Daily Reflections from the Garden Bench

Sacrifice Again

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:19:22 -0400

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. Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you."
For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days. Hosea 3: 1-5

So, if we give up the things that keep us from God, we will then be able to come trembling before him. The imagery is provocative, and there is no mincing of words here. I selected a different translation when I realized the words used to describe Israel could be offensive to some. But words alone will not change the way people live. God has asked Hosea to set an example in his life. He is told to show his adulterous wife love, even though she has sinned against him. This isn’t easy to do. The greater his feelings for his wife, the greater the pain he suffered in what she has done. On the other hand, if he has no feelings for her, he wouldn’t want her back, so where does God stand in this equation? He must love us too much to let us go, and yet that means he must be very pained by our actions. As a God who favors examples, it is no wonder he sent himself in the form of his son to die on a cross, to let us see how much pain and suffering we put him through by abandoning him. It doesn’t take many words in this chapter to make a point.

Dear Lord, forgive me. Take me back and accept the sorrow I have for the way I have treated you. Give me a chance to make things right, even though you don’t ask that of me, so that you will never need to sacrifice again.

Where Credit Is Due

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:32:12 -0400

Say to your brother, Ammi, and to your sister, Ruhamah.
Plead with your mother, plead—
   for she is not my wife,
   and I am not her husband—
that she put away her whoring from her face,
   and her adultery from between her breasts,
or I will strip her naked
   and expose her as in the day she was born,
and make her like a wilderness,
   and turn her into a parched land,
   and kill her with thirst.
Upon her children also I will have no pity,
   because they are children of whoredom.
For their mother has played the whore;
   she who conceived them has acted shamefully.
For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers;
   they give me my bread and my water,
   my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’
Therefore I will hedge her way with thorns;
   and I will build a wall against her,
   so that she cannot find her paths.
She shall pursue her lovers,
   but not overtake them;
and she shall seek them,
   but shall not find them.
Then she shall say, ‘I will go
   and return to my first husband,
   for it was better with me then than now.’
She did not know
   that it was I who gave her
   the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and who lavished upon her silver
   and gold that they used for Baal.
Therefore I will take back
   my grain in its time,
   and my wine in its season;
and I will take away my wool and my flax,
   which were to cover her nakedness.
Now I will uncover her shame
   in the sight of her lovers,
   and no one shall rescue her out of my hand.
I will put an end to all her mirth,
   her festivals, her new moons, her sabbaths,
   and all her appointed festivals.
I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees,
   of which she said,
‘These are my pay,
   which my lovers have given me.’
I will make them a forest,
   and the wild animals shall devour them.
I will punish her for the festival days of the Baals,
   when she offered incense to them
and decked herself with her ring and jewelry,
   and went after her lovers,
   and forgot me, says the Lord.

Therefore, I will now persuade her,
   and bring her into the wilderness,
   and speak tenderly to her.
From there I will give her her vineyards,
   and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
There she shall respond as in the days of her youth,
   as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

On that day, says the Lord, you will call me, ‘My husband’, and no longer will you call me, ‘My Baal’. For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be mentioned by name no more. I will make for you a covenant on that day with the wild animals, the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground; and I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land; and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will take you for my wife for ever; I will take you for my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will take you for my wife in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord.

On that day I will answer, says the Lord,
   I will answer the heavens
   and they shall answer the earth;
and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil,
   and they shall answer Jezreel;
   and I will sow him for myself in the land.
And I will have pity on Lo-ruhamah,
   and I will say to Lo-ammi, ‘You are my people’;
   and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’ Hosea 2: 1-23

I guess there is no question that God is mad at you if he calls you names. An entire nation, a people, the chosen and adopted children of God are being singled out here, and with good reason. God is not happy with them. Better them than us, right? Maybe. It occurred to me while I was reading this that there are similarities in the way we live today. How many people that you know believe their riches and daily bread come from their own efforts and not from God? Can we really take credit for everything good that comes our way? What about those days when amazing coincidences take place? Or those times when someone at work listened to your idea? Or the client that called you out of the blue and placed an order? Where do these fruits come from? Oh, yes, you planted seeds along the way, and you have been careful to remember to water the young seedlings with kind words, and visits and Christmas cards, so it is all your personal effort that is finally paying off. Maybe. Maybe not. Sure, you can argue that giving God credit for the good implies that we should blame God for the bad, and maybe we should. But in this reading, God is sending a reminder that he is always there, and he continues to provide for us, even when we give credit elsewhere.

Dear Lord, help me to see you in everything around me, in all I do, in all you do for me, and in everyone I meet. Remind me to give credit where credit is due.

Pity No More

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:59:20 -0400

The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri, in the days of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah, and in the days of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel.
When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, ‘Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.’ So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
And the Lord said to him, ‘Name him Jezreel; for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.’
She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them. But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen.’
When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said, ‘Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God.’
Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people’, it shall be said to them, ‘Children of the living God.’ The people of Judah and the people of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head; and they shall take possession of the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel. Hosea 1: 1-11

God has chosen to pity Israel no more. His mercy has shifted from the house of Israel to the house of Judah. His people are cast off, and he will no longer be their God. Imagine hearing God say this to us today. The father has disowned the child, casting him out into the street, telling him that in the father’s eyes, the son or daughter does not exist. Now what? Can this happen to us? Is it possible to get God so angry with us that we are removed from his sight and mind? I am sure there are some who like to believe that God has rejected others in favor of them, but that way of thinking is dangerous. The favorite son theme runs throughout The Bible, and we are reminded over and over that God welcomes back the one we would consider lost for good. So, does God really cast out some and favor others, or is this how we prefer to see God? Like any insecure child, I want to be the one my parents favor, but as I mature and see the world of the child through a parent’s eyes, my whole understanding of favoritism changes. How can I not love my children? There are people whose actions make one wonder how they could say they love their children, but for most of us, each child is special in his or her way, demanding and receiving our complete love, and somehow, miraculously, there is enough love to completely and wholly love another and another and another. This is the glimpse of God I prefer to have, the one who can completely love each of us. In this picture, there is no room for pity.

Dear Lord, do not pity me, but continue to love me completely, and I will try to overcome my insecurities by reminding myself that you love me. And, yes, I love you, too.

Rise Without Shame

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:06:04 -0400

‘At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, keep the words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be running back and forth, and evil shall increase.’
Then I, Daniel, looked, and two others appeared, one standing on this bank of the stream and one on the other. One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was upstream, ‘How long shall it be until the end of these wonders?’ The man clothed in linen, who was upstream, raised his right hand and his left hand towards heaven. And I heard him swear by the one who lives for ever that it would be for a time, two times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be accomplished. I heard but could not understand; so I said, ‘My lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?’ He said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are to remain secret and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked shall continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. From the time that the regular burnt-offering is taken away and the abomination that desolates is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Happy are those who persevere and attain the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. But you, go your way, and rest; you shall rise for your reward at the end of the days.’ Daniel 12: 1-13

“Go your way and rest. You shall rise for your reward at the end of the days.” Isn’t that what we want to hear ourselves? I know I would welcome it when it is my time to rest. Perhaps we do hear them. Perhaps in those final moments Michael or another of God’s angels whispers in our ears that it is ok for us to take our rest and we will rise again. The thought that not all who sleep will awaken, and not all who awaken will have everlasting life is troubling. It seems to be counter to what we believe. But does it really matter? Do we need to worry about what will be? Some would argue that if we lead proper lives, we shouldn’t worry, while others stress our need to keep the unbelievers from falling into the pit of everlasting shame and contempt. What is our responsibility as God’s children? It may be difficult to convince people to follow Jesus if the argument is all about fleeing something terrible. I believe it is better to entice people to come along because the journey is so much better than living without direction. Those who think they have to give something up to be saved will always find a reason to hold onto what they have, but those who are attracted to the light eventually find it much easier to travel without so much baggage. After all, in the end, how much do we get to take with us when it comes time to rest?

Dear Lord, help me to lighten my load and make the journey easier. Show me how to encourage others to come along, so all of us may live without worry, rest without fear, and rise without shame.