Tag: God’s love

Morning Musing: Amos 5:4-5

Leave a comment

“For the Lord says to the house of Israel: Seek me and live! Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal or journey to Beer-sheba, for Gilgal will certainly go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever been really angry with someone you loved deeply? Maybe that’s something you’ve experienced recently. I have three elementary-age boys. Sometimes it feels like that’s an almost daily exercise in our house. But when love is the foundation of a relationship, a little anger—or even a lot of anger—poses no existential threat to it. In fact, even when the anger and frustration are at their peak point, there is a gnawing desire to move past the anger and restore the joy of the relationship. In His own amazing love for us, God feels the same way.

Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Amos 2:1

Leave a comment

“The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Moab for three crimes, even four, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever been accused of sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong? We tend to think through our world in terms of spheres of influence and impact. Certain things and people and relationships and ideas are reserved for certain spaces. We recognize that for ourselves and the people around us recognize it for themselves too. And when something that belongs in one sphere begins to cross over into realms that it does not belong, it doesn’t usually get all that friendly of a reaction. What we see here is an example of God doing this very thing. What should we do with it?

Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Hosea 11:8

Leave a comment

“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I surrender you, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? I have had a change of heart; my compassion is stirred!”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

In the world of philosophy, the branch dealing with the making and analyzing of arguments is called logic. We make jokes about whether or not something is logical, but the study of logic is a detailed and complex one. Logicians have explored it at a depth and breadth that will leave your head spinning if you aren’t formally trained. It is a philosophical discipline with which I have admittedly struggled (I can already hear the jabs coming…). But, even I can recognize that what God says here represents a formal logical fallacy. Let’s talk about why.

Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Hosea 6:1-2

Leave a comment

“Come, let us return to the Lord. For he has torn us, and he will heal us; he has wounded us, and he will bind up our wounds. He will revive us after two days, and on the third day he will raise us up so we can live in his presence.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter) 

If you’ve been working through Hosea with me over the past couple of weeks, think about what we have seen in the last few chapters. God has been blasting the people for their faithlessness. They had turned from Him over and over again. In spite of everything He had promised them, they still went looking for help in other places. And they were going to pay for it. After all His anger and rage, what should we expect next? Not this. 

Read the rest…

Morning Musing: Hosea 2:14

Leave a comment

“Therefore, I am going to persuade her, lead her to the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter) 

One of the ideas about the Scriptures that has been around a long time is that the God of the Old Testament is not the same as the God of the New Testament. The picture of God presented in the pages of each is so different that it’s not the same person. The primary source for this supposed contrast is the judgmental God the prophets describe versus the God of love and mercy and compassion found in the pages of the Gospels, especially if we are going to accept that Jesus really is God. My take? Try actually reading it. Then you’ll see a bit more clearly. 

Read the rest…