Thursday, September 18, 2008

Take Two: Hosea 13, Proverbs 18

Hosea 13: 1-6 is a picture of something that I see often among others and in myself at times. Here, the prophet says that the people began to worship false gods--baal (v.1). Even though their conduct was judged, they continued down the path and adopted more and more idolatry (v.2). God expresses to them through the prophet that they are headed (in a hurry) away from Him and directly toward strict and overwhelming judgment (v.3). Now here is the amazing part...and the part that I see in myself and others. v.4-6a remind us that they came to the place they were by the grace of God. He delivered them, cared for them, and blessed them. In the midst of their "blessing" they became proud. As grandma would say, "they got too big for their britches."

The great danger for all of us is the statement in the last part of verse 6, "And being satisfied, their heart became proud; therfore, they forgot about me." If there every were a commentary on my greatest struggles, it would be that at times I stop seeking to move forward, become stagnant, and end up losing sight of how God brought me to that place. (Sounds like a sermon to me....)

In the remaining verses, we see that God pronounces judgment. He, in a very illustrative way, shows that His wrath has been building up (v.13). He says that judgment will come suddenly and swiftly (v.7-8). He says that He will not deliver them from the judgment once it begins (v.14).

Tomorrow we will wrap up this book, but hopefully we will not lose sight of this message. When we forget the grace that saved us, or become satisfied and proud, we fail to complete the purpose for which we were made. As such, we invite the judgment of God in our lives. There are two motivations that affect people's decisions to pursue God in earnest. One is the desire to see God's glory manifested. Some desire to see great things! Others desire to avoid bad things/judgment. God gives a picture of both in His Word...because He wants us to come....

Proverbs 18:1 is the takeaway today. "He who separates himself seeks his own desire, He quarrels against all sound wisdom." This is a powerful proverb that would serve us all well if we would allow it. It is a statement about those of us who "make up our mind" and "don't want anyone to change it." When a person withdraws from wise counsel, thinking they have the right answer...it is not only an indication of pride, but it is a danger to him. We would do well to realize that our bias is for our own self-interest and our self-interest is often at odds with God's wise purpose for our lives. A person seeking wisdom does not withdraw to himself and shut out other reasonable voices; rather, he understands that there is wisdom in the counsel of others...and if good and godly people think he should go a different direction...it is not necessarily that they do not understand. It may be that they have a better "bead" on what God desires than the person seeking counsel. We would do well to rely on community wisdom at times in our lives rather than our own.

Grace,

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I find it very hard at time to follw all of Gods ways because it seems to be a strange way to do things and I think I have a better way to do it. (My way or the highway method) I have found that God does not always chose the easy way for me and when I follow it unconditionally I am blesses but being hard headed I find the easy way and hit the wall. It is funny because I tell my self and feel in my heart that I want to do everything the Lord wants me to do but I know what to do better than him! Go figure why I lack full blessing.
Thanks for your wisdom.

Anonymous said...

I think this verse (Prov. 18:1)also points out that those that think they have a "special deal" with God regarding them not needing to identify with a local church are foolish.

Anonymous said...

I feel such great passion from God when I read this chapter, oh how God is crying out to us, if only we would listen. I can't help but think of Bethany she is six years old and there have been times in Sunday School where another kid would not play with her, she would be sad but as a Mother my heart was broken for her. I feel like God feels this for us 100 times over. The only difference He is Bethany and we are the kid that is unwilling to play. This Chapter reminded me how much He wants all of us, not just the left overs (which is what I most often give). I have also been in that stagnant Christian but I am excited to say I have broken free I am no longer stagnant and I am not planning on going back, so if you see me in that stagnant place remind me of Hosea 13 so that I don't have to stay there!!!:) God has big plans for all of us but we have to get quiet enough to hear Him...

Chris said...

Anon,

You speak of the struggles we all face. Be encouraged...even the Apostle Paul expresses this struggle in Romans 7. Putting to death the flesh DAILY is a lifelong pursuit.

Jason, Thanks for the post. I had not considered that.

Amanda, I feel the passion as well. Thanks for sharing about Bethany. I do believe that God calls to us and longs for us to answer the call...not because He needs us, but because He loves us and desires for us to experience His very best. He hurts when we choose second best over Him. Good post. And PTL that God is working in your life and you are not "stagnant" anymore! I am proud of you and how you are growing!