’s incredible grace. When we worship lesser gods, we endure suffering. We cannot claim to be walking in step with God’s character. But even in the midst of this passage, we find a promise given to us from God:

¹⁰ Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” ¹¹ And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

Jesus is the true and better Hosea. He united Himself with a wayward people so that “he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:27)

As we journey through Hosea, we learn more and more what it means to worship God and not the idols of the present world.

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Monthly Archives: February 2014