Tuesday, September 23, 2008

God the Great Lover – Part 1

I love the Prophets; I admire them as great men of God and see their personal sacrifices as they lived their lives as a great example of Godly living. None of these is truer than Hosea. He not only spoke the word of God to a wayward nation, he lived out the nation’s adultery in his own marriage.

I have long held that the Bible from beginning to end is the greatest love story ever written, with God at the centre of it all. Yes God is in my opinion the ultimate romantic. In the book of Hosea we see this in painfully stark reality. Through the prophesies and life of Hosea we discover ‘the secret heart of God; his innermost feelings, his profound sorrow and his sovereign grace.’

We see a God who is tender and vulnerable. WHY? Because love makes us tender and puts us in a place of profound vulnerability. Lewis describes the following ‘He is God of the cosmic drama and God of the domestic tragedy; he rides on the wings of the wind and he weeps with the heart of a rejected lover; he is catastrophic in judgment and tender in tears. ‘I am God and not man’ he cries and yet we find he is more like us than we had dared to imagine.’

God is a God of covenant, of jealous love and of judgment. The book of Hosea is written in ‘entreaty and warning, tender pathos and scalding indignation.’ I never really understood why the people of God were exiled. Intellectually I could tell you why from the bible. Because they were spiritually adulterous. But that is the cause not the reason. It just occurred to me that they had entered into covenant. So much focus is on God and Covenant and that God never breaks His Covenant. The reason for judgment and exile is simply that the people of God broke the sworn oath they had with God. And this is where the tragedy of the love story unfolds. Gods beloved, his bride, his chosen above all else, turned her back on him and adulterated herself on the alters of manmade gods.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

good work becans. i havent yet read the 2nd one, but for the 1st part, i'm not sure if i agree that God is vulnerable. His trinity with Himself is so good that He doesnt need anymore, but chooses to anyway. i know that it saddens and angers Him (so clearly He is full of emotion) but i wouldnt call Him vulnerable. it's something i need to ponder on though

Dodgy Pete said...

Nothing like a good ol discussion on the nature of God.

I agree "anonymous E" that it is hard to understand God being vulnerable. But is it really any easier to understand "him" being jealous, or angry or any other emotion?

It's tough. Is God really very similar to us (which in some regards seems likely - i.e. made in his image and all) or is it a fault with the way we understand, always wanting to project ourselves onto other things, including God.

Hmmm

Becs said...

i think its vulnerable in the sense that He opened himself up to love a nation...and with their adultery that would hurt him...

Dodgy Pete said...

There's another question this has raised for me.

Why did God pick the Israelites in the first place? Why them and no one else? Until Jesus' time when afterwards everyone is his people.

Also how vulnerable can God really be? Living forever, being all powerful, are we simply romanticising the whole notion of "love" and projecting onto God?

Can God really be vulnerable?

Becs said...

heres a bit on what i just read on god choosing israel...its not great but it is something...

It’s something I don’t really understand...but it was Abraham he chose and the Israelites were his decedents. Abraham was found to be righteous and feared the Lord...and so was blessed.

Interestingly the book I’m reading talks about this and it says ‘this (the election of Israel) is a problem for some, at first, but what mother loves the other children in the street in precisely the same way as she loves her own child? What husband loves all (or any) other women as much as he loves his wife? The higher a love becomes, the more distinguishing and specific it is. Time and again Israel is reminded that Yahweh has loved them in a special way. They are his chosen people. His relationship with them is unique: Israel is his bride, his child, the apple of his eye.’

And remember too they weren’t just chosen cos they were cool...they were chosen to be a light to the nations...only thing was they decided they rocked and got all up themselves so much they worshiped gods they made with their own hands instead of being the light to the nations and showing them Gods love. Could you imagine how different things would have been if Israel had held up their end of the covenant and been that light and impacted positively on the nations around them.

Becs said...

http://www.gotquestions.org/why-God-choose-Israel.html

Question: "Why did God choose Israel to be His chosen people?"

Answer: Speaking of the nation of Israel, Deuteronomy 7:7-9 tells us, “The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.”

God chose the nation of Israel to be the people through whom Jesus Christ would be born – the Savior from sin and death (John 3:16). God first promised the Messiah after Adam and Eve’s fall into sin (Genesis chapter 3). God later confirmed that the Messiah would come from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:1-3). Jesus Christ is the ultimate reason why God chose Israel to be His chosen people. God did not have to have a “chosen people,” but He decided to do it that way. Jesus had to come from some nation of people, and God chose Israel.

However, God’s reason for choosing the nation of Israel was not solely for the purpose of producing the Messiah. God’s desire for Israel was that they would go and teach others about Him. Israel was to be a nation of priests, prophets, and missionaries to the world. God’s intent was for Israel to be a distinct people, a nation of people the pointed others towards God and His promised provision of a Redeemer, Messiah, and Savior. For the most part, Israel failed in this task. However, God’s ultimate purpose for Israel, that of bringing for the Messiah and Savior, was fulfilled perfectly – in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Dodgy Pete said...

Thanks becs. Still a little vague on why israel was chosen but good info and work non-the-less.

;)