|
Hosea : God's Faithfulness & Our Response One of the books of the Old Testament which, perhaps more than any other, shows God as a Loving God,- and that’s something we all need reminding of - is the Book of the Prophet Hosea. Hosea is a book of just 14 chapters and is the first in a group of prophetic books called the ‘Minor’ Prophets. ( which is meant to mean ‘shorter’) Let me tell you a little about Hosea1. In fact I can only tell you a little because we only know a little. . In fact, we don’t know much about Hosea at all, except that he lived in the 8th c, B.C., , in the Northern Kingdom of Israel at about the same time as Amos the prophet, and later Isaiah the prophet. Hosea’s message was for the Northern kingdom and its people where he lived. During that time the nation went rapidly downhill.- morally and spiritually. It rejected and turned away from God and instead adopted wholesale the pagan religious practices – and the immorality that went with those - of the neighbouring nations. This brought about a moral and political landslide. All of that ended up in the eventual destruction of the nation, by Assyria, their northern neighbours, in 722BC. Hosea prophesied that impending doom and destruction would be the result of the nations turning away from God. Now the Prophets never seemed to have an easy life, and Hosea was certainly no exception to this. Quite unusually, the book of Hosea begins with God calling Hosea to marry. However, God also told Hosea that the woman he was to marry, (Gomer was her name), would become immoral and that she would be unfaithful to him in marriage, but that he was to remain faithful to her despite all of that. So Hosea’s life – his marriage racked by infidelity, unfaithfulness and rejection – would become a living illustration – a parable - of the unfaithful relationship which existed between God and his people, Israel. Yet while Israel rejected God, God would still be faithful. Now I have to keep reminding myself that there is a lesson here which is also very applicable to us today. For where, in the O.T. there is reference to Israel, I believe we can also make a parallel reference to the Church. The church, throughout its history has also been guilty of unfaithfulness to God, of being preoccupied with its own agenda rather than being obedient and faithful to God So these words to Israel are just as relevant for us, the church, today. Now there’s no substitute for reading the book of Hosea for yourself! The overarching message is that despite Israel’s sin in rejecting God – and the prophets described this as adultery – of deserting the God of Israel and going after other gods - the Lord God of Israel remains faithful and true to the covenant relationship (the marriage). He had made with His people. However, Israel has a price to pay for the sin she has committed, and as a result that sin brings judgment. So Israel will suffer the fate of her sin, but yet, through it all, God will not abandon or leave her. God will eventually restore Israel, and she will return to Him as his faithful wife. So the main theme of the Book of Hosea, the message of God for us, is that God continues faithful even though we turn away from him. So the next question then, is “What is our response to God, and his faithfulness?” Well over the past six weeks we have considered some of the prophets and their message and their relevance for us, and I think that today we can bring together their different yet unified messages and combine them to see that faithfulness will reveal itself in what we DO and how we act! The prophets we have looked at over the past six weeks have each given us some special focus for the way in which we might live this life of faithfulness. From Moses we learn about keeping the commandments; from Samuel, the importance and place of prayer; from Elijah, the need to consciously choose to serve the Lord God, and him alone; from Amos, the call to live out justice and righteousness; from Micah, the need to connect our lives with our religion, and from Malachi – the importance of dedicating all that we have to God, and of giving to God the full tithe we owe him. All of these are very practical, and Hosea brings all these together, and, in effect, says Do these, and live a life of faithfulness to God. Our faithfulness will encompass and include all that the prophets have shown us. In other words, our Christian life must be one of practical deeds and actions, not just words or thoughts or prayers. We have the example of Jesus Himself here. In the gospel reading we heard how wherever Jesus went, people came to him and he healed them. He gave his time and his compassion to them. He was immersed in their sorrow and their troubles, and he gave himself to them. We see the same thing happening in the N.T. church! When St. Paul wrote to the Christian church in Thessalonica, he wrote “we remember before our God and Father how you put your faith into practice, how your love made you work so hard, and how your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ is firm.”. Our faithfulness to God will show itself in practical action. And there is always a cost associated with that. The cost of faithfulness to God could be in the time we give to visiting friends who are sick, or discouraged; it could be in giving transport to those who are stranded; it could be in giving generously to supporting the church at home and overseas, and furthering kingdom work; it could be in supporting or sponsoring children overseas through world vision ( for example); it could be in simply doing ordinary practical things for others in need – mowing lawns, baby-sitting, baking a cake, preparing a meal; . It doesn’t have to be big - most often it is the small things, but there will nevertheless be a cost. Faithfulness always has a cost. And we wont always get it right! But despite our sin and waywardness, God will always be faithful and true to us. What an amazing message from God to us, through Hosea. That despite the times when we fail, when we slip up, when we turn our backs on God and think we can do it all our own way – that God, in Jesus Christ, remains faithful to us. Lord, help us to be more faithful to you today. Thank you for your message through Hosea. |
