Reflexion Connexion

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today

Let us not fall into despair
Even when despair seems
The most reasonable choice
If we were alone
Without each other
Without you
Then despair just might
Be the wisest way

But we are not alone
We have each other
to lift and to love
And to be lifted and loved
In turn
And we have you
Present
Compassionate
Making all things whole

Help us set aside our despair
And find the work you are offering us
And then
Help us dig in
Take it on
And work with joy
As children adopted
As friends
As heirs
Together
As your kingdom comes
Bit by bit
And despair fades away
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

1 Samuel 7:3

Intro: Samuel enters the Scriptures during a chaotic period of history

The best way to understand it, is found in a line repeated in Judges
“In those days there was no king in Israel” (Jdg. 18:1 and 19:1)
– and again at the very end of Judges, with an added explanation
“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Jdg. 21:25)
– I have a friend who wrote a book on the Kingdom of God
• and though I enjoyed reading it and trust him as a serious student of the Bible,
◦ I disagree with his take on this verse
◦ he suggests that everyone doing what was right in their own eyes was a good thing
Steve Gregg, suggests that “. . . liberty of personal conscience prevailed, rather than dominated by a human (and therefore corrupt) earthly ruler.”
• but that this isn’t what that line means is proven elsewhere
◦ in Moses’ instructions to Israel when they would enter the land, he says,
“You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes . . . .” (Deut. 12:8-9)
◦ really, all you have to do is read the last three chapters of Judges to see the confusion and tragedy that resulted from everyone doing what they considered the right thing
Robert Alter discerns in these chapters a “theme of violence,” and suggests that, “Judges represents, one might say, the Wild West era of the biblical story,” a revelation that “becomes explicit at the end of the book, that survival through violence, without a coherent and stable political framework, cannot be sustained and runs the danger of turning into sheer destruction.”

As 1 Samuel begins, the era of Judges overlaps the coming era
– and gradually, a more stable society is formed
• I am impressed by how expertly the writer develops the overlapping of the two eras
◦ reading chapters 2-3, the text shifts back and forth:
◦ first Samuel ministering in God’s house, then Eli’s sons incorrigible sons violating ministry, then back to Samuel, then back to Eli and his sons, and so on

We briefly lose sight of Samuel after chapter 4, where he is still a boy
– but then he reappears in chapter 7, twenty years later
• the temple, first established at Shiloh, is now gone
◦ and the ark of the covenant is sheltered elsewhere (v. 1)
• meanwhile Israel is languishing under the rule of the Philistines
◦ so we learn that “all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD” (v. 2)
– at this point, Samuel suddenly appears as Israel’s spiritual leader
“And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, ‘If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines'” 1 Samuel 7:3

Now your wondering why I’ve dragged you through this mess

So I’m going to explain what’s on my mind
– when my reading in the Scriptures this week brought me here,
• this particular verse stood out and became my meditation
◦ there are plenty of other places in Bible that say something about the “heart,”
◦ this one just happened to be where I landed
• and it seemed relevant because of the chaotic state of our nation
◦ perhaps the direction that God is giving us in this hour,
◦ is the same as that Samuel pointed Israel to go
– I may be straining a bit here, but I want us to think about Spiritual Cardiology

You would have had to been living under a rock for years,

To not know heart attacks are a leading cause of death around the wor
– most of us are also well aware the behaviors that put our hearts at risk
• an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, bad habits, and excessive emotional states:
◦ stress, depression, anxiety, anger, and resentment
– the same holds true for our spiritual heart
• and that is why we want to follow the wise advice:
“Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life” (Pr. 4:23)
• this is one of those verses that frequently comes to my mind
◦ I always get the feeling that it is extremely important,
◦ even if I don’t always put it to practice like I should

In the Scriptures, the heart is a flexible metaphor

Whether it refers to thinking, feeling, decision-making, believing, or hardening,
– it is always at the center, the core of our being and our doing
• so to come to God with our whole heart,
◦ is to devote our entire self to him
• in the Hebrew Scriptures, there is no splitting off one part of our self
◦ we cannot have God’s love in our heart, and give in to our bodies’ cravings
– the whole heart is the whole self, so giving it to God wholly is an undivided devotion
• in Psalm 86, the poet’s prayer is,
“Teach me your way, O LORD,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to [revere] your name” (v. 11)
• an undivided heart is a pure heart – uncontaminated

So Samuel tells God’s people to turn to God with all their heart

He also tells them to “direct” their hearts to the LORD,
– and the purpose for them doing that is to “serve him only”
• the Hebrew word translated “direct” includes the idea of being established, fixed
◦ Israel had to permanently attach their devotion to Yahweh alone
• pagan gods were always a temptation for them,
◦ but besides alien gods, there could be other things that would draw them away

In our culture, heart symbols represent love or affection

But our hearts can also feel something similar to love, and that is passion
(and not only romantic passion)
• a passion for sports, for the arts, for truth
• pursuing our passions, typically produces some thing, object, or accomlishment
– for several years I enjoyed a particular television program
• Barb and my kids thought I was silly for watching it

Sister Wendy was a little nun, touring art galleries and sharing her insights with her viewers. She was not lecturing as an art critic might, though she was familiar with those sorts of details–the artists and their backgrounds, the time period in which they produced their work, the various types of pains, styles, and compositions–, but usually she would stand near a painting (less often a statue) and draw attention to features of movement, texture, emotion, and drama. She spent a good deal of time with each masterpiece to derive that much insight from them. Her observations had a lot to do with the effect a painting would have on her. And sharing all that she observed, I was able to see what she saw. Her passion was contagious.
– I think this is the way we’re supposed to enjoy art; we look, and feel, and then ask,
“What does this painting have to tell me?”
• it was her passion that drew me in
• and I’m convinced that a person’s passion for Jesus is more compelling than any prepared speech we can deliver
• a passionate heart sees more than a glimpse or mere “looking at” reveals
• that is the gift that a Sister Wendy, or a Henri Nouwen, or Frederick Buechner gives us
◦ their passion for the Lord opens our eyes to wonder
– to serve God with our whole heart, is to be inspired and motivated by passion
• you know you’re in that state when so absorbed that you don’t notice the passing hours or worry about missing a meal

We need to realize we have control over our hearts

There is much in our world we cannot control
– the weather, traffic, other people
• but we own our hearts
• at the very least, we can point them in the right direction
– sadly, we can also give up our control of our own heart to someone else
• or we can let the wrong things into our hearts

I know that God has my whole heart–sometimes

I’m pretty sure he has all of it whenever he asks for it
– but there are times when my devotion sinks to half-hearted
• more than once I’ve felt guilty when reading Jesus’ parables in Mark chapter 4
◦ especially the “thorns” it the parable of the seed and four soils
“They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word and it proves unfruitful” (Mk. 4:19)
◦ other things enter into my heart and demand my attention or response
• sometimes I think that to turn to God with my whole heart all of the time, I’d have to live in an monastery

Conclusion: When I was twenty-one years old, my home was in a California desert

I lived in a literal shack. Sometime in the 1930’s or 40’s a man had built four of shacks in a row, and then rented them out. In a space of less than 200 square feet, there were two rooms, a living room, a dining room (!), a tiny kitchen, and a tiny shower. I shared the shack with three roommates; marines who were willing to live anywhere as long as it was off base. I was pastoring a small church with the most wonderful people I had ever known.
One evening, driving with Roger home from the church to our shack, I was feeling lonely and a bit moody. Sighing, I said, “I wish I had someone to share all this with.” Roger instantly said, “Share WHAT?” and we both laughed.

Reflexion is a shared spiritual journey
We are traveling this path together – fulfilling a longing;
to know God and to grow into his perfect love
One half of this journey is growing in love for all people
The other half is to “love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind” (Mt. 22:37)
We have a ways to go,
so let’s encourage and support each other along

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

This prayer is from St Francis, with just a little change or two.

Come Lord, join us here today
Lord, make us instruments of your peace:
where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that we may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in our giving that we receive,
it is in our pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in our dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

“I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory 1 Timothy 3:14-16

Intro: This morning, we’re going to explore a crucial question:

What are we doing here, for heaven’s sake?
– answers are scattered through the New Testament,
• and it’s the focus of Paul’s entire first letter to Timothy
• he intended to go over this in person
◦ but here he provides only a summary statement

Paul explains how we “ought to behave”

“Ought” is not one of my favorite words
– Christian preachers, youth leaders, and Sunday School teachers have used it to control and manipulate adults and children
• so let’s try to get to the heart of Paul’s concern
• Francis Schaeffer, wrote an excellent essay entitled, “The Mark of the Christian”
◦ for centuries Christians displayed their faith with different symbols
◦ “uniforms,” cross necklaces, and annoying bumper stickers
Schaeffer, “But there is a much better sign–a mark that is to last through all the ages of the church till Jesus comes back.”
He was referring to what Jesus had said to his disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn. 13:34-35)
Schaeffer, “Notice that what he says here is not a description . . . . It is a command which includes a condition. . . . An if is involved.”
– the “if” tells us that it is our love that communicates to others that we belong to Jesus
• that’s the only authentic sign of a follower of Jesus
◦ Paul is training Timothy in practical ways to show love among Christians in the church
◦ in the next chapter, he will tell Timothy,
“set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12)
• so coming back to what a church “ought” to look like,
◦ love is the gold standard for our behavior

The Greek word translated “behave” is interesting
– its root meant to twist, then turn and later to steer
– we can imagine the twists and turns of our interactions with each other
• in this instance, our “behavior” is relational

Paul refers to the Christian church with a variety of metaphors
– it is God’s temple, the body of Jesus, and here, a house
• he then clarifies, “which is the church of the living God”
◦ “church” translates the Greek ekklesia – an assembly, to which people were called to attend
◦ another factor is koinonia – to share or have in common, a communion, a community
• his other metaphor, a pillar and buttress of the truth
◦ that’s a tough one – too often churches stray from truth, usually from an over-emphasis on one doctrine
◦ even as churches often fail to display God’s love for the world through Jesus

Paul concludes this brief message with a poem, possibly a song
– its title is, “The Mystery of Godliness”
– few years ago, Rick Founds wrote a song that has been sung around world
• it encapsulates the coming, death, and resurrection of Jesus
• the song that Paul quotes is similar in that way
◦ it contains a richness of theology proclaimed in poetic verse

Before Reflexion met for the first time, I got to thinking

Who were we, and what were we about?
– I thought it was necessary to hammer out a vision for us
• so I went to work on a Venn Diagram
◦ I inserted the goals and values that moved me
• but before I went very far with that, I felt a restraint
◦ it seemed that God’s Spirit was telling me, “Don’t do that”
◦ instead, we were to start meeting and then discover the shape God stamped on our group and our meetings
– but I also had concerns of my own
• first of all, I did not want to be in charge of another church
◦ I feel like “church” is a tired, broken word
◦ people usually think of a building when they hear the word church; and their reaction is cold not warm
• churches tend to alienate people who aren’t core members
◦ one way they do this is with “doctrinal statements”
▫ you’re handed one as soon as you walk in the door
◦ these tend to create barriers rather than bridges
▫ it’s like having a fence–tells you whether you’re in the group or out of it
▫ and many times, our doctrinal statements make little sense to the non-believer
• so I opted for “spiritual community”
◦ that is, to me, the New Testament meaning of church
• at any rate, the church is not an institution or business
◦ it’s a living, breathing organism
◦ people bound together by their devotion to Jesus

I also knew that I did not want the title of “pastor”
– that has come to mean “professional clergy”
• someone who performs services and provides ritual
• there are lots of people who carry the title of pastor,
◦ and many of them are nothing like a shepherd or care giver
◦ some are like religious celebrities – the star of the show
▫ they create a following through charisma and self-promotion
◦ others are like managers
▫ their skills lie in areas of organization and control
▫ but no one can manage someone else’s spiritual journey or the moving of God’s Spirit
– I want to be here for you in the ways that you need me
• but my desire is to journey with you
◦ I’m not the guy sitting on the top of a mountain,
◦ who utters wise sayings to people willing to make the climb
• I’m on the road with you, saying,
“Hey, what do you think about taking this path?”
or, “How about we camp here for awhile?”

Maybe eight years ago I reviewed our current status and trajectory

I do that on occasion, automatically
– sometimes I veer from the path God laid out for us
• I think we need Bible studies, when what we really need is:
◦ encouragement, edification, direction, support, and grace
• so I do is self-check

What are some of the features of our community?

I’m convinced that if we’re to experience genuine spiritual growth,
freedom is a necessity we cannot compromise
– every person needs to be heard with a nonjudgmental response
• we can open our hearts without being shamed or clubbed with the Bible
• you can relax, be yourself; you “belong,” you’re accepted
– we are seeking a better knowledge of God, of ourselves, of each other
– our life with Jesus is a spiritual journey (modeled in Hebrews 11)
• we travel together, even if not at the same pace
(for years, our vision has been revealed in the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus)
• we are developing a greater awareness of God’s presence
◦ a deeper confidence that “all shall be well”
– we practice the spiritual exercises we have learn from scripture
• to wait on the Lord
• to seek him
• to watch for him
• to rest in him,
• to draw near in prayerful mediation and contemplation
• to be still
◦ this is why we begin our meetings in silence
– we strive for an ever deeper devotion to our Lord Jesus
– we are definitely, still in the lab! We have not “arrived”
• there’s room to fail, because without at least trying, there’s no room to succeed

Conclusion: Before leaving you, I want to lighten the mood a bit

This is a conversation I had one dreary morning:

Lord God?
Yes?
I’m down. I don’t know . . .
That’s okay.
Okay for me to be down?
Yes.
Why? It leaves me with so little energy, unnecessary negativity, and I really become useless.
It is okay, because I can use you rain or shine, up or down, strong or weak. I can use your downness.
But how?! You know where it takes me.
I can use even your downness. You brought it to Me, now will you give it to Me? Consecrate it to Me?
Yes, Father, as best I can. Use my down mood to the full extent of Your pleasure and power.
I will.
I won’t do this perfectly.
Lord . . . ?
Peace! I know, My child, I know.
[sigh] I’m feeling less down.
Of course. [smile]

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us today

We ask you to care for our friends
Our families today
Where there is stress
Grant calm and resources and faith
Where there are hurts
Or resentments
Grant patience
And forgiveness
And the courage
And intelligence
To make amends
Where there is loss
And Loneliness
And isolation
Grant that they know
Your loving presence
And that we make time
And space to
Offer our loving presence as well

Help us love others
Especially those
Close
In timely
And tangible ways
Loving others in
Ways that are fitting
And help us become
the people who
are better able to love
Putting aside our fears
Our anger
Our pride
Our impatience
Our resentments
And our need to win
Knowing
A loving friendship
Is a win for each
And a gift to the world.
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. 
Luke 6:20-23, 27-28, 35, 40

Intro: I’m not convinced we’ve ever truly understood Jesus

At least not as deeply or fully as he intended
– not “as deeply,” because we tend to stay on the surface
• we read the words and verses without penetrating their depth
• we grab at interpretations that make immediate sense
◦ and we settle for simplistic “commentary” explanations
– I don’t think Jesus taught in riddles – sometimes, perhaps
• he did not teach in a secret code that required deciphering
• but it’s possible that his intent was that the meaning of his message would be revealed to us
◦ and only then will we be able to live it in truth and deed

If Jesus’ teaching is challenging to grasp and live, there’s a reason

And that is because he wants to change our lives and not merely add to our knowledge
– to do that, we must first change our hearts
• this is where his teaching begins!
“From that time Jesus began to make his proclamation and to say, ‘Change your hearts; for the Kingdom of the heavens has drawn near” (Mt. 4:17, David Bentley Hart’s translation)
– the second part of the invitation, “the Kingdom of heaven” is related to first
• on one hand, we change our hearts to prepare for kingdom
• on other hand, the kingdom works the change in our hearts
◦ this does not mean we have a new set feelings,
◦ a new way of seeing, thinking, and being in the world

Two credible authorities left a strong impression on me

Neither one was a Christian, but they realized something
– namely, that there’s more to our universe than we experience with five senses
William James, writing in early 20th century, on mysticism, “One conclusion was forced upon my mind . . . and my impression of its truth has ever since remained unshaken. It is that our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different. We may go through life without suspecting their existence; but apply the requisite stimulus, and at a touch they are there in all their completeness . . . . No account of the universe in its totality can be final which leaves these other forms of consciousness quite disregarded.”
Arthur Deikman, explained that we work at knowing our world and everything in it in order to make our way through life, grasping, manipulating, and controlling as much as we can. These are our typical self-centered preoccupations. But we can also develop and deepen our awareness of the world, the things in it, other people, and of our own selves. “Through that experience one can know a larger reality and a larger self.”
• they were poking around at the possibility of a reality coexisting with our material universe
◦ and the possibility of becoming conscious of it
• I believe they were on the trail of looking for God
God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for
‘In him we live and move
and have our being’” (Acts 17:26-28)

Hidden beneath Jesus’ teaching, is an unseen reality
– it is outside the range of our normal perception
• we cannot see it, hear it, feel it, taste it, or smell it
• but the prophets of Israel experienced it and so did the apostles
– there are questions about developing this spiritual sight that I’ve been asking for fifty years
Arthur Deikman also asked these very questions, “. . . is there any evidence supporting the idea that human beings can develop in themselves a new form of perception, one that is latent but requires special conditions for its development?” And later he asks, “Are we possessed at birth of neuronal circuits with a developmental potential for the kind of direct, intuitive knowing that mystics say is possible? . . . Can that potential be revived by specific exercises . . . ?”
• I’m convinced that this was Jesus intention, to train us in improving our reception of God’s kingdom
“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand” (Lk. 8:9-10)

The teaching of Jesus brings to us enlightenment

As Christianity migrated from the East to the West, it became more rational and less experiential
– I believe Paul understood this well, and it’s why he prayed for the Ephesians, that “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know the hope to which he had called you . . . .” (Ep. 1:17-18)
– the enlightened heart is able to learn and comprehend God’s truths
• when Jesus begins a lesson with, “Blessed are you who are poor,”
◦ he is doing more than providing instruction in “the basics”
◦ he is enlightening his hearers to the unseen reality of the kingdom
and at the same time, he is pushing them toward it
• the only way to grasp the authentic message of Jesus is through the kingdom of God
◦ to know it, to seek it, and to live in it
– for Jesus, the kingdom wasn’t a concept, doctrine, or lovely idea
• it’s a real dimension, and in our encounter with it everything changes
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Mt. 13:44)
• this is not an easy education nor a gentle process
◦ it first of all shatters our worldview, then reconstructs it
◦ for Jesus, the kingdom is everything

Let’s look at verse 35 to see how this works
“love your enemies, and do good, and lend expecting nothing in return . . . .”

– David Hart translates this, “love your enemies and lend without despairing of it”
– how can I loan a thing (like one of my cherished books) I love and not despair of never seeing it again?
• I can do this only if my reality is transformed
◦ if nothing has a greater hold on my heart and imagination, than God and his already present realm
• if I sought first the kingdom of God,
if I have found that treasure in the field,
then I can be at complete peace when I see the things of this world drift away

What is Jesus doing in us in this message he proclaims?

If you say, “He’s giving us necessary information on how to be his disciples,”
– you haven’t understood him
• you’re just scratching the surface – you’re looking at words
– Jesus is opening windows to the kingdom of God
• when I read, “love your enemies,” I can’t say to myself,
“I’m going to have to work really hard to do this”
because that won’t get me anywhere
◦ what I’ve missed is what Jesus wants to do within me
◦ in my heart and mind
• I’d be closer to the mark if I confessed, “I can’t do this!”
◦ then Jesus would tell me,
“That’s right, you can’t–and you never will be able to do this;
not as long as you’re thinking the way everyone else thinks”
◦ when Peter rebuked Jesus for announcing his death,
Jesus “turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Mt. 16:23)
• in Romans and 1 Corinthians Paul talks about the difference between the mind of the flesh and the mind of the Spirit
◦ we could also use language like the worldly mind and the spiritual mind
or the old self and the new self
– we cannot live Jesus’ teaching without first seeking God’s realm
• his teaching opens that realm to us, and that realm opens his teaching to us
• and when this happens, as Paul says, we become
“renewed in the spirit of [our] minds” (Ep. 4:23)

One more time; what is Jesus doing in this impossible teaching?

He is working in us at a depth to which we could not humanly go
– he is defying my rational assumptions about my life in him
• and if he succeeds with me, what will I be? Verse 40:
“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher”
• I will have experienced a fundamental change in how I see the world
◦ it has lost its grip on me
◦ I’ve been liberated into the kingdom… where “all things are possible”

Conclusion: David Hart, translates “Blessed are” as “How blissful”

and he explains how the Greek word, makarios, means “blessed,” “happy,” and “fortunate”
“but originally with a connotation of divine or heavenly bliss”

We’re not looking for mystical truth, we already have it!
What we lack, is the development to appreciate and utilize what we’ve been given
so that we can understand the truth and live it
There is so much more for us – greater peace and joy
And when we get there,
we really be able to settle into knowing what Julian of Norwich meant
when she wrote:
“All shall be well,
and all shall be well,
and all manner of thing shall be well”

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
Most days
We come
With expectation
Joy
And a measure
Of openness
Today some of us
Are feeling
The shadow of overwhelm
Dampening our spirits
And the string of upsets
Pulling us under
And how the,
(Somehow)
still surprising,
Disappointments
Sap our faith

Afraid that we sit
on the brink of nothing
With only ourselves
And not much more
We have learned
that more money
doesn’t cure this
Nor does power
Over others
To get them to do
What we wish
Nor some new distraction
To pull us away
From our own lives

We ask for ourselves
For our friends
The grace to feel your
Good great love
Today
A flicker
A reminder
A connection
A gentle swelling of hope
Just what
We aren’t sure
Still
Join us here today Lord,
Please
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Intro: What we’re looking at this morning is an “in between” story

It comes after Jesus’ final day of public ministry and prior to the last supper
– what happens in this narrative is not a significant factor in the central plot of Mark’s Gospel
• it doesn’t add momentum to what’s already underway
• however, if Mark had not included this intimate scene,
◦ we would have lost more than an intriguing vignette,
◦ because this is one of the loveliest events in the life of Jesus
– Mark takes us to a home in Bethany,
• where a dinner was prepared for the Lord and his disciples
◦ what happens here is unique in the life of Jesus
◦ if we look carefully, we see a dark cloud hanging over this event
• like book ends, before and after the main event we see a theme:
◦ in verses 1-2, the “before,” where priests and scribes are plotting Jesus’ death
◦ in verses 10-11, after the dinner, Judas strikes a deal with the same men who want to destroy Jesus
▫ and embedded in the story itself, Jesus himself mentions his burial
– in fact, death is stalking Jesus through the entire chapter

Jesus had friends who lived not far from Jerusalem
“And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head Mark 14:3

Bethany was a village on the backside of the Mount of Olives
– there is speculation about “Simon the leper”– who was he?
• but we don’t have to worry about that right now
◦ he had a home large enough to host Jesus and the disciples
◦ in fact, it may have been able to accommodate other guests too
• it would not be unusual for neighbors to gather in Simon’s courtyard, for a chance to see and hear Jesus
◦ “reclining at table” was quite literally dining etiquette at that time
◦ guests would lie on cushions or couches, resting on their left arm with their right arm in reach of the food
– so here’s the gang having dinner and the normal table conversation,
• then this woman enters with an alabaster flask of perfumed ointment
◦ John identifies her as Mary, the sister of Martha,
◦ but neither Matthew nor Mark mention Mary and Martha
• so for Mark, she remains anonymous
◦ and I believe this enhances the story
▫ she doesn’t have to be someone we know,
▫ someone who has a history with Jesus
◦ she could be any woman and every woman

Later on, in chapter 15, after Jesus has been crucified,
– Mark will tell us
“There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James . . ., and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem” (vv. 40-41)
• these women have been present all along, but in the background
• I wonder why Mark introduces them this late in the story
◦ was it safer for women than men to be near the cross?
◦ is it to set up the fact, women were first to the tomb?
◦ or do women have a special role in the life of Jesus?
▫ one that involves them more than only his birth and death?
▫ the woman in our present story is also connected with his death
– during dinner, she approaches Jesus, perhaps surreptitiously
• then she pours this fragrant oil over his head, in his hair and dripping down into his beard
◦ she takes liberties with Jesus, she doesn’t ask permission
◦ she acts as though she is his beautician
• I think she is pouring out her love on Jesus
◦ that in itself would make some people uncomfortable

“There were some who said to themselves indignantly, ‘Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.’ And they scolded her” Mark 14:4-5

Public demonstrations of affection tend to evoke different reactions
One person will say, “Oh, how sweet” – another will grouse, “Get a room!”
– Matthew says it was the disciples who were indignant
• maybe they were offended by her bold intrusion,
◦ and quickly came up with a reason to criticize her
◦ but what throws me was their question,
“Why was the ointment wasted like this?”
• how could they think that any gift given to Jesus was a waste?
– there is a mentality that is obsessed with monetary value
• it is a mind that is constantly calculating the cost of things
◦ the wise teacher warns us,
“Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy;
do not desire his delicacies,
for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.
‘Eat and drink!’ he says to you,
but his heart is not with you” (Pr. 23:6-7)
◦ that type of person can’t comprehend the worth of intangibles
◦ the value of mercy, charity, generosity, love
• how can we measure the value of one who gives his life for another?

Now here’s a deception we can learn to recognize:
– when a person masks a bogus criticism with a thin veil of piety
“For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor”

Matthew and Mark spread blame for this protest over the other disciples or at least “others,” whereas John lays it squarely on Judas. It would be easy to see how Judas could raise this practical concern regarding finances and the pious possibility of helping the poor, and because his protest made sense and assumed a philanthropic motive it would immediately win the approval and agreement of others. It is doubtful that they were very often so close to something like the ointment which was of such great value.
When someone raises an angry (or emotional) voice of protest, as if deeply moved and therefore concerned to address a wrong action, the sentiments expressed instantly move others to the same furor, and their plausible arguments sound valid, until calmer and more enlightened minds prevail.
At any rate, John exposes Judas, explaining, “He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the money-bag he used to help himself to what was put in it” (Jn. 12:6).
– “and they scolded her”
• this woman did something that was exclusively for Jesus,
◦ and the disciples got upset
• Jesus had always been the giver – rarely the receiver
◦ I’ve been guilty of having a negative reaction toward another person for loving Jesus extravagantly
◦ now it is clear to me that I’m not in a position to measure anyone else’s love for Jesus

Here is one of the most wonderful things Jesus ever said:
“‘Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She had done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me” Mark 14:6-7

“Leave her alone” – Jesus rushes to her defense
– his first sentence is a command, “Stop!”
• his second sentence is a question, “Why do you trouble her?”
◦ if I put myself there, I see the disciples intruding into a private encounter,
barging into Jesus’ personal space
◦ he has this rare moment, and they’re ruining it
• is it even possible to love Jesus too much?
◦ to give him too much?
– what the disciples missed, was this was a rare opportunity
• the woman saw it – and jumped on it
“For you always have the poor with you . . .”
• everyone that evening had the opportunity to express their love
◦ some opportunities return every day
◦ other opportunities have an “expiration date”
• Jesus was there for the evening, and then he moved on
◦ perhaps we’ve wanted to do something for Jesus; we made plans or promises,
◦ but time passed and we never got around to it
“You will not always have me” – he warned them
– and that always burns a hole in my heart

Jesus explained, for their benefit, what her gift meant to him
“She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial” Mark 14:8

“She has done what she could”
– as a woman in that culture, and Jesus being a holy man, her options were limited
• earlier he said, “She has done a beautiful thing to me”
◦ passionate love creates beauty
◦ she did what she could, and it was beautiful
– she could not protect him from the cross
• she could not heal the sick or preach to the crowds,
◦ but she could give what she had
• God will never ask more of you than what you can give
◦ but I also think, he will never expect less
“she has anointed my body beforehand for burial”
– no one else saw that!
• I doubt she even knew what she was doing
◦ Jesus would be dead and in the tomb before his body was properly prepared
• is it possible she noticed something about Jesus that no one else did?
◦ a sadness of expression? a different look in his eyes?
– if we care about others, we pay attention, and we notice

Why does Jesus say wherever gospel goes, her story will go also?
– perhaps because she reflects what happens to a person who opens their heart to Jesus
• and give him whatever they can
• Mark could speak of her future fame, but without mentioning her name
◦ that way she would be remembered for what she did rather than who she was
◦ I don’t doubt that John had another reason for identifying her as Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus

Conclusion: I’m going to take from this story just one thought for us to consider

This week, do a good thing for Jesus
And just for him,
because you love him

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.
“. . . the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” John 5:37-40

Intro: We can’t help noticing, that the majority of Jesus’ conflicts

Were with the most religious people in Israel;
– those who believed they had God all sorted out,
• that they owned the Scriptures, owned the temple, owned God
◦ their dogmatism blinded them to what was essential
◦ to actually know God, and to love him and others
• and that faith is more important than “beliefs”
◦ because your beliefs don’t do you any good if you don’t trust them
– Jesus worked at opening their minds,
• but their resistance to him won out
– I’ve read a short excerpt from an argument that fills most of chapter 5
• and in this excerpt, I want to focus on one line”
“His voice you have never heard”
◦ what was missing from their religious life, was direct communication with God
• they could read the Scriptures, yet not hear God’s voice
◦ they had the map, but were still making wrong turns
– from the time Israel left Egypt, God’s message to them was
“Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I will be your God” (Jer. 11:4)
• it wasn’t enough to have and to read God’s word, through it, they were to hear God’s voice
◦ their interaction with his word had to be personal
• but that had not happened, and they never heard his voice

What I feel like doing right now is complain and criticize

I’ve had Bible verses thrown at me my whole life
– most of the time, it was by people who had no idea
• what those verses actually meant,
• that the verses didn’t apply to me or my situation
• and in their biblical context, the verses meant something different
– and even though there is way too much mindless quoting of scripture going on today,
• it would not be encouraging or helpful for me to go off on them
• but what might be helpful, would be to talk about,
◦ how we can learn to hear and know God’s voice

God is always speaking and through all sorts of different channels

One of God’s most common means of communication is through nature
“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge” (Ps. 19:1-2)
– sometimes God speaks to a person in a dream
• or we hear him during a crisis, a loss, or illness
– but God’s voice is heard most often and most reliably in scripture

But if that’s so, why weren’t Jesus’ religious antagonists hearing his voice?
– because they weren’t reading the scriptures to hear him
• they were reading for information, doctrine, wisdom, or rules
• they read words on a page, without hearing the voice of the Author

You and I can tune into God’s voice every day

I realize that not everyone has the opportunity I have
– all my adult life has been wrapped up in the Bible
• I have the pleasure of being able to read it every day
◦ and not only read it, but spend time mulling it over
• God has something to say to me every day
◦ not always what I want to hear, but always what I need
– the way he speaks is hardly ever the same
• at times, God’s voice thunders
◦ other times, it is a gentle whisper
• so I have to be prepared to receive it however it comes
◦ sometimes straining to make sure I heard him correctly

I don’t have a step-by-step method for hearing God’s voice

I’m skeptical of that sort of thing when it comes to relational issues
– what I have are random thoughts,
• and I hope you find something useful in them
◦ something that will help you hear God speak to you

For me, it is very important to settle in before I begin to read
I slow my breath and pay attention to my mind and body
– I must be able to first find rest in God’s presence
• physical agitation can be a serious distraction
– so I notice, and if I’m antsy or uncomfortable, I make adjustments
“I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Ps. 131:2)

Again, for me, it is important to discern God’s presence
I won’t pretend that this is always easy
– each of us may have to find what works best for ourselves
• I try notice any tension in typical places like my jaw, neck, or shoulders
• maybe I’ll move them a bit, or tense those muscles for a few seconds and then relax them
– then as I inhale I say, “Here” and bring awareness to the space around my body
• and I exhale and say, “Now,” bringing awareness to how this present moment feels

I mentioned last week, before I begin to read, I listen to hear:
“I will meet you at the entrance, and speak to you there”
– God said that to Moses, not only about the entrance to tent
• but also when he entered the most holy place of the tent,
◦ and stood before the “ark of the covenant”
• the benefit I enjoy from doing this, is that when I read,
◦ I am not merely reading words on a page,
◦ it’s more like I am experiencing what I’m reading
– if I don’t prepare myself like this – if I just start reading,
• I feel the pressure of working at trying to get something out of the Bible
◦ it seems that it’s up to my mind to find a meaning or a message
◦ so it’s not like listening to God for what he has to say to me

I may have a specific concern or question I want God to address
I never insist on a response – I need whatever God chooses to give
– in fact, what matters most is the awareness God gives me of his voice and of himself
• that I am conscious of him speaking to me
– then, I’m not simply learning something, I’m waking up!
• in fact, I may be left speechless, because I have no language for this kind of experience
– in Psalm 34, David said,
“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!”
• our experience could also become,
“Oh, look and see that the LORD is good!,” or “Oh, touch and see that the LORD is good!,” or “Oh, hear and discover that the LORD is good!”
• how ever the moment comes to us as we read, is what determines how we receive it

When I don’t understand something, I admit it
The same is true if I read something that bothers or upsets me
– the Scriptures don’t have to make me feel good
• I just have to be there
• and afterward, I’m always appreciative that I was there
for whatever it was that God wanted to show or give me
– when I react negatively to something in scripture, it may be God’s Spirit poking a sore spot in my soul
• so I always need to be paying attention

By the way, this is a conversation, a dialogue
I want to hear God’s voice, but he also wants to hear me

Sometimes I get an intuition
An thought or idea will come to me, as if out of thin air
– last week, reading Mark’s gospel, around chapter eight it came to me that he wrote it in the pattern of a “ring structure”
• I had to stop and check (with AI) to see if anyone else had seen this too
• turns out that several biblical scholars saw it long before I did
(only I think my observations are more accurate–ahem)

Don’t be surprised if you get the same message as in a previously reading
We don’t always learn perfectly in our first exposure to a passage
– and frequently there are multiple dimensions to a truth

I always write down what I received
Whether a lot or a little
– and then I also sit in silence for awhile and absorb all of it

Conclusion: Do you see what I’ve been talking about?

This is not just “reading our Bibles” – it’s an ongoing encounter with God
We go into scripture and find Jesus–and there in scripture Jesus finds us

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
Give us today
And let us
Give it back to you

We will receive today
As it comes
With joys
And sorrows
Upsets
And our wins
We will receive
The trials
The temptations
The disappointments
And the fears
Large and small
Spoken and known
And even
Those worries, anxieties and fears
We hide
Hide ourselves

We will receive this day
As a gift from you
Knowing your care in our lives
Knowing that your care is just
As strong in the lives
Of our friends, neighbors
And everyone else.
Dropping our need
To judge others
Our habits of resentment
Our inclination to withhold

And we will give to you
Our trust
That you are with us
Our hope
That all things
Will be made
New and right
Our hard work
As partners
Restoring the world
Our affection
For your abiding care,
For our second chances
For all that is good
In our lives
We will give you all we are
As best we can
This day
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

“The LORD spoke thus to me . . . .” Isaiah 8:11

Intro: I’ll finish reading the verse in a moment, but first we will pause here
– every morning when I open my Bible, I don’t jump into it
• but at the entrance to the Scriptures, I take a moment to slow my breath, and focus my attention
◦ I bring awareness to God’s presence and let myself hear him say,
“at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you to speak to you there” (Ex. 29:42)
• so before I even begin reading, I’m already listening to God
◦ and there is always something in my reading worth writing
◦ (though not necessarily worth sharing with others)
– yesterday morning, when I began, I felt a familiar frustration
• my desperate longing is to actually hear God,
◦ for his voice to be so clearly in my brain, there’s no doubt I’m hearing him
◦ anyway, the first words I read yesterday were, “And the LORD spoke to Moses . . . .”
• normally, my eyes would have glided over that phrase,
◦ especially because what follows is long and repetitious
◦ anyway, reading the opening line, I may have felt a twinge of jealousy
▫ but then, like from a small inner voice I heard,
“See, I do speak to you. Wasn’t this what you were just now thinking? Desiring?”

That experience lacked the intensity of physical sound,
– but it was enough that I realized what I have to do;
• and that is: continue to practice improving my spiritual perception
• I want to tune in to God’s communication more clearly
– I know that every true follower of Jesus hears from him
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (Jn. 10:27)
“Today, if you will hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts . . . .” (Heb. 3:7-15)
• but if, especially, we all receive God’s Spirit and become prophets, then certainly we must hear God’s voice (Acts 2:17-18)
• it’s my strong belief we need to listen to God now more clearly than ever in our nation’s history
◦ here’s why:

A person I don’t know, sent me a link to a YouTube channel

The video was presented as a documentary,
– presenting a history of a false “Latter Rain” teaching in Pentecostal culture
• the narrator spoke with certainty, as if he possessed incontrovertible truth
◦ he credited three men with conspiring to develop and propagate the Latter Rain
◦ Paul Cain, John Wimber, and my dad
• who ever put this together was not simply mistaken, but invented blatant lies
◦ Dad was outspoken in his rejection of the Latter Rain and publicly criticized Paul Cain
– this is not the first time Dad has been defamed by false teachers andsham reports
• in 1970’s John Todd was speaking in churches around LA
◦ he told a story of how he was raised by Satanists
◦ but his big story was that the church of Satan funneled eight million dollars through him which he gave my dad to start Maranatha! Music
• it is now well known that John Todd was mentally unsound and a pathological liar
◦ my point is that back then, his lies were told in churches, and believed people who attended them
• people were pleased to think they had “inside scoop” on Calvary Chapel and Maranatha! Music
◦ all they really had was deception

It seems like gossip is one of human nature’s chief pleasures
“The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body” (Pr. 18:8)

In 1964, Harper’s Magazine published article by Richard Hofstader
– in “The Paranoid Style in American Politics” Hofstader explains,
“American politics has often been an arena for angry minds.” And, “we have seen [in the Goldwater movement] much political leverage can be got out of the animosities and passions of a small minority.”
• he labeled problem he exposes as paranoid, “because no other word adequately evokes the sense of heated exaggeration, suspiciousness, and conspiratorial fantasy that I have in mind.”
And style because “Style has more to do with the way in which ideas are believed than with the truth or falsity of their content.”
• one of his examples was a quote taken from a Texas newspaper published in 1855
Hofstader, European kings joined the Pope to undermine and destroy “our political, civil, and religious institutions. We have the best reasons for believing that corruption has found its way into our Executive Chamber, and that our Executive head is tainted with the infectious venom of Catholicism”
◦ a couple more quotes:
Hofstader, “. . . the modern right wing, as Daniel Bell has put it, feels dispossessed: America has largely been taken away from them and their kind, though they are determined to try to repossess it and to prevent the final destructive act of subversion.”
“The paranoid spokesman sees the fate of conspiracy in apocalyptic terms–he traffics in the birth and death of whole worlds, whole political orders, whole systems of human values.”
– the entire article is well worth reading, and as to how it lines up with what’s been happening in our nation past ten years, which is unnerving to witness
• conspiracy theories create fear, and fear creates conspiracy theories
• examples include: the Illuminati, Masons, Trilateral Commission, and the United Nations

Early in my ministry, I liked to keep up with Evangelical institutions
– I had a subscription to “Christianity Today” and received monthly newsletters from Focus On Family, the 700 Club, and others
• but by late 1970’s I noticed an irritating trend
◦ first, the newsletters weren’t about news, but supposed conspiracies and hidden agendas to undermine Christian faith and family values
◦ second, every one of the “newsletters” was devoted to inciting fear with the goal of increasing their revenue through donations that would go to fight the “agendas” they claimed to be exposing
◦ the culprits were modernists, secular humanists, moral relativists, scientists, socialists, and gays
– the leaders of those organizations were conditioning Christians to live in fear
• none of these issues posed a deadly threat to the average Christian home
◦ but since then, the rise of internet communications and access to social media, even non-readers have become exposed to what had been only on the fringe
• and given the computer skills and savvy distortion of information by influencers,
◦ a great mass of Evangelicals have been sucked into bogus conspiracy theories
◦ again, religious ministries had set their followers up for this

It may surprise you how God spoke directly to this phenomenon
“For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: ‘Do not call conspiracy all this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken” Isaiah 8:11-15

Let’s notice first Isaiah’s emphasis, “with his strong hand upon me”
– that is unusual; in fact, it appears nowhere else in the Scriptures
• given the force of this statement, I think it’s okay to conclude this is a critical warning
◦ what is the heart of the warning?
◦ Isaiah was not to “walk in the way of these people”
• he was to reject a trend that swept through his society
– there are two parts to the warning:
• part one: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy”
◦ conspiracy or “secret plot”
• part two: “and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread”
◦ if God is our greatest fear, then we have nothing to fear

There were two potential outcomes for those who heard Isaiah’s message
– either God could be a sanctuary–a safe and holy place of protection
• or with their nation they could stumble into ruin
– this situation was going on at that very moment
• God wanted to address it, and Isaiah was listening
• our situation today is very much like theirs – who is listening?

Pastors and spiritual leaders have an obligation to their followers
– we’re not prophets, like Isaiah, but we can sound a warning
• I’ve never understood why anyone reacts to the threat,
that someone is trying to take prayer out of schools
◦ anyone who prays, knows how real and how private it is, and that there are no and no circumstances in which we cannot pray
◦ no one can take that from either us or our children or grandchildren
• and no one has taken God out of schools–or anywhere else; it can’t be done!
– but this is why we need to be able to hear God’s voice
• in every anxiety, every set back, every hardship, God is telling us, “Be still and know that I am God”
◦ but that won’t do us any good if we’re not listening
• and if God ever speaks to us “with his strong hand upon us”
◦ we had better be listening

The purpose of having spiritual disciplines and exercises:

To improve our perception and receptivity to God
– to his presence, to his love, to his grace, to his mercy, and to his voice
– the heart of the spiritual disciplines is focused attention
• read with focused attention, meditate with focused attention, contemplate with focused attention, and pray with focused attention

Conclusion: Look, we’re not going to get a phone call from God

That’s why we must practice
And the cool thing is,
even when practicing, we’re experiencing him
So let’s look forward to listening and hearing from God this week
He has much to tell us, and we have much to gain by paying attention

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
Teach us kindness
Real world
Flesh and blood kindness
With messy people
full of fear and shame
Angry sometimes
Broken sometimes
Defended
Resistant

Grant us the courage
To be vulnerable enough to care
To be considerate
To slow down
And look up
From our own preoccupations
To learn about their joys
To learn about their pain

And let us be as open
To receive kindness
As to offer it
So we can put aside our
Pride
And our defenses
And our need to control
And enjoy the pleasures
Of being loved
And of loving
And we can experience the joy
Of your life
Your fruit
Growing
Day after day
Coming to life
In the real world
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Intro: If there were ever to be a roll-call of Christian heroes,

We’d find a wide assortment of characters throughout history
– and, for all the controversy surrounding his life,
• I’m certain Lonnie Frisbee would be among them
◦ in our first encounter I experienced someone with uncanny
◦ it was like bumping into a New Testament apostle
• Lonnie was the most effective hippie preacher in the Jesus Movement (in my opinion)
– a friend of mind attended a large meeting where Lonnie was speaking
• he later told me, Lonnie quoted the Bible, rambled a bit,
◦ then, fell silent, a few moments later he suddenly, shouted, “Get saved!”
• instantly, a third of crowd jumped to their feet

I’m going to suggest, that the essence of God’s word to Hosea was “Get saved”
– only it is more than what Lonnie meant
• in the narrow evangelical context “saved” means ” from something
• but the broader biblical meaning means to be saved into something
◦ for instance, into a new life with God
◦ and into the potential person God sees when he looks at you
– God presented a living parable through Hosea
• he played back Israel’s history as he viewed it through his divine eyes
◦ he told stories, painted pictures, spoke through poetry,
◦ and delivered an number of prophetic threats and promises
• God wanted his people to see what they had become,
◦ but also what they could have been, and could possibly still become

In today’s chapters, God adds the last pieces of the puzzle

In these verses we learn how Israel failed their destiny
When Ephraim spoke in trembling,
he was a prince in Israel,
but he was guilty with Baal and died.
And now they continue to offend
and make themselves molten images
from their silver in their form of idols
all of it craftsmen work.
To them they say:
sacrifices of man, calves to be kissed.
Therefore shall they be like a morning cloud
and like early dew that melts away,
like chaff whirled out from the threshing floor
and like smoke from a chimney Hosea 13:1-3

I remind you, “Ephraim” was the chief tribe in the north, and is understood as Israel
– there was a period when he “spoke in trembling”; that is to say with reverence
“Hear the word of the LORD,
you who tremble at his word” (Isa. 66:5)
“Do you not fear me? declares the LORD.
Do you not tremble before me?” (Jer. 5:22)
• but their devotion to God disappeared when they went over to Baal
◦ and with that move, the nation experienced a sad loss of status and wealth
• you think they would realize their decline and return to Yahweh, but,
“And now they continue to offend” (v. 2)
◦ do you remember in chapter 7, they did not discern they were in decline?
“Strangers consumed his strength,
but he did not know.
His hair turned suddenly gray,
but he did not know” (v. 9)
◦ Hosea picks up another theme already mentioned in chapter 8, that idols are the product of human hands (v. 6)
“a craftsman made it, and it is not a god”
– there are many people living in denial regarding the state of our nation
• it amazes me that they cannot see how we are rapidly sliding downhill
◦ we’ve become a divided and troubled nation, and a disgusting nuisance
◦ I wonder how much ruin it will take for more people to wake up

This opening stanza ends with a list of similes (or metaphors)
– all four represent something transient, that quickly evaporates, flies away, or disappears

God’s response to Israel’s deterioration
Yet I am the LORD your God
ever since the land of Egypt,
and no God save Me shall you know
and no rescuer except for Me.
I knew you in the wilderness
in a parched land.
When they grazed and they were sated,
the were sated and grew proud.
Therefore they forgot Me.
And I will become to the like a lion,
like a leopard I spy on the way.
I will meet them like a bear robbed of her cubs
and rip the sinews round their heart.
And I will devour them there like a lion,
the beasts of the field shall tear them apart Hosea 13:4-8

While they were decaying from being misled by pagan gods and idols,
– the Lord says, “Yet I am the LORD your God”
• here is the same warmth of affection we saw last week
◦ from the time they left Egypt, they were to know only Yahweh
◦ and in the wilderness Yahweh traveled with and knew them
• the Hebrew word translated “know” has several meanings
◦ all related to being “informed” and “familiar with”
◦ I think here we’re to understand in this instance it is an intimate knowing
– v. 6, when Israel settled in Canaan, they became spoiled by God’s blessings
• sadly, God had previously and explicitly warned them of these very things Hosea addresses
“Take care lest you forget the LORD your God . . . lest when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied, then your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt . . . and go after other gods and serve and worship them” (De. 8:7-20)
• like the previous stanza this one also concludes with a list of similes
◦ these illustrate the harsh nature of God’s punishment
◦ their shepherd through the wilderness becomes like predatory animals when they’re settled in the land

Now we learn who is to blame for Israel’s ruin
You are ruined, O Israel,
for who will come to your aid?
Where is your king then?
Let him rescue you in all your towns.
And your leaders to whom you said,
“Give me a king and nobles.”
But I will give you a king in My wrath
and take him away in My anger.
Ephraim’s crime is bundled up,
hidden, his offense Hosea 13:9-11

The “usual suspects” include kings, their appointed leaders, and all other religious and civic authorities
“Woe, negligent shepherds, who scatter the sheep of My flock, said the LORD. Therefore, said the LORD God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd My people, you have let my flocks scatter . . . and did not attend to them” (Jer. 23:1-2)
“Woe, shepherds of Israel who were shepherding them. Will not the shepherds [feed] the flock? . . . You did not strengthen the weak ones you did not heal nor bind up the one with a broken limb nor bring back the one that had wandered nor did seek out the one that was lost. And by force you held sway over them with crushing labor.” (Eze. 34)
– God locates the fault of Israel’s failure in the realm of human government
• but the people are not innocent either;
◦ these were the leaders they clamored for,
◦ and they stood by them even when abused and led astray
– again, this is relevant to our nation at this dangerous moment in history
• I don’t feel I need to explain or elaborate, it is all too obvious
Those who have ears to hear, let them hear

Israel’s destiny would be a day of debt collection
Birth pangs come upon him,
and the child is not wise.
For now he shall not last
on the birth-stool for children.
From Sheol shall I ransom them,
from death shall I redeem the?
Where are your words, O Death,
where your scourge, O Sheol?
Regret is hidden from My eyes.
Though he put forth fruit in meadows,
the east wind shall come, the LORD’s wind,
from the desert rising up.
And his fountain shall dry up
and his spring shall arid be.
It shall ravage treasure,
every precious vessel Hosea 13:13-15

First, there will be difficulty with pregnancy and,
– the child born will be defective – and not survive
• the way Robert Alter’s translation reads verse 14, is that God is asking Israel these questions
• if the nation waits to turn to God only when they finally recognize disaster that has come upon them,
◦ will they expect him to rescue their children from Sheol?
(Sheol was the grave, the underworld, the abode of the dead)
– God’s empathy and mercy throughout the Hebrew Scriptures is overwhelming
• but there is a limit – and when Israel has is resisted him to the very end,
he says, “Regret is hidden from My eyes” – no empathy, no recovery
◦ this tragedy is what God had been trying to spare them

This verse belongs to the previous chapter
Samaria is guilty,
for it rebelled against its God.
They shall fall by the sword,
their infants shall be smashed,
and their pregnant women split apart Hosea 14:1

When Israel would finally be defeated by the Assyrian army,
– their enemies would deal with them brutally, and showing no mercy to anyone

Now, at the end, Hosea’s does not end in despair
Turn back, O Israel, to the LORD your God,
for you have stumbled in your crime.
Take words with you
and turn back to the LORD.
Say to Him, “All crime You shall forgive.
And take what is good,
and we shall offer our speech instead of bulls Hosea 14:2-3

We will hear three voices in this chapter
– first, the voice of Hosea, urging God’s unruly children,
“Turn back, O Israel, to the LORD your God”
• having taken the wrong path for so many years,
◦ they “stumbled” in it, and that is where they now find themselves
• they need to go to God and say what needs to be said
◦ that doesn’t mean their speech is insincere,
◦ or that they’re trying to talk God into accepting them

What comes to mind is the parable of the “Prodigal Son,” who when returning home prepares a speech to deliver to his father. His words are sincere and his willingness to live by them is authentic. This is what Hosea has in mind for Israel. An authentic confession of their need for him and willingness to give him all that he asks.

• the problem is, the rituals of sacrifice no longer work
◦ they had devoted those gifts to pagan deities, and now they’ve become corrupted and meaningless
◦ what they have to do is speak the truth
– there’s a psalm that covers this perfectly:
“For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps. 51:16-17)

Next, we hear the voice of the people
“Assyria will not rescue us,
on horses we shall not ride.
And we shall say no more ‘our God’
to our handiwork,
as in You alone the orphan is shown pity” Hosea 14:4

They renounce all the empty commitments they had embraced
– they are orphans, knowing only God would adopt them

Then, third, we hear God’s voice as he imagines welcoming them home
“I will heal their rebellion
I will love them freely,
for My wrath has turned back from them.
I will be like dew to Israel.
He shall blossom like the lily
and strike root like Lebanon.
His branches shall go forth
and his glory be like the olive tree,
and his fragrance like Lebanon.
Those who dwell in his shade shall come back,
they shall give life to new grain,
and like the vine they shall blossom.
His fame is like Lebanon wine.
Ephraim—‘Why more should I deal with idols?
I have answered and I espy Him
I am like the lush cypress.
From me your fruit is found.’” Hosea 14:5-9

They will flourish, as God has always wanted them to flourish
– living in his presence, enjoying his goodness
– and his promise! “I will love them freely”
• there are many days when I need to be loved freely
• loved generously, without deserving it, built up by it
“love edifies”

Conclusion: The very last verse is not at all in the prophetic style

It is, in fact, straight out of the wisdom literature; that is to say, like the Book of Proverbs
Who is wise and can grasp these things,
discerning, and can know them?
For straight are the ways of the LORD,
and the righteous shall walk on them,
but rebels shall stumble on them Hosea 14:10

In other words, Hosea requires a careful and intuitive reading
A major portion of the book is analogy,
and some parts have more than one layer of meaning
When we go back over it, we must read each passage with both our mind and heart
But for now, we are invited to run into God’s arms, and belong to him
Only, let’s make certain we are walking in HIS ways
Frederick Buechner, “We have only one life, and the choice of how we are going to live it must be our own choice, not one that we should let the world make for us.”
To “get saved” in this way is not me becoming a better version of myself
Rather, it’s about becoming the person God dreams me to be
And his dream for us, if difficult, or painful, or seemingly impossible, is still fantastic

Podcast

Welcome and prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
If the proof is in the pudding
Then the pudding for us
Is how we treat other people.
We can claim you love us
And set us free
And made us whole
And we can claim we love You
With all we are
It is easy.
And the words can be
Dead empty

Help us to love those
Near to us
Giving up
Our desire to be right
Or one up
Instead treating them with tenderness
Patience
Gentleness
Kindness
Bearing their burdens
Lightening their loads
Standing with them
Standing up for them
Sharing their joys
and fears

And let us
Do good for all people
Defending the vulnerable
Feeding the hungry
Welcoming the stranger
granting hospitality
Sacrificing for others
No longer standing in the way
But letting justice roll down
Because we really do love you
And honor your love
And your sacrifice
For us
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Intro: Friday morning, near the end of a long walk,

I passed by a mother and her toddler son
– he was on a small four-wheel bike, perfectly fitted to him
• he was poised to move from asphalt to a dirt slope
◦ I said, “Looks like you’re about to go off-roading,”
◦ more for his mom’s sake than his
• he looked at me with the most engaging smile
◦ it was the loveliest moment of my morning
– I kept walking, but he didn’t take his eyes off of me
• he turned his head as I passed,
◦ so I had to walk backwards to hold his gaze
◦ his mom was quiet, but enjoying her son’s response
• if cherubs were small, toddler-looking angels,
◦ he could have been a model for the prototype

My mind kept returning to him as I prepared for this morning
– that’s because we have come to an unexpected twist
• God drops the unfaithful wife theme and shifts to a paternal analogy
• there is a gripping message here of God’s intense love
◦ only now it is not for his wife, but for his son
– chapters 11 and 12 paint a picture of God as parent and Israel as child
• the focus of chapter 11 is on the parent – God
◦ the focus of chapter 12 is on the child; who is both:
◦ Jacob the man and Israel the nation–moving back and forth from one to other
• and as we read these chapters, we wonder, how God could love these people as deeply as he does

God opens his heart in a rare display of vulnerable love
For Israel was a lad and I loved him,
and from Egypt I called to My son.
They called to them,
yet they went off from them.
To the Baalim they sacrificed,
and to the idols they burned incense.
Yet I taught Ephraim to walk,
took him by his arms,
but they did not know that I had healed them.
With human cords I tugged them,
with bonds of love,
and I became to them
like those who lift an infant to their cheeks,
and I bent over them and fed them Hosea 11:1-4

In chapter 12, God will explain that he communicated with Israel though his prophets
“[with] many visions [and] showed forth images”
– we also see that much of the prophetic word was cast in the form of poetry,
• which is the expressive language of the human soul
◦ poetry is meant to speak to our experience, move our emotions, and inform our thoughts
• here, at beginning of chapter 11, Israel is a lad, God’s son
◦ and God’s comment regarding him goes right to my heart, “and I loved him”
◦ this is a love poem to from God to his people
– he called his son out from Egypt
• the “they” in verse 2 probably refers to God’s agents who called to his people
◦ e.g., Moses, Aaron, and the prophets
• but after leaving Egypt, Israel went off from them,
◦ making sacrifices and offering incense to the Baal gods (Canaanite deities)

Yet I taught Ephraim to walk
– this is a big moment for every parent – their baby’s first step
• one that mom and dad enjoy sharing together
◦ those wobbly steps take clumsy steps forward, as their brain creates new neural pathways
• and in this particular instance, we watch God as he’s bending over his toddlers,
◦ holding onto their arms to steady them
◦ sharing his children’s joy as they develop this new skill
“but they did not know that I had healed them”
– I imagine God thumbing through his photo album
• we begin to see a pattern: God acts in love for Israel, but they fail to reciprocate
• of course, teenagers don’t remember learning to walk
◦ they hardly understand how much attention they received when very small

“I became like those who lift an infant to their cheeks”
– it is not just that an infant’s cheeks are smooth and soft,
• but the skin of a parent’s cheek is more sensitive than their calloused hands
◦ this physical touch communicates love and connection
• then the human cords and bonds of love become critical factors in the child’s care
◦ the psychology of attachment formation has taught us,
◦ how our ability to form healthy relationships later on,
depends on these interactions between child and care giver

Again, the pattern of this chapter, as God loves and the child pulls away
No! He turned back to the land of Egypt,
and Assyria was his king,
for they refused to come back to Me.
And the sword shall swoop down on his towns
and destroy his limbs
and devour because of their counsels.
And My people cling to rebellion against Me.
When they call him on high,
he does not rise up Hosea 11:5-7

To me, this looks like adolescent rebellion,
– when our children don’t feel they need or want our help
• what they go through may be a normal phase of maturing
• but it’s a phase that if not carefully approached, in wisdom and love, can become a way of life,
in which they habituate a fixed attitude of fighting and rebelling

If we don’t read this next passage well, we are like to get wrong ideas|
How can I give you over, Ephraim
surrender you, Israel?
How can I make you like Admah,
set you like Zeboiim?
My heart churns within me,
My compassion altogether is stirred.
I will not act in My blazing wrath,
I will no more destroy Ephraim.
For I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I do not desire to root out.
After the LORD they shall go,
like a lion He shall roar.
When he roars,
the sons shall hasten from the west.
They shall hasten like a bird from Egypt,
like a dove from Assyria’s land
and I will settle them in their homes, said the LORD Hosea 11:8-11

The Bible is not at all embarrassed by representing God as human
– he is clearly not human, but infinitely more and “other than” human
• but if his true nature is transcendent, and beyond our experiencing, or knowing, or understanding,
◦ how can we say anything about him?
◦ our human words and concepts will always be inadequate, and if inadequate, then wrong
• God presents himself to us with ideas, pictures, analogies, metaphors, parables, and so on
◦ the human aspect of these stories are meaningful to us, because they fit in our world
◦ so God’s self-revelation is generally:
anthropomorphic: as having a human form
anthropopathic: as having human feelings and emotions
– this is how God reveals himself to us in these verses, and it is overwhelming

God reveals himself as torn up by an intense inner turmoil
– he knows, if he can create in us a feeling of total frustration,
• then we’ll understand something about his experience with Israel
“How can I give you over? How can I surrender you?”
• he can’t bring himself to let go of his people or see them destroy themselves
◦ his love for them won’t allow him to give up on them
◦ Admah and Zeboiim were two cities that were destroyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah
“My heart churns within me,” God says
◦ we might say, “My stomach is in a knot”
This is a frustration so great that it is felt in the deepest regions of the body
– then God comes to a decision, “I will not act in My blazing wrath”
• how can he do this? How can he suspend judgment?
• he is able to come to this decision on the basis of who he is
“For I am God and not a man” – God always has the ultimate and final say
◦ he leans on his own authority to determine how he will respond to Israel

What God is saying in verses 10-11, is that when the lion roars, it is call its cubs to come running. This reminds me of the way Dad would signal my brother to rush home. He could whistle so loudly three specific notes, that we could hear him from several blocks away and would immediately race home. Both Isaiah and Zechariah make reference to God’s whistle:
“He will raise a signal for nations far away,
and whistle for them from the ends of the earth;
and behold, quickly, speedily they come!” (Isa. 5:26)
“I will whistle for them and gather them in,
for I have redeemed them,
and they shall be as many as they were before” (Zech. 10:8)

Chapter 12 offers us a different way to review Israel’s history

It is biography of Jacob–wrestling: with Esau in womb; with Laban; and with God
– in his third contest, God renamed him Israel
• the biography splices together Jacob and nation of Israel,
◦ moving from one to the other and back again

“Ephraim encircled Me in denial,
and the house of Israel in deceit.
But Judah still stays with God
and with the holy ones is faithful.
Ephraim herds the wind
and chases the east wind all day.
Lies and plunder he multiplies
and seals a pact with Assyria,
oil to Egypt is brought” Hosea 12:1-2)

This is a brief introduction to the chapter
– the two halves of the nation went different ways–Israel to the north while Judah remained in the south
“Ephraim herds the wind” is a way of saying they will come to nothing but futility and emptiness (v. 12)

From their births on, Jacob was a “cheat”
“And the LORD has a cause against Judah
to make a reckoning with Jacob for his acts,
by his deeds He shall pay him back.
In the womb he cheated his brother,
and with his power he strove with God.
He strove with the Messenger and prevailed—
he wept and pleaded with him.
At Bethel he did find him,
‘And there he spoke with us’” Hosea 12:3-5

– Bethel is prominent in Jacob’s story for two reasons:
• first, he rested there on his way to Laban and again returning home twenty years later
• second, God appeared to him and spoke to him both times

God had a destiny for Jacob other than what he engineered
“And the LORD God of Armies,
the LORD is what He is called.
As for you, to your God you shall turn back,
faithfulness and justice keep,
and hope for your God always” Hosea 12:6-7

“the LORD God of Armies” is a title for God found many times in the Psalms and Prophets

A one word description of Israel
“A huckster in whose hand are cheating scales
loving to exploit!
And Ephraim said,
“’Why I have grown rich,
found power for myself.
All my gains do not expose for me
a crime that is an offense’” Hosea 12:8-9

The Hebrew word translated “huckster” (or merchant) is the name of the land of Canaan
– situated along three important trade routs, Canaan was naturally a land of merchants
• God named his people “Israel,” but they became Canaan
• and Jacob, likewise, was a clever and unscrupulous trader
– previously we’ve seen how materialism has become a deity that competes with God for our hearts
• what is sad about Ephraim, is the justification they used to exploit others to expand their riches
“All my gains do not expose for me
a crime that is an offense”
• if we’re making lots of money, we need to ask ourselves, “Who is benefitting and who is burdened?”
◦ lots of people (even some ministers) assume their material success proves that they’re pleasing God
◦ a believer may think, “I happen to be good at what I do,”
while God observes them and says, “Huckster”

God was determined to bring Israel to their appointed destiny

“But I am the LORD your God
from the time of the land of Egypt
Once more will I settle you in tents
as on the festival days.
And I spoke to the prophets,
and I framed many visions
and through the prophets showed forth images.
If Gilead does wrong,
they become an empty thing.
At Gilgal they offered bulls.
Their altars, too, are like heaps of ruins
in furrows of the field.
And Jacob fled to the field of Aram,
and Israel labored for a woman,
(referring to Jacob serving Laban for seven years in exchange for his daughter, Rachel, to be his wife)
and for a woman he guarded the flocks.
But by a prophet the LORD brought up Israel from Egypt,
and by a prophet it was guarded” Hosea 12:10-14

Whereas they boasted their wealth, God was going to again settle them in tents
– at the end of the chapter, Jacob is contrasted to Moses
Robert Alter, “There is an antithesis here: Jacob labored for a woman, but it was by Moses that God rescued the Hebrews from slavery. . . . . The guarding of the people by a prophet is a nobler thing than the guarding of flocks by Jacob.”

Conclusion: Of course, Hosea can’t leave us on an up note!
“Ephraim was bitterly vexing,
and his bloodguilt shall be set upon him,
and his Master shall pay him back for his shame” Hosea 12:15

But then again, we do have to make a decision regarding God’s faithful love
Will I make my home in the world’s iniquity or God’s intimacy?

My first real encounter with Hosea (and it was life-changing)
occurred when reading a devotional book by the Reverend G. Campbell Morgan:
Hosea: The Heart and Holiness of God
Morgan explains that the right thing to do with Israel, would be to abandon them,
to leave them to the destructive consequences of their sins
God knew what they deserved, but something was holding him back
G. Campbell Morgan, “It was not something in Israel, but something in God.”
The same thing is true of all of us
“As God is my witness, I cannot see it when I look at myself. That is the amazing thing. Because of what God is, He sees me, and sees my possibility….”
He sees our possibility, because he placed it there within us
And through the wrenching ordeal his love for us caused him,
he will preserve, promote and perfect that possibility
until it is the shining characteristic of our life in him

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
Together
We come
Our hearts full
And we offer
Our gratitude
Our thankfulness
Our praise
For all of it
Every joy
Every lament
All of it

We are ready to sing
Every smile and giggle
Every surprise
Every blessing
Every sweet memory
That have filled our days
For us
This is easy

Let us,
Cause us to also
sing our sorrows with you
Of our losses
Of our hearts being torn
Of lives broken before our eyes
About cruelty
And injustice
And destruction
We are seeing
Experiencing
Of lies being told
And repeated
And repeated
And repeated

And show us the way
Back to joy
And justice
And peace
And we will come along
And sing that song too
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr

Imagine you’re walking through an art gallery, and standing nearby is the artist whose work you admiring. So you point to an object in one corner of an especially beautiful painting, and ask the artist, “Why did you put this right here? What does it mean?” The artist–if a true artist answers, “Well, if I could explain it, I would not have had to paint it.” You would get a similar answer from a poet, a composer, a sculpture, and most any other artist. “If I could explain it, I would not have had to write it, compose it, sculpt it.” Their work does not always begin with an idea, but oftentimes with an inspiration.

Intro: I’m not trying to avoid jumping into Hosea

However, I want to enter Hosea’s by way of Matthew’s gospel
“When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt. 9:36-37)
– this is a simple observation, the Lord saw something, and it made an impression on him
• but Matthew provides more than the bare details of the narrative.
◦ he includes a description of how the people looked to Jesus: “like sheep without a shepherd”
• we’re not supposed to read this literally
◦ Jesus was looking at people, not sheep,
◦ and they appeared to be leaderless, but they did not need a shepherd
– we refer to literary analogies like this as metaphors
• if we’re going to be technical, this instance is not a metaphor, but a simile
◦ that is, a comparison of an act or object to something unrelated using words “like” or “as”
(metaphors do not use those words)
◦ but since we’re not writing an essay, and I’m not going to be graded on this, I’ll use only the word metaphor
• there are two ways that I want to demonstrate how metaphors assist the reader:
◦ first, comparisons can add a different dimension of information that clarifies a statement
◦ second, metaphors appeal to emotion and generate feelings regarding literal statements
(That is what I like about this example of Jesus; seeing through his eyes we’re able to feel what he felt)

Hosea, chapters 7 and 8 are peppered with metaphors

Those will be our way points through these chapters
– we’ll see that most of them are introduced with “like a . . .”
• for instance, in 7:4 (the first of our metaphors) reads, “All of them are adulterers like a burning oven”
• let’s get started

When I would restore the fortunes of My people,
and I would heal Israel,
Ephraim’s crime is laid bare
and the evils of Samaria,
for they have acted in lies;
the thief comes within
and the gang raids outside.
And let them not say in their heart
that I have recalled all their evil.
Now their deeds have turned them around —
before My face they are.
In their evil they gladden the king,
and with their deceits, the nobles.
All of them are adulterers,
like a burning oven.
The baker ceases from stirring,
from kneading the dough till it rises.
On the day of our king
the nobles made him sick with poisoned wine.
He had set his hand with the scoffers.
For they drew near in their ambush,
their hearts like an oven.
All night their leader sleeps,
in the morning he burns like a tongue of flame.
They all grow hot like an oven,
and devour the judges
All of their kings have fallen,
none among them calls to Me Hosea 7:1-7

The phrase “restore the fortunes” occurs many times in Hebrew Scriptures
– it is the promise that God would bring Israel to the blessings they once enjoyed in a previous era of prosperity
(a promise of healing, repair, and renewal of their covenant relationship)
• if some of Israel’s people were held captive in foreign lands, “restore the fortunes” would mean their return to their own land
• if the nation had been looted by enemy invaders or devastated by crop failure, “restore the fortunes” would mean God replenishing Israel with new blessings
– by far, the majority of times this phrase appears is in the books of the prophets
• mostly Jeremiah and Ezekiel, though we also find it in Deuteronomy, Job, and the Psalms
• God is saying that he was prepared to do this again for Israel — and it was long overdue
◦ however, their spiritual and moral failure got in their way
◦ theirs was a society compromised by lies (e.g., “the deceits of the nobles”)
• and the corruption was internal as well as external
“the thief comes within
and the gang raids outside”
• and God had not even “recalled all their evil”
◦ we might hope that the nation’s rulers would put a stop to the lies and corruption
◦ but those sins “gladdened the king” and their deceits pleased his nobles
▫ that is, those who shared and enforced his rulership

This brings us to our first metaphor,
“all of them are adulterers
like a burning oven”
– heat is introduced here and becomes theme for several verses
• but the metaphor will have different applications
◦ here, the heat refers to sexual passion (like an “animal in heat”)
◦ next, it is their hearts that are “like an oven,” cooking up plots and conspiracies
◦ then their leader responds when he wakens in the morning, burning “like a tongue of flame”
• as this metaphor fades, we learn why we don’t play with fire
“All of their kings have fallen”
◦ this was the fate of every king in northern Israel
◦ and why had they fallen? We’re told, “none of them calls to Me”
– this completes the thought that began in verse 1
• God was ready to restore their fortunes
◦ but none of their leaders were seeking God or his help
◦ so the restoration had not occurred

In the next metaphor Israel appears as a half-baked nation
Ephraim among the nations —
it is he who mingles.
Ephraim is like a loaf
not turned over.
Strangers consume his strength,
but he did not know.
His hair turned suddenly gray,
but he did not know.
And Israel’s pride bore witness against it,
yet for all that they did not seek him. Hosea 7:8-13

“Ephraim” became the leading tribe of northern Israel
– here Ephraim represents the entire nation
• God set Israel apart from all the nations, but they mixed in with them
◦ they were compromised by their idolatry and pagan gods
• the next metaphor is,
“a loaf
not turned over”
◦ and refers to a flat bread, like pita, baked over coals
◦ if it isn’t turned, it bakes on one side and is raw on the other
– half-baked devotion to God is a divided loyalty
• Jesus’ lesson comes to mind, “No one can serve two masters”
◦ but what is really scary about this condition, is that,
◦ the nation was deteriorating, and no one noticed it!
“Strangers consumed his strength,
but he did not know.
His hair turned suddenly gray,
but he did not know
(Who doesn’t notice when their hair turns gray?!)
• do we get a clue as to why they were unable to see their demise?
◦ it was their “pride [that] bore witness against it”
◦ and they continued down this road because “they did not seek him”

Two more impressive metaphors
And Ephraim became like a
foolish senseless dove.
To Egypt they called,
to Assyria they went.
Where they go
I will spread my net upon them.
Like the fowl of the heavens I will bring them down.
I will bind them as their kinfolk listen.
Woe to them for they have wandered from Me.
Disaster for them, as they rebelled against Me!
Shall I redeem them
when they have spoken against Me lies?
And they did not cry out to Me from their heart,
but they wailed upon their couch,
over grain and new wine they gashed themselves,
they swerved away from Me.
I braced, I strengthened their arm,
but against Me they plotted evil.
They go back to what is worthless,
they are like a faulty bow.
Their nobles shall fall by the sword
because of their angry tongue,
which is their mockery in the land of Egypt Hosea 7:14-16

How was it that Ephraim was “a foolish senseless dove”?
– first it flitted off to Egypt, and then flew up to Assyria
• in other words, they lack a dove’s powerful homing instinct
◦ they can’t find their way back to their dove cote
◦ their true home was God and not in the other nations
“Woe to them for they have wandered from Me”
• what does God do about this silly dove, flying in circles?
“I will spread my net upon them”
◦ obviously, nets were used to snare birds
◦ then, with another metaphor,
“Like the fowl of the heavens I will bring them down”

And then:
Woe to them for they have wandered from Me.
Disaster for them, as they rebelled against Me!
– wandering away is one thing, rebellion is another thing altogether
• but wandering can easily evolve into rebellion
• implies they had indeed cried out to God, but not from their heart
(that is, not sincerely, not to prepared to surrender to him completely)
◦ I’m going to be blunt regarding how this appears relevant
◦ ninety percent of what I see posted in social media that is meant to represent scripture or the mind of God, is either wrong, offensive, or nonsense
– there are many people who assume they are Christians, doing God’s will
• but if you don’t even know God’s will, how can you possibly be doing it?

The last metaphor in the chapter, “they are like a faulty bow”
– with a warped or broken bow, you’re going to miss the target or possibly harm yourself

Chapter 8 begins with something like an air-raid siren
A ram’s horn to your lips!
—he is like an eagle against the LORD’s house.
For they have breached My covenant
and rebelled against My teaching.
To me they cry out —
“We know you, O God of Israel!”
They set up kings but not through Me,
installed nobles but without My knowledge.
From their silver and their gold
they made themselves idols,
that they might be cut off.
Your calf rejects you, Samaria,
My wrath against them flares.
How long will they fail to be clean?
And it—a craftsman made it,
and it is not a god.
For shards it shall become,
the calf of Samaria.
For they sow the wind
and harvest a storm.
Standing grain that has no sprouts,
it will not make flour.
If it should perhaps make some,
strangers will swallow it up.
Israel has been swallowed,
now they have become among the nations
like a vessel no one wants.
For they have gone up to Assyria,
a wild ass on its own is Ephraim,
they have made courtship’s plea.
Though they give gifts among the nations,
now will I gather them up,
and they will soon tremble
from the burden of kings and nobles.
For Ephraim made many altars
an offense they were for him,
altars to offend.
I wrote for him My many teachings —
like something strange they were viewed.
The sacrifices I gave they slaughtered,
it was flesh, and they ate.
The LORD did not accept them favorably.
Now will their crime be recalled,
and a reckoning made for their offense.
They shall go back to Egypt.
And Israel forgot his Maker
and he built palaces.
And Judah made many fortified towns,
but I set fire to his towns,
and it consumed his citadels Hosea 8

I think we’ve caught the rhythm of Hosea’s poetry,
– so we’ll move faster through this chapter
• the first metaphor, “like an eagle” appears here in contrast to the silly dove
• Israel attempted to defend themselves, “We know you, O God of Israel”
◦ but God immediate exposes the shallowness of that claim
“Israel rejects what is good”
◦ I think there is an equivalent of this error today, when people who think they’re Christians assume they can dispense with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount
• another big problem is when nobles were installed without God’s knowledge;
◦ this doesn’t mean knowledge of God, but not adhering to the truth God had revealed
“I wrote for him My many teachings” (v. 12)
◦ they either rejected it or ignored it in making decisions and running the country
– God has an ultimate word regarding their idols:
“a craftsman made it,
and it is not a god”
• in my opinion, this could apply to a lot of religious products and productions

Let’s look at three more metaphors

the metaphor in verse 7:
“They sow to the wind
and harvest a storm”
– Paul filled out this metaphor a little more in Galatians: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Gal.6:7)
the metaphor in verse 8:
“now they’ve become among the nations
like a vessel no one wants”
– a misshapen pot, perhaps, or a jug that was leaky
– in context, this would be a prostitute with no clients
the metaphor in verse 9:
“a wild ass on its own is Ephraim”
Israel did not fit in anywhere in the world
Robert Alter, “The wild ass figures in biblical poetry as a creature that cannot be
tamed, living solitary in the wilderness.”

For me, the final verses in this chapter describe a sad and tragic situation
– people think that they’re worshiping God by performing religious rituals
• they pour themselves into it with out knowing God is rejecting it
• stoked up emotions in worship cannot replace daily service to God
◦ caring for the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the sojourner
– when all is said and done, Israel “shall go back to Egypt” (v. 13)
• a centuries-long journey only to end up where they began — a tragic waste

Conclusion: I’m going to suggest something – something “creative”

At the risk of sounding really lame, let’s try our hand at poetry
Find a moment to sit in stillness and reflect on your life
This is exactly what Israel failed to do – and it has often been one of our failures
Have you achieved your life’s work and so retire now?
Or does it seem like there’s still much that is missing or unfinished?
Create a metaphor to describes where you find yourself at this moment in life
It doesn’t have to be clever, beautiful, or awesome
It only has to be carefully thought-out, true, and sincere
Then make that metaphor your prayer for this week
And may God use this to take us further on this amazing journey