Trust and Effort...but mostly Hosea
Hosea is a beautiful book. In it, God’s love is shown to be quite different from ours in at least two ways. First, our love is not steadfast like the Lord's love; second our love is not as patient or as merciful as His love. There is much that can be said about the image of marriage and whoredom in the writing of this prophet. One of the major themes of the whole book is God’s faithful love for and pursuit of His covenant people Israel despite their sins, and God’s desire to bring his people back to Himself after they have wandered away. One of my favorite verses in the whole book is, “Come, let us return to the LORD; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up”(6:1). Their afflictions are brought about that His people may be brought back to Yahweh and again prosper in covenant relationship with Him.
But what I want to look at in Hosea right now is from the end, chapter 14, which begins with a final call to repent and return to the LORD,
Now, I want to go back to verse three and focus on it. Once again, it is Hosea's instruction on how to repent for their sins.
The notion of calling the work of our hands “Our God” stuck out to me here (a lot of what Hosea says sticks out to me, it’s not as though it is “new,” but it is blunt). Hosea is possibly referring to the idols mentioned at the end ("work of our hands" is a common way of referring to the process of making idols), but I think that this repentance is also directly connected to seeking aid from Assyria. Therefore, I would interpret "work of our hands" as their attempt at self-sufficiency, or any disposition of the will that intends to be independent of God.
Either way, Assyria, I believe, was an idol. Our idols are things (constructed according to our own terms) which we decide to trust for that which we ought to trust God. In this way we are trusting in the work of our hands, whether it is a false god made out of wood or the Assyrian military forces.
Here is my point: This trust in another nation for military strength is an effort of the Israelites to gain self-sufficiency rather than to trust in the self-sufficient God; we are supposed to strive and take precautions, but not so that we don't have to trust in God. Here, God is not opposed to effort or responsible precaution, rather He is prerequisite to good effort. We do not strive to be self-sufficient. We are supposed to strive. We are not supposed to strive so that we do not have to trust God. We cannot trust our own hands, else we are making the work of our own hands "Our God." All our efforts and plans must be done in trust, it all must be a "trusting effort."
To bring this point into another context, think about taking notes in class. It is probably very responsible to take notes (and absolutely necessary for your grades). They help with review for both tests and provide long term aid in remembering what you have studied. Yet, I should never have to take notes so that I do not have to trust God. I am not saying, "do not prepare," rather I am saying "prepare in trust." I think this distinction is possibly helpful in understanding what the writer of Hebrews means when he says, "without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." (6:11).
So, was Israel's sin that they sought military strength from Assyria or that they didn't trust God? Here I come back to the image of the foreign kingdom. I believe that this image indicates something done apart from God. You are conducting yourself outside of the covenant you have with God and looking to something "foreign" to your relationship with God. I think that taking aid from Assyria means that they are not trusting God. Another question: What if seeking aid from these other nations is the "wisest," or the "most responsible" thing to do as a king? Again, all our efforts are supposed to be done in trust and at this stage of God's redemptive plan you could not take military aid as a nation from a foreign nation. I believe Israel's interaction with God and the world informs our own personal, covenant relationships with God.
A common way I have heard about focus on God is a focus on God as the ultimate end of our life. I agree that this helps with part of our proper perspective on life but I think it does not address an important question, namely, that of our disposition towards the means. The logical implications of God as our end would probably work towards a right understanding of the means by which we reach to this end. But to be safe it is best to be explicit. To say "I am doing this all for God's glory," can be perverted to the point that we say "I AM doing this all for god's glory." We ought to focus on Him for our end, but we ought also to trust in His grace for the means to that end so that it does not become a finite attempt to mount up to the infinite by the strength of our own wings. (Again, what is ours is not first and foremost ours.) So, By God's grace I strive to do all things for the glory of God. God is my end and my guide, sustainer, and provider to that end.
This last semester of Torrey, at one point I thought to myself, "I just need to get it done," and strove by my own strength (strength afforded by God's grace), and in this I believe I was wrong. Anxiety was my cue to step up and take control of academics and do it, "by the work of my hands." I did this in a time where effort was needed, entirely proper, but my approach was wrong. Forgive me when my effort does not trust you, O Lord, teach me to believe the truth that all good comes from you and that even the grace by which I strive I must trust in you for, lest I attempt to rob you of your glory. This strength is yours, to use it properly I must believe in you with it, serve you with it, honor you with it, and love you with it. God, help me to bow the knee in proper humility. Glory to God in the highest--for He is enthroned on high, He is the Most High, far above the heavens and the earth, over all rulers, powers, authorities, and dominions both now and forever; His glory is without end. Glory to God. Amen.
A different thought:
Following up these two sins the Israelites are supposed to repent of, we find a proclamation of God’s mercy to the orphan. If you ever want to find out the spiritual/moral state of a nation in the OT, look at what they are doing with orphans and widows. This is because widows and orphans are two groups of people that could not secure justice for themselves (this is still the case in many places). They often were abandoned and abused. But God cares for and establishes justice for the oppressed, caring for the lowly and bringing low the high hearted who do not care enough to stoop down from their self-righteousness or moral code to aid an oppressed neighbor. (He who is truly High bends low while the proud [self-exalted] will not bend low...I say this twice because I think it is an important point about what it means to be "high," and how the actual is willing to bend low where the pseudo is only content to strive higher.) The lowly orphan who can find no one to plead his case finds favor with God. This heart that God has for the orphans and widows, this deep benevolence, is taught again in the NT by James when he states "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world" (James 1:27). James also deals with the judgmental and proud in his catholic Epistle; a connection that should be explored more.
God, whose mercy knows no end, be merciful to us, for having wandered away from you--for having run away from our Father, our King, and our Love. We may be confident, according to your word, that if we seek forgiveness from you, you will not withhold it--as surely as the orphan and widow find mercy in you so too may we, the poor rebels, be blessed in you. Forgive us our weakness and sin. Help us to trust you, that your name may be treated as holy in us. The one who cannot secure the good for himself is heard by you, may you hear us and grant your mercy, restore our hearts to worship you.
But what I want to look at in Hosea right now is from the end, chapter 14, which begins with a final call to repent and return to the LORD,
“Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity” (Hosea 14:1).Hosea proceeds to tell the Israelites how to repent:
“Take with you words and return to the LORD; say to Him, ‘take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips. Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, “our God,” to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy’” (Hosea 14:2-3).God follows Hosea's instruction with a strong voice affirming that He will bless them, should they repent in this way. This is a formal agreement; God commits Himself to restore and bless them. How shall He bless Israel? He says that He...
“will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon” (14:4-6).In Summary, God promises that,
“They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon” (Hosea 14:7).The image of the “shadow” is used often in Scripture; one of the most memorable uses is in Psalm 91 (“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty”). God then turns His attention to the idols that Ephraim has been trusting in and proclaims His jealous love for the people of Israel once more. The idol has no place besides Yahweh.“I am like an evergreen cypress;” says the Lord “from Me comes your fruit” (18:8). Here the sin of idolatry is understood as a trust in something other than the most trustworthy God for "fruit". We are not supposed to trust in any other source for our good, our "fruit," because our good comes from the good Father who is the source of all good. To give anything else that role is to call it God.
Now, I want to go back to verse three and focus on it. Once again, it is Hosea's instruction on how to repent for their sins.
“Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, 'Our God,' to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.”In Scripture Israel was often tempted to trust in foreign nations for deliverance from enemies rather than trusting in the one true God (“The LORD, mighty in battle!” Psalm 24:8). In Isaiah the people of Judah were tempted to trust in Egypt for support against the invading Assyrian army. [I will come back to the image of a foreign nation in a bit.]
The notion of calling the work of our hands “Our God” stuck out to me here (a lot of what Hosea says sticks out to me, it’s not as though it is “new,” but it is blunt). Hosea is possibly referring to the idols mentioned at the end ("work of our hands" is a common way of referring to the process of making idols), but I think that this repentance is also directly connected to seeking aid from Assyria. Therefore, I would interpret "work of our hands" as their attempt at self-sufficiency, or any disposition of the will that intends to be independent of God.
Either way, Assyria, I believe, was an idol. Our idols are things (constructed according to our own terms) which we decide to trust for that which we ought to trust God. In this way we are trusting in the work of our hands, whether it is a false god made out of wood or the Assyrian military forces.
Here is my point: This trust in another nation for military strength is an effort of the Israelites to gain self-sufficiency rather than to trust in the self-sufficient God; we are supposed to strive and take precautions, but not so that we don't have to trust in God. Here, God is not opposed to effort or responsible precaution, rather He is prerequisite to good effort. We do not strive to be self-sufficient. We are supposed to strive. We are not supposed to strive so that we do not have to trust God. We cannot trust our own hands, else we are making the work of our own hands "Our God." All our efforts and plans must be done in trust, it all must be a "trusting effort."
To bring this point into another context, think about taking notes in class. It is probably very responsible to take notes (and absolutely necessary for your grades). They help with review for both tests and provide long term aid in remembering what you have studied. Yet, I should never have to take notes so that I do not have to trust God. I am not saying, "do not prepare," rather I am saying "prepare in trust." I think this distinction is possibly helpful in understanding what the writer of Hebrews means when he says, "without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." (6:11).
So, was Israel's sin that they sought military strength from Assyria or that they didn't trust God? Here I come back to the image of the foreign kingdom. I believe that this image indicates something done apart from God. You are conducting yourself outside of the covenant you have with God and looking to something "foreign" to your relationship with God. I think that taking aid from Assyria means that they are not trusting God. Another question: What if seeking aid from these other nations is the "wisest," or the "most responsible" thing to do as a king? Again, all our efforts are supposed to be done in trust and at this stage of God's redemptive plan you could not take military aid as a nation from a foreign nation. I believe Israel's interaction with God and the world informs our own personal, covenant relationships with God.
A common way I have heard about focus on God is a focus on God as the ultimate end of our life. I agree that this helps with part of our proper perspective on life but I think it does not address an important question, namely, that of our disposition towards the means. The logical implications of God as our end would probably work towards a right understanding of the means by which we reach to this end. But to be safe it is best to be explicit. To say "I am doing this all for God's glory," can be perverted to the point that we say "I AM doing this all for god's glory." We ought to focus on Him for our end, but we ought also to trust in His grace for the means to that end so that it does not become a finite attempt to mount up to the infinite by the strength of our own wings. (Again, what is ours is not first and foremost ours.) So, By God's grace I strive to do all things for the glory of God. God is my end and my guide, sustainer, and provider to that end.
This last semester of Torrey, at one point I thought to myself, "I just need to get it done," and strove by my own strength (strength afforded by God's grace), and in this I believe I was wrong. Anxiety was my cue to step up and take control of academics and do it, "by the work of my hands." I did this in a time where effort was needed, entirely proper, but my approach was wrong. Forgive me when my effort does not trust you, O Lord, teach me to believe the truth that all good comes from you and that even the grace by which I strive I must trust in you for, lest I attempt to rob you of your glory. This strength is yours, to use it properly I must believe in you with it, serve you with it, honor you with it, and love you with it. God, help me to bow the knee in proper humility. Glory to God in the highest--for He is enthroned on high, He is the Most High, far above the heavens and the earth, over all rulers, powers, authorities, and dominions both now and forever; His glory is without end. Glory to God. Amen.
A different thought:
Following up these two sins the Israelites are supposed to repent of, we find a proclamation of God’s mercy to the orphan. If you ever want to find out the spiritual/moral state of a nation in the OT, look at what they are doing with orphans and widows. This is because widows and orphans are two groups of people that could not secure justice for themselves (this is still the case in many places). They often were abandoned and abused. But God cares for and establishes justice for the oppressed, caring for the lowly and bringing low the high hearted who do not care enough to stoop down from their self-righteousness or moral code to aid an oppressed neighbor. (He who is truly High bends low while the proud [self-exalted] will not bend low...I say this twice because I think it is an important point about what it means to be "high," and how the actual is willing to bend low where the pseudo is only content to strive higher.) The lowly orphan who can find no one to plead his case finds favor with God. This heart that God has for the orphans and widows, this deep benevolence, is taught again in the NT by James when he states "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world" (James 1:27). James also deals with the judgmental and proud in his catholic Epistle; a connection that should be explored more.
God, whose mercy knows no end, be merciful to us, for having wandered away from you--for having run away from our Father, our King, and our Love. We may be confident, according to your word, that if we seek forgiveness from you, you will not withhold it--as surely as the orphan and widow find mercy in you so too may we, the poor rebels, be blessed in you. Forgive us our weakness and sin. Help us to trust you, that your name may be treated as holy in us. The one who cannot secure the good for himself is heard by you, may you hear us and grant your mercy, restore our hearts to worship you.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home