Thursday: Healed, Loved, and Nurtured
Some ancient scholars viewed the Lord, as revealed in the Old Testament,
Image © Janet Hyun from GoodSalt.com
as harsh and unforgiving, in contrast to Jesus, as revealed in the New. Why is that such a wrong conclusion? How does the message of Hosea 14 help to show just how wrong that conclusion is? What does this chapter reveal about God’s character and love for His people?
The last chapter of Hosea is a fitting climax to the message proclaimed by the prophet. It reaffirms the promise that God’s salvation will have the last word. The chapter opens with one more call to turn away from all iniquity. In bidding the people to return to God, the prophet supplies the actual words that they should say in worship. Their request should be that God take away the guilt that made them stumble. They should also renounce their dependence on the other nations and totally reject idolatry. In Bible times no person was supposed to appear before the Lord empty-handed (Exod. 23:15). Beyond bringing an animal sacrifice, the people are told to bring words of genuine repentance as their thanksgiving offering.
Then, following a penitential confession on the people’s part, God responds with a series of promises. The foremost of these is the healing of the people’s maladies by the divine Physician. God’s renewed relationship with Israel is likened to the dew that provides the only moisture available to flowers and trees during the long and dry summer season in Palestine. It is also linked to the olive tree, which is considered especially valuable, a sort of crown of the fruit trees. Its foliage provides shade and freshness and its oil is used as food, skin lotion, and as fuel for lights. The great cedars of Lebanon are considered the most useful of the large-growth trees in the lands of the Bible. Their highly prized lumber serves for the construction of temples and royal palaces (1 Kings 6:9-10). The roots planted by God will produce such an abundance of fresh plants that Israel will become a garden full of blessings for the whole world.
Read the last verse of the chapter. What conditions are required for all these promises to be fulfilled? Why is it no different for us today, in our role as Seventh-day Adventists?
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Israel as God, s remnant at that time did not perfect. They have many problems in their life. However God is patient to them. He maintains a very difficult relationship with Israel because they are His only people, the Remnant at that time.
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It's an interesting chapter. God is revealing Himself as the righteous one for His ways are right. He answers our prayers with promises. So, the question may be: Why not answer directly right there and then? Why does He make us wait a little bit longer for the promise to be fulfilled? I believe God wants to teach us the importance of patience. God is the patient one for He is always ready to forgive us when we stumble. It is a known fact that we stumble all the time. But while others come to the Lord with sacrifices of the mouth, others just ignore the fact that they have stumbled. But the Lord is so patient as He doesn't pass His judgement right there and then but gives us chance to redeem ourselves. That's why we are still alive up to today. Now, this leads me to being wise and being prudent! Hosea says that: "Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them." Now, what if a person lacks that wisdom? What if a person lacks that prudence? Does he have to die because of lack of these? That's where we Adventists come in. We've to be "Light to the world". Our actions and words have to show that the seemingly 'unwise' and 'imprudent' the way of the Lord.
God' love remains unchanged. He wants us to respect and obey His commandments. We are assured of a Hevenly home, but unfortunately the material things on earth blinds us.
God is love, God is just, God is mercy. He loves his people but we are unfaithful to Him still He loves us. God loved the Israelites as Hosea loved his wife even when she became unfaithful to him in marriage.
I am reminded of so many other texts about the beauty of God's law and how the saints keep it. Yes, I see how important it is when we have that forgiveness of God to walk in Him and He will give us what we need to keep his Holy Law in these troublesome times today. God's love, light and law can be demonstrated in our lives so that others who are honest in heart will be attracted to Him.
I am so thankful to God that even though I turned my back towards him so many times, he still loves and forgives me. I pray that God will create in me a heart that can be patient and for giving to those around me.
I am happy that God has never turned his back on me. I know I have failed him many times but He is always compassionate and kind and keeps drawing me back to Him. Like Isreal of old God is calling me to renounce everything worldly and turn to him. I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide me always
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We must be obedient and God is the same yesterday, today and forever that's why it is applied to us
Our Father in heaven, glory and adoration be unto your name for this far, sinners as we are, you did not cast us out. The Israelites departed from God and worship the gods of their neighbouring nations but God still loved them and took them back to His side.
The conditions are to be wise & prudent so that one can understand. I find myself as an adventist to open my heart, my mind and stretch forth my hands to those non-seventh day adventists around me, so that they too can see the light of Jesus Christ and his plan of salvation for everyone.
Prudence and wisdom, these we need to ask from God and surely, He will give them to us. When we become wise, we'll will be able to discern good and evil. We won't be able to be caught up into to the sins of Isreal of old serve one by choice. We will begin to leave according to His precepts.
The beauty about our Saviour is that He warns before jugdement.
Even, us as SDA, we are no exception. We need to live up to His requirements, and only then can we be healed, loved and nurtured. This is a choice we have to make if we are to see ourselves beyond the pearl gates of Heaven.
As we welcome the Sabbath, our meditation should be towards Him to keep us upright while in this sinful world, to develop our characters to His similitude. God bless us all.
The only reason why at times we see God as taking too much time to answer our claims to the promises is readiness for them. It is one thing to claim and another to be ready to receive it. We realy need to focus our relationship with God seriously and be honest about our motives to claim His promises. God is faithful and all knowing of our inner intentions.