HOSEA

      The Lord said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, even though she is loved by another and is an adulteress.  Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."      (Hosea 3:1    NIV)



     The book of Hosea doesn't have a "3:16", so I chose a verse that pretty well sums up the story.  Written by the prophet, Hosea, the purpose of the book is to express God's message that there is always hope of reconciliation with God - for those willing to repent and come back to Him.  No matter how far off the path of righteousness we have strayed, God's love remains steady. Like the Father in Jesus' story of the prodigal son  (found in Luke 15:11-32), God is standing with open arms , willing to take us back when we repent. It is a love story.
     In the story of Hosea, he is married to an unfaithful wife.  God ordered Hosea to take her back, to honor the marriage, to forgive her, to care for her as if nothing had happened. At the same time, Israel was being unfaithful to God - spiritual adultery.  "Eating the sacred raisin cakes" referred to offering certain cakes to fertility gods. God's chosen people had rebelled against Him, spurning God's love, worshiping false idols.  But God was willing to take them back, honor His sacred covenant with them, and care for them - just as He had instructed Hosea to do.  When God forgives, He  REALLY  forgives.  "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)

photo of Death Valley

     Sometimes before we can experience the joy of this true relationship with the LORD, we first have to spend time in the desert of despair.  The desert of despair is, of course,  of our own making, but it usually doesn't seem like it while we are going through...  We wonder, "Why me?", or "Why now?", or, just "WHY?"  But, upon honest examination, we find that we were the cause of our own misery all along. When we let God down, we bring ourselves down. Often, because we are so human, we don't listen very well until we are in the desert, down in a well, or lost in a valley...
  

photo - Valley of the Dry Bones

God speaks of this in Hosea 2:14, 15:  "Therefore I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.  There I will give her back her vineyards and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.  There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt."  (NIV)  The word "Achor" means "trouble".  So, to paraphrase, God is saying that He will speak tenderly to us while we are in the desert of despair and that He will turn the valleys of trouble into doors of hope.
     Romans 15:13 expounds on this idea:  "May the God of  hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  Christ's wedding gift to us is His constant love, hope, and commitment to us, His Bride.

painting by mrschertin9, photobucket,com

          Now,  THAT'S  a love story!

JUDGES 3:16

     "Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing."  (NIV)

     This  verse is at the very core of an odd little story; it's one of my favorite Bible stories because of its oddness...

obesity...

         Eglon was a foreign king who reigned over the Israelites for 18 years during the period of the judges.  Allied with  the Ammorites and the Amalakites, Eglon invaded the land of Israel.  His army captured Jericho, and he enforced taxation upon the Israelites. After the 18 year reign, God raised up Ehud to deliver Israel.  Ehud stabbed Eglon with his foot-and-a-half dagger, and did not draw the sword back out. Now, king Eglon was very obese.  When the sword went in to him, his fat closed over it - even over the handle. ( I'm not sure why this detail was included in the scriptures, but it was.  My guess is that's why he didn't pull the sword back out...he couldn't!)

         Ehud, the hero of our story, was left-handed.   In those days left-handedness was a handicap and was considered  a curse.  Being left handed generally meant ostracism from society.  But, as often is the case, God took a weakness (or a perceived weakness) and turned it into a strength. How did Ehud manage to get past the king's guards?  They  "frisked"  him as usual to check for weapons... Ah, but Ehud taped his sword to his right thigh.  Had he been right-handed, the sword would have been taped to his left thigh and the guards would have found it! ( God thinks of everything, doesn't he?)
     In II Corinthians 12:7, the apostle Paul says that he was given a "thorn in the flesh".  Many have speculated on what Paul's "thorn" was;  but no one knows.  We all could probably name something about ourselves which holds us back and keeps us from doing our best.  We are all "handicapped".  Limited.  Mortal.  Some handicaps are obvious: blindness, paralysis, or a missing limb for example.  Others are much more insidious: self-doubt, low self-esteem, or lack of direction in life.  With any of these challenges it would be easy to give in to negative feelings such as bitterness, rebellion, or self-pity.  But it is much more productive to accept ourselves the way we are.
     Yes, Paul mentioned his thorn in the flesh, and he prayed that it be removed, which it never was.  BUT  HE  KEPT  ON  WITH  HIS  MISSION.  He looked past his problems.  Didn't let them hold him back. Paul never mentioned what his "thorn" was.  He wrote a lot about Christ's suffering, about the cross.  A lot about the burdens of his fellow Christians.  Not much at all about himself.  Think on that.
     The Bible truly has a bit of everything in it, doesn't it?  I've heard people say they get bored reading the Bible.  My reply, "Well, you ain't readin' the same BIble I'm readin'?"  Seriously, read the Bible prayerfully; ask the Holy Spirit to open up the scriptures to you.  Read it with the eye of a detective.  Read it as your life depends on it...
     So, in spite of shortcomings, both Ehud and the apostle Paul changed history.  With God, in spite of our limited selves, we  CAN  make a difference.  Whose life could you change if you were willing to give up your handicaps?
  

EXODUS 3:16

     "Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.' "   (NIV)

     In this verse Father God spoke to Moses.  The name of God was so revered that the people would not utter it.  To keep from breaking the commandment against taking the Lord's name in vain, the people called Him "Adonai" (LORD or "Abba" (Father).  Nowadays most Jews and many Messianic followers still avoid speaking or writing any of the commonly-used names for God.  Have you ever seen something written with "G-d" rather than "God"?  This is that writer's sign of respect for our Heavenly Father. I don't necessarily agree with doing this, but I appreciate others' sense of respect for the Holy Name.  The scriptures say that the true name of God - translated into English as YAHWEH - is unpronounceable, so my deduction is that writing God is not an offense to Him.
     Nevertheless, we should respect the Lord's name.  The ten commandments have not changed.  And, the way we use God's name reflects how we really feel about Him...

my miniature watercolor,  "Oasis in the Desert"

      In Exodus 3:16 God told Moses to assemble the people and give them His message. He still wants us to do that today;  He desires that we assemble and that we continue to speak His message.  One way to speak to others about God's goodness is to share what He has done in your life.  Have you ever done this?  Has anyone ever done this for you?
     God watched over the Israelites while they were captive in Egypt.  He promised to take them to a better place.  He kept His promises, too.  He still watches over us and He still keeps His promises.  Every single one. Are you in an Egypt?  A place of loss and helplessness?  God will take care of you.  He will deliver you from every hurt, every situation.  And,  He will take you to a much better place when the time is right.
     Are you ready for that day?