Respect

07.09.13

Micah 4.2b “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.” (ESV)

It’s hard to read the prophets and not get caught up in it all: the fall of Samaria, the fall of Jerusalem, the coming disaster that was to overtake the peoples of Israel and Judah where their cities would be laid waste and their lands become desolate. The temptation is to read and simply conclude: they had it coming; they got what they deserved.

I think many people see God only as a God of retribution and judgment. I think many are so unhappy with their current sitch that they want someone to come in and change it (as long as the change is for their good and the detriment of those they perceive are causing them angst.) We humans are big on justice as long as we get our way. The rain falls on the just and the unjust and so long as we get rain, so long as we win, what more is there?

Yes, Israel and Judah got what was coming to them and got what they deserved. They had a covenant with God and they broke it and they concluded that all of God’s promises were too good to be true. And they compared their circumstances with the nations around them and concluded their gods were better at delivering than God was. They forsook the Lord and got what they deserved in return.

God gets a bad rap in judgment as if He is simply paying back those who ignore Him because they don’t know any better. Nothing could be more untrue. God promised to bless them if they followed Him and curse them if they didn’t – and, it was all written down. They had no excuse except their own fickle and faulty reasoning. But God told the truth all along and His promises stand regardless of what men may do with them.

The proof is what was prophesied about the latter days: It shall come to pass in the latter days that ... 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.” (Micah 4.1-4) God is only ever looking for respect… And one day, respect there will be.

There is hope that man will tire of his own schemes and will one day realize his plans and dreams and desires are totally worthless without God’s presence and partnership. There is hope man will one day let go and let God. There is a truth that one day many will 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.”

Father, in these turbulent days, may the hearts of people see past the schemes of men and big governments, and hand-outs, and what they claim are their rights. May the whole thing come crashing down so that we can see just how destitute we are without You, and encourage one another to 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.” Father, we need You! Father, may it be. Amen.

The Mercy of God

07.08.13

Hosea 14.3c In you the orphan finds mercy. (ESV)

For some reason my heart has been softened this weekend. My usual sarcastic, cynicism has ebbed and I find myself wiping away little tears. It started out Friday night when our son went off bike riding with some friends, and my wife informed me that one of the friends had epilepsy and had been saved by another mutual friend of our son’s from drowning in a pool where he’d had a seizure in the pool. I teared up at the thought of that.

And then this past Sunday was our 20^th annual God and Country Rally in our city park. Several of the churches get together for a time of worship and (okay) rah-rah for the old red, white, and blue. Usually it’s a fun event with lots of singing (National Anthem, America the Beautiful, and such) but this time I felt a profound sense of the presence of God, and again, wiped away the tears.

It might be because I’ve been reading in Hosea for the past few days. Hosea is a poignant prophecy from the get-go and it just doesn’t let up. For instance, today was a reading in chapters 13 and 14 where God has simply washed His hands of their idolatry and spiritual adultery. It’s sad watching God watch His people go. It’s like watching your own kids go off into their dreams and disappear under the surface; it can get weepy.

And so today, it was no surprise that I ran across this little phrase in Hosea: In [You] the orphan finds mercy. Across the world orphans are a dime a dozen. Across the world orphans are the refuse of adult society. Orphans are the dregs of apathy: I may have brought you into this world but you’re gonna have to find your own way out…

A friend of mine was an orphan and was raised in the usual manner of orphans: multiple foster care situations and frequent physical beatings. I sometimes think orphans are the punching bags for frustrated adults: It rolls downhill little buddy and it stop with you!  So, when I ran across these six little words in the midst of the vastness of the Bible and at the sad ending of Hosea’s prophecy, I teared up. Orphans for the most part don’t mean crap to others – they’re just another mouth to feed.

But today I saw a ray of hope: In [You] the orphan finds mercy. Orphans need mercy and they need it from Someone who’ll really deliver. It doesn’t pay to burden others with whining about the things only God can fix. God has mercy on orphans. And maybe the ones who receive His mercy are the ones who’ll, like my friend, grow up into merciful adults. This world cries out for mercy.

Jesus said, Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy. (Matthew 5.7) Tears or not, this world is a merciless place unless someone is merciful – and Hosea said, “In You (in God) the orphan, the refuse, the forgotten, the ignored, the beaten, the fearful, the sick, the lame, the infirm, the abused find mercy.

Lord, You are merciful, may I be merciful as You are merciful and I ask to be used by You to impart mercy to ones who don’t (or can’t because of their circumstances) believe it exists… Amen.

The Way Out

07.07.13

Psalm 73. 5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. (ESV)

The honesty of the Bible is staggering. I heard this quote the other day: Church is a lot like Halloween; people dress up and pretend to be someone else… Not Asaph, the author of this psalm, he flatly admitted it: But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (Vv. 2-3)

Sometimes, it’s easy to wish we had more money, more time, and more freedom to do whatever in the heck we want to do. Of course, we’d live upright and godly lives if we did, but man, it sure would be nice to have money left over at the end of the bills (or a stinkin trip to the grocery store!).

Asaph made the comparison of the well-to-do and said, They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. And it’s true, at least in part. Many in this world don’t have enough (however much that is). Many are sick. Most have never heard of such a thing as health insurance (let alone Obamacare). Disease, poverty, and oppression are the only choices on the menu for billions of people on this planet. And yet in the midst of all of this there are the rich, the uber-rich and the unbelievably rich.

Money cannot and will not pay one’s way into heaven; God isn’t interested in money. Money, more often than not, causes more problems than it resolves. Hosea said, “Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars.” (Hosea 10.1) Money and riches drove Israel away from God. And that is Asaph’s point: “…I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked…” He was tempted to see wealth, affluence, and riches, not God, as a way out.

For the faithful, the way out is whichever way God leads, and the truth is the have-nots of this world are troubled and stricken. Trouble and strife, although seemingly unpleasant, have marvelous redemptive qualities. Affluence on the other hand insulates one from dependence. God’s way out is simply this: trust only in Him, never in money.

It used to be I would say something like this in response to what I just wrote: there is nothing wrong with money, or having money. I would say that to assuage my own conscience and to lessen the risk of offending the have’s. Today, I don’t give a crap about what you think – I think much of the problem of the past world and the present is money, and the pursuit thereof. I think the have’s are in trouble and the have not’s are as well if they think money is the way out.

Our world tells us that more money is the answer for everything and our experience shows us that isn’t true; more affluence, most always, leads to a pursuit of more affluence. More God, said Asaph, leads to a life of contentment and peace.

Asaph was sorely tempted to believe there was another way. It was only in the presence of God he came to his senses and saw the horrific folly of such belief. My prayer is that I honor God with what I have; and please Him with a life offered in pursuit of Him – He is the Only Way… 

Without a Plan

07.06.13

Hosea 8.7 7 For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; it shall yield no flour; if it were to yield, strangers would devour it. (ESV)

Israel and Judah were in times of great turbulence but instead of seeking God and humbling themselves under His law, they did it their way. From the earliest days of their existence God had called them over and over to stick with Him; but they tired of the sticking and went their own way. And now, in Hosea’s day they were on the cusp of complete humiliation and impending exile among the pagan nations they sought to emulate.

Following God is a two-way venture. God is God and He will lead us but we must trust His leadership. God is Lord, but we must submit to His Lordship. That is, if we call Him Leader and Lord. And so we must have a plan to do so. Israel lived without a plan that included God. Most of the time, so do I…

The harvest of sowing the seeds of flying-by-the-seat-of-the-pants will be the same chaos of flying by the seat of one’s pants; chaos only begets seeds of more chaos. If you always do what you’ve always done; you’ll always be where you’ve always been. To move beyond that, one must have a plan.

I am facing two things in my (current) schedule that demand much of my attention and a willingness on my part to do something about them. One is imminent and the other is about a year away. The closer one looks to be at best, a mediocre effort on my part for lack of my plan: if you sow the wind, you reap a whirlwind. The one further off is going to require significantly more effort and energy (as well as prayer) but to continue on the way I’ve been going will only mean more whirlwind.

Israel and Judah’s plan didn’t include an unshakable devotion to God and didn’t include much thought about the consequences of their sowing. They were active in much but they we inactive in what was important: depending upon God.

Our lives (yours and mine), if we’re going to be successful must include more than wind-sowing. Our daily comings and goings are measurable indicators of our future success based upon what kind of seed we sow. If we take for granted what we take for granted we shouldn’t be surprised if we come up surprised one day that it (whatever it is) was never meant to be quick, easy, or effortless.

The answer lies in what seed we’re presently sowing. Today is the day to keep in mind tomorrow’s harvest. If today, the seed sown is inaction and procrastination, then we shouldn’t be befuddled or miffed if tomorrow all we get is regret over today’s sowing.

Father God, I am sorry, humbled, and convicted over my present choice of seeds sown and I repent. To do what I think You’ve called me to do can’t get done without a plan and I need You to help me come up with a change of course or at least better seeds to sow… I believe Your word helped me today… Amen.

What We Want

07.05.13

Hosea 3.4,5 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. ESV

Yesterday was our US national day of remembering our nation’s declaration of independence from the British monarchy in 1776. It wasn’t a very popular concept with the English king: his colonies deciding to become their own nation. And so a war ensued and the colonists prevailed and a country was born and here we are 237 years later…supposedly remembering that declaration.

In Hosea’s day the nation of Israel had declared not so much with words as with actions their independence from King God; they’d decided that God wasn’t enough (or enough fun) and they went after other ‘gods’, like Baal, Ashtoreh, Molech, etc. They wanted gods who’d get the job done and because God seemed to God-like they decided to go with the gods of the surrounding super-power nations which seemed to be the reason they were super-powers.

Now, the attitude of king George of England in 1776 was: Well, when these unruly colonists come to their senses and see they have no tea, and no protection from the power of the English Empire, they’ll come around. They’ll come a-begging to be taken back.

God on the other hand said, “…the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God…” They would realize what they’d lost. The difference between King God and king George was King God knew what He was talking about; king George didn’t.

I’ve heard it said that God has four answers to our prayers: Yes, No, Wait, and, If you insist.

For God so loved His people that He gave them what they wanted so that they could remember what they lost. (Paul Turk 3.16) Israel needed to fix their memory; they couldn’t remember.

We, in this great land, must somehow remember; but not all know Who started it: we need to remember Him. King God will let those who want their own way to have their own way; and it seems He will allow them their own way until they remember (or realize) what they have isn’t what they wanted. King God is only about the Best and offering the Best to everyone who’ll take Him at His royal word.

The mission of those who know His Best is to help those who don’t to come to King God and accept His offer. And the proof is those who know will live knowing; it’ll be believable – or at least visible.

Father, take from me whatever You must in order to help me to see. Help me to help others see and help us all to accept You’ll give us what we insist until we realize it isn’t what we want…

God Among the Crowd

07.04.13

Hosea 1.6 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.” (ESV)

Sometimes, I raise my eyebrows at the names people give their children. I know that sounds a bit harsh: whose dang business is it anyway that I call my kid: ________!? It sure ain’t mine. I didn’t get to choose my name and you didn’t get to choose yours; they were given to us by our parents (or parent) and the bottom line is: they are all known by God. They are all known by God from eternity past and in that sense He allowed them to be named whatever they are named before any of us were born.

Hosea is told (by God) to marry a whore named Gomer (whose name means: complete; vanishing), because His people (Israel) had prostituted themselves by going after other gods, and calling them real, and forsaking Him; or at best, including Him among the crowd. There is no crowd. God says there are no other Gods; He doesn’t know one. (“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”  Isaiah 45.22)

The pinnacle of mankind’s sin is simply: to un-God God. That is, either lump Him in with other “deities”, or to write Him off altogether” “The fool says in his heart,“There is no God.”” (Psalm 14.1) The one who writes off God is himself written off. And then God says things like: “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all.” The nation of Israel wrote off God, and He returned their favor.

Why does God seem so petulant at times? I think it’s because we are so petulant all the time. We write stuff off all the time – we write off people as unworthy, beyond help, not-worth-the-effort. Why would it seem so strange that God would write-off His own people? It’s called wrath. Wrath is that point at which God will go no further; He’s said all He’s going to say. He’s done.

Men’s gods are petulant. God is not. Men’s gods are capricious and untrustworthy; God is not. Men’s gods are like themselves; God is not. Men’s gods are just gods in the crowd; God is not. God names a little girl, No Mercy, because He is told His people they’d reached a point where He would no longer deal with them; they’d hit the point of no return – He cut His losses and moved on. That ought to make one think…

I am so grateful for grace yet I need to remember that grace is not cheap nor is it a hall-pass. I am accountable for my thoughts and my motives and for everything I do because if I’m not careful, I’ll lump God in with “the gods in the crowd” and forget what He’s done for me. Personally, I can’t afford that. I’m grateful for once saved, always saved, but I can’t use that as an excuse to excuse my behavior. The thing for which I want to be known by God and by men is: faithfulness. May I be faithful to the one and ONLY God there is, and help others to be as well…

Father God, that is my prayer – amen.

Faithful Frustration

07.03.13

Isaiah 6.11-12 11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”

And he said:

“Until cities lie waste

without inhabitant,

and houses without people,

and the land is a desolate waste,

12 and the Lord removes people far away,

and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.”

Isaiah’s ministry was to be a ministry of faithful frustration; he would prophecy and the people would ignore him.

How much is enough? That is a question a friend posed to me one day along with three others: 1. Who is God? 2. Who am I? 3. What really matters? How much is enough? How much profit does a business man have to make? How many and how long are wars? Who is really in charge here? How much is enough?

How long do you preach to an apathetic crowd? How many blogs does one write (in what seems like an endless ocean of blogs) to impart whatever it is one wants to impart? How much feedback does one need on said blogs?

Isaiah was told to preach, “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, and the Lord removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.” How long do you preach when no one wants to listen?

I think God understands faithful frustration. I think He is the Original faithfully frustrated. He knows what men need and gives them the grace to figure it out for themselves and continually works in their lives to help them get it – and day after day after day He watches as men ignore Him and run headlong into death and destruction.

The nation of Judah was God’s special child and Judah became too secular for their own good. They became more impressed and political with the peoples around them and God’s servants watched as promise after promise was broken or fell upon deaf ears. They then, were like us today: no thought for the present and no thought for the future.

My heart goes out to the faithfully frustrated. It’s not like it’s not an important message – it’s huge – but people seem to be caught up in whatever else that distracts them from Who God is, who they are, what really matters, and how much is enough.

Father, Your love is higher than the heavens and Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, and Your justice flows like the ocean’s tide. Help the faithfully frustrated to keep at it despite the overwhelming feelings that enough is enough, and what really matters no longer really matters. Strengthen the faithful to be faithful and to continue to preach to the crowd which doesn’t want to hear. Amen.