WHAT GOD DESIRES

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early. Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have killed them by the words of My mouth, and My judgment goes forth as the light. For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

Hosea 6:4-6 (NRSV)

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What does God desire from us in life?

It’s a question we all should consider because anything that God wants from us should be our first priority.

As we look at today’s scripture passage, continuing our study of Hosea 6, we find God giving His people (and that includes us) two specific things that He wants, things He expects His people will carry out in full obedience. See if you can identify these two items as you look again at these verses:

What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early. Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have killed them by the words of My mouth, and My judgment goes forth as the light. For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”  Hosea 6:4-6 (NRSV)

Verse 6 holds the key to the earlier question: What does God desire?

First, He wants our steadfast love and He wants it more than any outwardly expression of worship like sacrifices in Old Testament days. The Israelites had been anything but dedicated in the way they expressed their affection unto God. In fact, we know they had blatantly abandoned Him, pushing Him aside to worship false gods and idols instead, false gods and idols that were as dead as the Israelites’ faith.

This was in direct violation of God’s commands to have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3-4a) but the people didn’t care. They were completely indifferent to their sinfulness and how they had turned away from God, their love compared to a dew that appears early but soon evaporates and is not seen again. And so God sent His judgment on His people but not before trying to convince them to change their ways through His prophets, warnings that the people ignored as much as God Himself.

If we’re not careful today, we might find ourselves allowing our devotion to be directed away from God just as the Israelites of Hosea’s day did. We can ensure we don’t allow this to happen by making the Lord the full object of our affection, loving Him in a way that is consistent, persistent, and steadfast, just like He desires.

After all, Jesus did say this when asked about the greatest commandment:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30

The second desire we find God having is that all His people would seek His knowledge for if they did this then they would know His word, will, and way. The Lord yearned for the Israelites to never stop hungering and thirsting for His guidance, a guidance that would always lead them to His righteousness and a life that would be pleasing in His sight.

To that end, God even provided His people this command from the Proverbs:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

The main problem with the Israelites is that they were relying on their own understanding and chasing after the things they wanted in the world. God was a complete afterthought and so He took action to get their attention so they would turn back to Him and seek His knowledge and direction. Seventy years of exile will have a way of doing that to people, the penalty God imposed for the Israelites’ wickedness.

Today, God still expects us to ever seek Him, openly reaching out for the ways He wants us to go and the wisdom and information He will equip us with to fulfill His purposes. He still expects and demands that we will place nothing ahead of Him in our lives.

So what does God desire?

It’s easy. He wants us to give Him everything, to fully surrender to Him in every way, to make His desires our own. Today and every day, seek Him where He might be found, within His word and Spirit, and give Him your full love and devotion, just as He does unto you.

Do that and I assure you that you find yourself blessed and fulfilled in ways you never imagined.

Amen

In Christ,

Mark
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YOU'RE MISSING SOMETHING

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds. After two days, He will revive us; on the third day, He will restore us, that we may live in His presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”

Hosea 6:1-3

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

We are all sinners. No one can debate this because God’s word affirms the statement:

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

So with this, why do we have such a hard time taking responsibility for our sinfulness?

Why is so hard for us to confess and repent?

I mean, we know God is a God of mercy and grace and forgiveness, a God who continuously reconciles Himself to His people. But we need to remember that before any of this happens, God expects us to admit our failing and falling, committing to turn away from our transgressions and toward His righteousness, before we receive His clemency.

As we turn to our scripture passage for today, drawn from the opening three verses of Hosea 6, we find the Israelites either forgetting or conveniently ignoring the need for contrition as a prerequisite for atonement and restoring oneself to a right relationship with God. Look again at these verses:

“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds. After two days, He will revive us; on the third day, He will restore us, that we may live in His presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”  Hosea 6:1-3

On the surface, everything may appear like there was no problem here. The Israelites wanted to return to the Lord, acknowledging His judgment and its negative impact on them but they also proclaimed these truths about Him:

1. He was their Great Physician and Healer.

He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds.

2. He was their Reviver and Restorer.

He will revive us…He will restore us, that we may live in His presence.

3. He would appear to them.

Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”

Yes, the Israelites had a lot of expectations as to what they thought God would do. But note one very important omission, one that might lead the Lord to respond to their words in these verses by simply saying:

“You’re missing something.”

What was missing?

Well, note that there wasn’t one instance when the Israelites confessed of their sins. Not one. They spoke about returning to the Lord but were they going to return the same people as they were before they sought His reconciliation? Were they committed at all to refraining from the same iniquities that got them in trouble with God in the first place?

There certainly wasn’t any indication that they were.

So how do you think God is going to respond to this? Will the Israelites find their expectations met by God or are they in for a rude awakening?

We’ll find the answer to these questions as we continue to look at Chapter 6 in tomorrow’s devotion. See you then.

Amen

In Christ,

Mark
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A DAY OF RECKONING

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Sound the trumpet in Gibeah, the horn in Ramah. Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven; lead on, Benjamin. Ephraim will be laid waste on the day of reckoning. Among the tribes of Israel I proclaim what is certain. Judah’s leaders are like those who move boundary stones. I will pour out my wrath on them like a flood of water. Ephraim is oppressed, trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols. I am like a moth to Ephraim, like rot to the people of Judah.”

“When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sores, then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and sent to the great king for help. But he is not able to cure you, not able to heal your sores. For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, like a great lion to Judah. I will tear them to pieces and go away; I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them. Then I will return to My lair until they have borne their guilt and seek My face—
in their misery they will earnestly seek Me.”

Hosea 5:8-15

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What happens when someone chooses to oppose the Lord?

As we see in today’s passage from the closing verses of Hosea, Chapter 5, they had better be prepared to go to battle because anyone who decides to go toe-to-toe with God will always come to a day of reckoning with Him, a day of reckoning that will never result in a positive outcome for His opponent. Such was the case of the Israelites as we look at our scripture passage here:

“Sound the trumpet in Gibeah, the horn in Ramah. Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven; lead on, Benjamin. Ephraim will be laid waste on the day of reckoning. Among the tribes of Israel I proclaim what is certain. Judah’s leaders are like those who move boundary stones. I will pour out my wrath on them like a flood of water. Ephraim is oppressed, trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols. I am like a moth to Ephraim, like rot to the people of Judah.”

“When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sores, then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and sent to the great king for help. But he is not able to cure you, not able to heal your sores. For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, like a great lion to Judah. I will tear them to pieces and go away; I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them. Then I will return to My lair until they have borne their guilt and seek My face—in their misery they will earnestly seek Me.”

Note here where the Lord is calling for the battle cry to be raised and the trumpet of war to be sounded. The Israelites had chosen to sin against Him, worshiping false gods and idols despite His commands to not do so and the warnings of the prophets about the judgment to come if they didn’t cease and desist in their wickedness. They had continued to disrespect and disregard God and so He was going to send His punishment upon them, laying waste to their land as He poured out His wrath on His people “like a flood of water”. We know through biblical history that God’s judgment was exacted by the Assyrians who took out the northern kingdom of Israel and the Babylonians who took care of Judah in the south. The people had no hope for rescue as no one they called on would be able to stop God’s consequences from coming. No one would be able to heal their affliction or spare them from the seventy years of exile God would send them off to as they would be carried off into captivity and oppression. There they would remain until they bore the full brunt of guilt and misery for their sinfulness and turned back to God in remorse, once again seeking His face and pursuing Him in earnest.

The saddest part of this was that it never had to happen. All God’s people needed to do was be obedient to His word and will in every way, rejecting iniquity and chasing after righteousness, ever seeking to submit to God and please Him in every way. Had they done this, there would have been no need for a day of reckoning as they would have been found in God’s favor instead of His displeasure.

So where do we stand today before God?

Do we appear to Him as a people committed to His righteousness and living in resistance to sin?

Or are we complicit when it comes to wicked behavior, committing transgressions consistently and persistently as if we have no fear of what God might do to us given His utter hatred of sin?

Is a modern day of reckoning coming for us here in the 21st century?

I can’t answer that question with absolute certainty but I can say with complete confidence that a day of reckoning is coming in the future when Jesus returns, a future He detailed this way:

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.”

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.’”

“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?’”

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.’”

“Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’”

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help You?’”

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’”

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus, the Lamb of God who was sent by God the Father to take away the sins of the world, is going to return at a time and place sometime in the future for the final day of reckoning. When He does, He will come as the Judge of all creation, exercising the authority God had given Him over heaven and earth. No one will escape coming before His court and facing trial, a trial where there will only be two verdicts: innocent and guilty.

1. The innocent.

Those who chose to believe and trust in Jesus, conforming their lives to His and carrying out His will and way, will find themselves gathered to the right of their Savior, the sheep gathered with their Good Shepherd. These are the ones who although sinners, will be justified through Christ and move onto eternal life, those who will live with Jesus and God forever.

2. The guilty.

Those who decide to reject Jesus, represented by the goats in His illustration, will be placed to the left, staged for a fiery judgment and eternal damnation for their unwillingness to receive the salvation that Jesus offered to provide. They will be condemned for their lifetime of iniquity, a lifetime willfully spent void of God and Jesus.

Where will you stand on this day of reckoning?

If you are counted with the goats today, I highly recommend you consider your choice to live without Jesus, turning to Him for your salvation and ensuring you will have the best day ever with the rest of the sheep when Christ returns.

Amen

In Christ,

Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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INDICTMENTS

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you Israelites! Listen, royal house! This judgment is against you:  You have been a snare at Mizpah, a net spread out on Tabor. The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter. I will discipline all of them. I know all about Ephraim; Israel is not hidden from Me. Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution; Israel is corrupt.”

“Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the Lord. Israel’s arrogance testifies against them; the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin; Judah also stumbles with them. When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, they will not find Him; He has withdrawn himself from them. They are unfaithful to the Lord; they give birth to illegitimate children. When they celebrate their New Moon feasts, He will devour their fields.”

Hosea 5:1-7

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Hosea Chapter 4 opened, we saw where God levied a series of charges against His people. At the beginning of Chapter 5, we find much of the same as the Lord ensures He details the sins of His people that led to His judgment.

This served a two-fold purpose.

1. At the moment these words were delivered to the Israelites via the prophet, God was clearly stating why He was sending judgment on them. The punishment that would soon ensue was not coming unprovoked or unmerited as if God simply wanted to bring consequences to His people on a whim. Rather, it was coming because the people of God had sinned against Him consistently and continuously with no regard for His word or will, even after He had made multiple attempts to warn them via His appointed messengers. Their blatant disregard and respect for their Maker and Master could not and would not go unchecked, especially by a God who had made it clear how much He despised wickedness.

2. The second purpose of this meticulous mentioning of indictments that led to God’s penalty is to warn us all today of behaviors that God not only finds deplorable and shameful but more so unacceptable and forbidden. As we see the harsh price the Israelites paid, a banishment from their homeland into seventy years of oppression and exile, we are provided what God hopes is a deterrent toward repeating the mistakes of the past.

So what were the indictments found in the opening seven verses of Hosea 5?

They included:

1. Spiritual adultery.

“I know all about Ephraim; you have now turned to prostitution.”

“A spirit of prostitution is in their heart.”

“They are unfaithful to the Lord.”

2. Corruption.

“Israel is not hidden from Me; Israel is corrupt.”

3. Failure to acknowledge God.

“They do not acknowledge the Lord.”

4. Arrogance.

“Israel’s arrogance testifies against them.”

5. Unremitted sinfulness.

“The Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin; Judah also stumbles with them.”

Note where it wasn’t just a certain faction of the Israelites who were indicted here. Rather, God makes sure that all the people are called out, even the royalty of the day and the priests who were supposed to be leading and guiding God’s people spiritually. God’s judgment was coming against all of them for their iniquities. No one would go undisciplined for deeds that God says took away permission for them to come back to Him.

I would call that pushing God to the point of no return. Well, at least until the Israelites had paid the penalty God imposed because we know He did promise Him they would be restored to their land after the exile. And God, as we know, always keeps His promises.

But until that time, the Israelites would be sent away and set apart from God. They would seek Him but not find Him, no matter how hard they tried because He will have drawn Himself from them. They had chosen to abandon God in exchange for false gods and idols so God would let them experience what abandonment feels like first hand. Seventy years of captivity in a foreign land would provide them that experience.

Let’s turn to our society today and as we have observed before, I think we can all say that the indictments God produced against the Israelites could be similar indictments He could bring against our world here in the 21st century. For so many people are still practicing spiritual adultery, behaving in corrupt or arrogant ways, failing to even acknowledge that God exists, and living in unremitted sin, living without any sign of worry that there might be negative consequences for their negative actions.

What’s it going to take to get our attention today?

Is God going to have to abandon us and send severe punishment to show us that He is not going to tolerate sin, the very sin that led Him to sacrifice His Son Jesus in order to save the very people who disregard and disrespect Him?

My prayer is God does whatever it takes to reach us and bring us to His righteousness, even if it means indicting us and sending His discipline.

Amen

In Christ,

Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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