HOSEA 8:1-4

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2007

SCARED TO DEATH OR LOVED TO LIFE?

 

 "Set the trumpet to your mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the LORD, Because they have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law. 2 Israel will cry to Me, ‘ My God, we know You!’ 3 Israel has rejected the good; The enemy will pursue him. 4 They set up kings, but not by Me; They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them, From their silver and gold They made idols for themselves— That they might be cut off."
Hosea 8:1-4 (NKJV)

A famous Preacher of many years ago preached a sermon for which he is famous, "Sinners In The Hands of an Angry God." It is probably one of the best known "Hellfire and Brimstone" sermons. Many people, after hearing it, became disenchanted with this preacher. The sad thing is, that of all of the sermons he preached and was loved for, this was the only "Hellfire and Brimstone" sermon he preached. It was not his intention to scare them to death.


The Prophet Hosea relays to the people these words of an Angry God. Hear the trumpet blow, God wants your attention. The enemy is coming against you because you have broken my covenant, you have rebelled against me.


The Children of Israel react the same way a person might today if brought before a Judge whom they knew from the neighborhood, the church or the golf club. Judge, you know me and I know you, you surely would not rule against me.


The Prophet responds with words from God: Children of Israel, you have rejected the good; you will find that what you have chosen are your enemies, and they will chase you. You have selected Kings but you did not come to me to ask whom I had chosen. Those Kings who do not know me and do not do my will have selected princes, but I do not accept them as such. The kings and princes that you follow make idols for themselves from the silver and the gold and just as the enemy will come against you, I will come again and cut them off. I pray that I have paraphrased these verses according to God’s will. It is my belief that it was not God’s intention to scare the Children of Israel to death.


When you read a passage like this, does it make you feel uncomfortable? When you come to a passage like this, do you just skip over it? Do you think that since it is in the Old Testament that it does not apply today?


Always remember that the Old Testament and the New Testament do not stand alone. They are both entirely God’s Word to us. You have to have the God of Love of St. John 3:15 along with the Angry God of Hosea 8. The Angry God points to your destruction and SCARES YOU TO DEATH. The God of Love points to your Salvation and LOVES YOU TO LIFE. The wonder of it all is that this Awesome God does not make the decision. He lets you make your own choice: SCARED TO DEATH or LOVED TO LIFE?


WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, help us to understand that you do not confront us with our sinfulness just to scare us, to condemn us. Help us to understand that you confront us so that we might return to you in repentance and to live in your Love. Amen.

 

A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION


Picture in your mind a parent disciplining a child and then another picture of the child receiving love and forgiveness from the parent. These two pictures are common to everyday life.


Now use the same two pictures but remove the little child and insert yourself there and then remove the parent and place God there.