Skip to main content

Learning to See the Signs!

It has been said that the greatest sin anyone could ever commit would be the sin against love. That is to reject Jesus, the One Who loved us so much that He gave everything just to be with us. Consider the prophet Hosea in the Old Testament,

"When the Lord began to speak to Hosea, the Lord said to him, ' Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord.'" Hosea 1:2 NIV

The question to consider is this, why would God command someone to take and "adulterous" person and make them their spouse? Well friends, we need to look deeper into what was going at the time of Hosea. The nation of Israel had turned its back on the Lord. Scripture tells us that they were commiting the vilest of sins against God. Worshipping other gods, committing adultery, slandering, stealing,and even God's priests were guilty of committing the same things.

God was asking Hosea to go and love a women that would sin against him, even though he would love her so much, she would still "turn" from him. God wanted Hosea to feel the same thing that God felt. He loved a nation that was turning its back on Him. If you read further into Hosea, you find that Hosea's wife bore him 3 children that were named significant names that were giving a message to Israel, and then she leaves him to commit adultery again. However, the story doesn't end there. When you read chapter 3 you find this very remarkable statement:

The Lord said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, 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." So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Hosea 3:1-2 NIV

Brothers and sisters, God was teaching Hosea what it means to love somebody that doesn't love you back. God was showing His love to Hosea. John 3:16 comes to mind when you understand that when Hosea "bought" his wife, it was a picture of what was to come for man. That Christ would come and "buy" us with His precious blood. As we look around at what is happening to our own society you have to wonder, have we turned our back on our Lord? And if so, why when we understand that He loved us so much that bought us, do we still continue to dishonor Him?

Friends, the object our desire should be for Christ. We need to learn to see the signs. That even though God loved Israel and gave them chance after chance, ultimately He judged them. He continues to love us today, but how many chances is He going to give us when we continue to revel in our sins?

May God richly bless you today. H. Trent.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thinking About Calling Down Fire!?!

James and John were refered to as "the Sons of Thunder" in the Bible. When they discovered a Samaritan village that would not receive Jesus, they were fully prepared to call down fire to consume the entire community. "And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?" Luke 9:54. Maybe they felt that through such a show of power, the gospel message might be enhanced. The two brothers were willing to sacrifice the lives of the village in order to further the cause of the gospel. However, Jesus rebuked them! Later, the apostles heard that Samaria had responded to the gospel. Guess who was commissioned to go and help them receive the Holy Spirit? None other but Peter and John! It was God's purpose that the people not be destroyed but saved! God chose not to rain down fire on the village, but to shower it with His Holy Spirit! I wonder what w...
6 comments
Read more

Restoration From Our Shepherd!!!

These are very trying times we live in today. Things are happening around us so fast that it is sometimes difficult to know where to go or where to turn. We can easily become stressed and weary of doing the same old grind, day after day, uncertain about what is lying just around the next corner. Well, our Shepherd knows!! He knows our every need, our every hurt, our every pain. He knows that we will grow weary in our pilgrimage with Him as well. He knows that there are times when we need to rest. Our Shepherd also knows what we need to be refreshed. At times, we do need to lie in lush meadows or beside quiet streams. Sometimes we need to be held by our Shepherd. At other times we need to enjoy the pleasures the Shepherd provides. And, our Shepherd will not always replenish us the same way; His response to us will always correspond to our present need, if we will ask Him. "He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Psal...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sunday Sermon: Easter!!!

Easter Sunday! “I Know That My Redeemer Lives!” Scripture: Job 1,2,13,19:25-26,23 Introduction: You may never have heard of Robert King Merton, the Columbia University sociologist who died in 2003, but I will bet that you have heard some of the phrases he coined like, self-fulfilling prophecy, and unintended consequences. I would like you to know that it was Merton that invented focus groups and popularized serendipity. Serendipity, by the way, means the accidental discovery of something pleasant, valuable, or useful. It was Merton who coined the phrase role model to describe someone who provides an example of popular behavior. The term may be new, but the concept is as old as the Bible. I would like to say that if you want a role model of someone transformed by the message of Easter, you can find it in the book of Job. You might be saying, “Job!?!” “But he lived before Christ.” Guess what? You are exactly right! But the book of James chapter 5 verse 10-11 tell us that Job is a role mo...
Post a Comment
Read more