Hosea 13-14

First, I'm sick...so the temptation to not do this at all was huge. I've been laying around all afternoon watching movies, and drinking tea and sleeping. I left work early and went to the store for allergy meds and tissues. I then came home and put on my nightgown and haven't moved from my bed since. I was a good pet owner and let the dogs out and fed them. It's so hot outside they go out just long enough to do their business and then they are immediately back in the house.

So I got a bible off the bookshelf and opened it up to where God should want me and I found myself in Hosea. This is the NLT (the other translations are in the car) I went ahead and posted a link here in case you wanted to read it or be reminded (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hosea%2013-14&version=51)

Anyway 13 starts out talking about the tribe of Ephriam. It's another one of the cases that we see all through the bible where the people that were the most in tune with God have fallen and are now worshipping idols. This of course puts me in mind of the Casting Crowns song Slow Fade. Because it never happens over night. You aren't totally in with God doing what you need to do finding yourself in God's will and then BAM the next day you find yourself "making silver idols to worship" (Hosea 13:2). But it starts slowly and little by little the world creeps in. And most of the time it starts with thinking. Thinking, "the world doesn't really have a problem with xyz. In fact literally everyone appears to be doing xyz. Even other people called by God's name. So you give a little and you fall away bit by bit. And then you find yourself in the whole wondering how in the world you got there.

In chapter 13 Verse 9-11 really got to me. It reminded me about God's conversation with Samuel when he appointed Saul. The Isrealites seeing that everyone else had kings and begged God for a king of their own and God gave them one. But it wasn't the right king because the timing wasn't right. Our time versus God's time. In verse 11 God says, "In my anger I gave you kings, and in my fury I took them away." I want to work with that a little more. I know there's something big there that God is trying to show me.

So Hosea 13: 12-16 is all the bad stuff that's going to happen because the Isrealites didn't listen up to God before hand. And it's not pretty, very violent. But from that we move directly into chapter 14 which the NLT titles "Healing for the Repentant" These are the verses that really hooked me
"Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord.
Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us,
so that we may offer you our praises. 3 Assyria cannot save us,
nor can our warhorses. Never again will we say to the idols we have made,
‘You are our gods.’ No, in you alone
do the orphans find mercy.”

4 The Lord says, “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness;
my love will know no bounds,
for my anger will be gone forever." (Hosea 14:2-4)

What I love is that you come to confess to the Lord so that he may forgive us, recieve us and we may praise him. That we admit that we know we can't do it ourselves and then HE says, "I will heal you of your faithlessness."

What struck me is that in the end that's what turning to our man made idols is. It's saying to God. I believe in you, but just in case I'm going to place some bets here. And just in case I'm going to do most of what I'm supposed to but I'm going to play the field a little too. And the grand slap in the face is that it is also saying, "God, you're not enough." Which to think even everything in me screams, "NO! He is more than enough." But that's what bringing in the idols does. THat's what it says.

In verse 8 you hear God cry out, "Oh Isreal." You can almost hear the love in his voice. "Oh Isreal." Then he reminds us "I am the one that looks after you. I am like the tree that is always green, giving to you throughout the year."

Dear Lord, let me be reminded that you are the tree that is always green, that it is your grace feeding me. Help me to repent of my idols and let me let go so that you may heal my faithlessness. Amen