Newsletter June 2020 Part 1

Life from lock down  

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her.
I will give her her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; she shall sing there,
as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. (Hosea 2:14-15)

     When God calls Hosea he tells him to marry.  However, this is not a love marriage to a woman of his choice.  Hosea has to take a harlot as his wife so he can experience that pain God feels at the harlotry His people are committing by serving other gods.  Hosea’s wife gives birth to three children: a son whom Hosea is to call Jezreel (God shall sow), a daughter Lo-Ruhamah (no mercy) and another son Lo-Ammi (not my people).  These names represent three aspects of the message that God would give to His prophet.      

     God’s mercy seems to be exhausted; those who were once His chosen people will no longer be His people.  Yet the divine Husband’s love for His adulterous wife is too potent; He cannot put her away forever.  Mercy triumph’s over judgment.  God still loves His people; He will restore them. 

     God does everything to keep His wife from her lovers.  He locks her in, prevents her from going out to chase after her lovers (v.6).  He takes everything from her – all the gifts she received from her true Husband but wrongly attributes to her lovers.  God will punish His people for worshiping idols while forgetting Him who brought them out of bondage into a land of blessing to reflect the light of His glory.

     When all is going well, when we are blessed and successful, we easily take things for granted.  We believe that it is through our efforts and our abilities that we have achieved what we have.  Instead of thanking the One who made us what we are and gave us what we have, we begin to worship the idol of self.  We create platforms to present ourselves.  We despise those who are not like us instead of reaching out to them with the same compassion that God showed us when we ourselves were nothing. 

     As Christians it is easy to become self-indulgent, critical and judgmental of those around us.  We feel that we are on a moral high ground and thank God that we are not like those other people (Luke 18:11).  We boast about our possessions, our achievements (Rev. 3:17) and our standards of morality.  We are only too happy to watch God judge the world in righteousness.  We think judgment will pass us by because we are God’s righteous ones, forgetting that we all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23).   

    Whatever the origin of this present crisis – let those who wish to speculate do so – we have learnt one important lesson: when disaster strikes it can affect everyone.  We are as helpless as those whom we have ignored for so long.  The harvest has been waiting in the fields for the labourers but the labourers have enjoyed the comfort of their homes and relished the performances at their events.      

     Like Israel we have not understood our purpose as a light to the world.  We have used the gifts and resources God has given us on ourselves – on our buildings and events – and we have limited our prayers to our own needs and desires.  We forget that God has blessed us so we can bring blessing to the less fortunate by sharing with them.      

     No wonder we find ourselves locked in, stopped in our tracks, unable to continue as ‘normal’.  No wonder we have been stripped of all we boasted in.  Like the adulterous wife of Hosea, we have been allured into the wilderness where we can hear God speaking comfort to us (lit.: speaking to our hearts).

     As we continue in lock down, let us not focus on past achievements or future plans.  Instead let us open our spiritual ears and be attentive to what God is saying.  Let us allow His word to cleanse and transform our hearts so that we love Him and others as He has loved us and show compassion as He has shown compassion to us. 

     If we will listen to Him in the desert place He will give us vineyards from there (v.15).  God is able to do a new thing right where it seems impossible.  He sows seed and gives rain in the desert; He will bring about a great revival, not by our effort and ability but by His mercy and grace.