I am taking "Hebrew Prophets" as an elective this semester...I hadn't planned to, but President Celelli asked me to be in his class and I ended up not taking Spanish, so, I agreed to join the class. I am really enjoying it. :)
This week, we are reading the book of Hosea and as I was reading the text, something the author wrote really hit me.
"Although Israel may return to Yahweh for materialistic benefit, Yahweh will take her back in love......... Even though Israel's return to Yahweh was marked by social and material exigency, Yahweh's return to Israel was motivated by love and grace." (Bullock, C. Hassel, An Introduction to Old testament Prophetic Books, (Moody Publishers: Chicago), 110.)
How often do we really screw up and do things that are so not of the Lord, but of our own fleshly, worldly desires? How often do we skip our quiet times or just 'check the box' for going to church or to life group. How many times do we do things for materialistic benefits or to climb the popularity scale?
How often does our Lord love us unconditionally? ALL THE TIME.
How often does our Lord accept us with open arms? ALL THE TIME.
How often does our Lord really and truly forgive us for all of our stupidities? ALL THE TIME.
Lord, forgive us. Help us to forget about all the worldly things and to just fall more and more in love with You. Help us to see that just like You loved Israel, despite their desires for materialistic and social things, You love us just the same. Lord, help me to be who You desire me to be. amen.
"The Lord says, 'Then I will heal you of your idolatry and faithfulness, and my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever! I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from Heaven. It will blossom like the lily; it will send roots deep into the soil like the cedars in Lebanon. Its branches will spread out like those of beautiful olive trees, as fragrant as the cedar forests of Lebanon. My people will return again to the safety of their land. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines. They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon. O Israel, stay away from idols! I am the one who looks after yoiu and cares for you. i am like a tree that is always green, giving my fruit to you all through the year." Hosea 14:4-8
