The Love Story

Hosea:  1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sins have brought you down. 2 Bring your confessions (true repentance), and return to the Lord. Say to Him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer You our praises. . . . 9 Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But in those (right) paths sinners stumble and fall. Hosea 14:1-2, 9 (NLT).

The Book of Hosea gives God’s special message of His love. Some biblical scholars have called the Book of Hosea “the second greatest love story in the Bible.” Of course, the first greatest love story in the Bible is the incarnation, life, suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Yet, the message of Hosea tells of God’s timeless love and gives humans a look into the very heart of God. Revelations of God's love, faithfulness, judgment, mercy, grace, jealous, and holiness are revealed in this story. Hosea’s name means “the Lord saves.” God repeatedly sought to save His people, Israel, from their sins. Today, God’s people are those who accept by faith and obedience Jesus Christ. These people are now called the church or the Israel of God and are composed of both Jews and Gentiles (Galatians 6:16; Ephesians 2:11-22).

The Book of Hosea centers around the prophet Hosea’s love and betrayal of an unfaithful wife called Gomer. Gomer was a prostitute and sought the love of other men and not her faithful husband, Hosea. However, the Book of Hosea has more to do with humankind’s unfaithfulness and adultery to the faithful and loving God. Just as Gomer was unfaithful, Israel was unfaithful like a prostitute by seeking and loving other gods. Hosea continued to seek and love Gomer, despite her unfaithfulness. But Hosea was also very anger with Gomer. Like Hosea, God persistently sought His people with love. Yet, God was also anger with the people because of their spiritual adultery against Him. Instead of the people responding to God with love and gratitude, the people pursued others gods and other nations. God’s holiness demanded divorce and judgment for unfaithfulness. In His love and mercy, God sought and promised to forgive His unfaithful people if they would only wholeheartedly turn to Him as their God.

Moreover, the Book of Hosea addresses a time of Israel’s prosperity in the northern kingdom, also called Ephraim. Israel was experiencing boundary expansion and some Israelites amassed great wealth. Yet, Israel had decayed spiritually. Israel supported heavy taxes and oppression of the poor. Even worse, Israel turned to pagan gods and away from the true and living God of Israel. Israel was only interested in God for His material blessings and benefits and not a close and genuine heart relationship with Him as their God. The hearts of the people were empty, religion was shallow, and corruption ran rampant throughout the nation. In particular, the law was manipulated to favor the rich and religion was really just a mere show. God had blessed Israel, but they lived only for pleasure. The people had abandoned hard work, integrity and morality and lived only to please themselves. All these behaviors reflected a negligence of love for God as well as for their fellow citizens.

The prophet Hosea sent a message to the northern kingdom of Israel to return to God for their help and security and away from other gods, foreign nations, and their wealth. Only the true and living God could heal, restore, and protect Israel. Hosea warned the people that unless they truly repented of their sin and turn their whole hearts back to God, they were headed for judgment and destruction (Deuteronomy 27-28). Sadly, Israel disregarded the prophet’s warnings of God’s judgment and continued to live in total disregard for God and His commands. Israel’s northern kingdom fell to Assyria invasion and destruction in 722 B.C. and Assyria carried the northern Israelites into captivity.

God has always wanted a close and personal relationship with His people.  Since the beginning of time, God had made a covenant with humankind to be their God (see e.g., Genesis 9:8-17; Genesis 15:9-21; Genesis 17; Exodus 19-24; 2 Samuel 7:5-16). As God of the universe, He promised His faithful love, blessings, and protection for His people only if they would walk humbly, mercifully and obediently with Him as their God (see e.g., Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 9:13). God is our loving Husband and Provider. He wants to give His intimate love to His people. God does not want to be one of many gods, but the only true and living God of our lives. We as humans are God’s bride (Isaiah 54:4-8; Ephesians 5:25-27Revelation 21:1-2). God does not want to share His bride with another god. He wants to provide everything we need as a loving Husband: food, clothing, land, peace, and security.

Sadly, sin and disobedience damage our close and personal relationship with God and breaks God’s heart. The message of Hosea teaches that as we neglect God we get into trouble (see also Proverbs 14:34). God is merciful and filled with loving kindness (e.g., Psalm 100:5; Psalm 103:13; Psalm 136). But even God and His presence will not endure if we insist on continual sin and disobedience. God may temporarily withdraw His Spirit to our sins and foolishness (Luke 15) and punish us to get our attention. But, God will always welcome us as we turn from sin and turn our whole hearts to Him. Even with His judgment of sin, God is merciful and will restore us as we truly repent and turn to Him as our God.

So, let us all reaffirm your complete devotion, commitment and love to God of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God wants our genuine, wholehearted love and allegiance to Him as the true and living God of the universe (Deuteronomy 6:4-6). Only God can truly satisfy the deep desires of our hearts and not money, possessions nor activities. All the more, only God can provide us true protection and safety, and not our wealth, military power nor foreign alliances. Like Israel, God promises to forgive our sins as we turn our whole hearts to Him in faith and belief. The Book of Hosea shows that God longs not to punish but to love us. Let everyone turn their hearts to God!

Total Commitment

Joshua:  14 "So now: Fear (reverence, respect) GOD. Worship (serve) Him in total commitment. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped on the far side of The River (the Euphrates) and in Egypt. You, worship GOD. 15 "If you decide that it's a bad thing to worship GOD, then choose a god you'd rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you're now living. As for me and my family, we'll worship GOD." 16 The people answered, "We'd never forsake GOD! Never! We'd never leave GOD to worship other gods. 17 "GOD is our God! He brought up our ancestors from Egypt and from slave conditions. He did all those great signs while we watched. He has kept His eye on us all along the roads we've traveled and among the nations we've passed through. 18 Just for us He drove out all the nations, Amorites and all, who lived in the land. Count us in: We too are going to worship GOD. He's our God." 19 Then Joshua told the people: "You can't do it; you're not able to worship GOD. He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He won't put up with your fooling around (rebellion) and sinning. 20 When you leave GOD and take up the worship of foreign gods, He'll turn right around and come down on you hard. He'll put an end to you—and after all the good He has done for you!" 21 But the people told Joshua: "No! No! We worship GOD!" 22 And so Joshua addressed the people: "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen GOD for yourselves—to worship Him." And they said, "We are witnesses." 23 Joshua said, "Now get rid of all the foreign gods you have with you. Say an unqualified Yes (yield your hearts) to GOD, the God of Israel." 24 The people answered Joshua, "We will worship GOD. What He says, we'll do." Joshua 24:14-24 (The Message Bible).

Joshua 24 records Joshua’s final words to the Israelites at Shechem. He challenged the people to make a sensible choice. The people had to choose whether they would love and worship the true and living God with total commitment or other gods of the land. In taking a strong stand for God, Joshua made a total and wholehearted commitment to love and worship the true and living God of Israel. Likewise, Joshua called on the people to put away their idols and gods (Joshua 24:14) and to love and worship the true and living God above all other gods (Joshua 24:23).

God desires and demands our total allegiance and commitment to Him (Exodus 20:3-11; Hosea 2:13). There is only one God and only one true faith taught in the Holy Scriptures. The true God is the God revealed in Jesus Christ (John 17). Yet, our world wants to accept many religions or combine aspects of one religion to another (Romans 1:18-25). These actions are called syncretism and are not new. Ancient Israel was constantly tempted to absorb or combine Canaanite worship of fertility gods and goddesses into the worship of God. Moreover, the first century Roman world worshipped many gods and all sorts of cults flourished. Gnosticism found in the first century Roman world is similar to the modern day New Age movement.

God is “a jealous God” (Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 4:24; Joshua 24:19) and He will not tolerate rivals. He does not want to be one of several gods in our lives. The true and living God wants to be Lord of all with our total heart commitment to Him (Exodus 20:3). Even more, God will not tolerate unfaithfulness and idolatry. Other gods or idols can also be money, jealousies, prejudices, status, or fame. Yet, seeking these idols and other gods can cause one to lose sight of the meaning of life and of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). The true meaning of life is to love and obey God (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Matthew 22:34-40). God wants our total commitment, which means our wholehearted love, faithfulness, and allegiance to Him as God (Joshua 24:14, 23). He wants everyone to make a sincere and honest commitment to Him first from the heart (Matthew 6:33). God wants a personal and close relationship as their God. The true and living God of the Holy Scriptures desires to be love, respected, and worshiped first and foremost (Exodus 20:3; Matthew 6:33).

Worshipping other gods or idols is spiritual adultery (Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Jeremiah 3; Ezekiel 16; Hosea 2). Idolatry means any object of love, affection, and worship that comes before God. The apostle Paul seemingly enlarged the meaning of idolatry to include covetousness and greed (Colossian 3:5). In fact, the Holy Scriptures are clear about the evil and dangers of practicing idolatry (see e.g., Psalms 115:4-7; Isaiah 44:9-20; Jeremiah 2; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; 1 Corinthians 10:14, 19-21; 1 John 5:19-21). None is more graphic and devastating than that in Isaiah 44:9-20. The idol is made by a man but is powerless to help the man. The idol begins as a piece of a tree and made into a god. Thus, the man worships no more than a block of wood. God is Spirit (John 4:24). One of the prominent and distinguishing features of the true and living God is the reflection of His divine image found in Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:15-23). God desires our true spiritual worship from our hearts, minds, and souls and not to any “… graven image…” or idol (Exodus 20:4-5; Exodus 32).

Joshua was not the only person to encourage the people to wholeheartedly follow God. Moses challenged the people to wholeheartedly worship God (see Deuteronomy 30:15-20). Moses encouraged the people to choose

“. . . between life and death, between blessings and curses. . . . Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying Him, and committing yourself firmly to Him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land . . .” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 – New Living Translation).

Moreover, Elijah challenged the Israelites on Mount Carmel, “. . . How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow Him …” (I King 18:21 – The Message). Hosea also challenged the people and prophesied “Israel, have nothing to do with idols. I, the Lord, am the One who answers your prayers and watches over you. I am like a green pine tree; your blessings come from Me. . . . The Lord’s ways are right. Good people live by following them . . .” (Hosea 14:8-9 – New Century Version). Moreover, the apostle Paul challenged the people “So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides…” (Colossians 3:1 Message Bible).  

Yet, humans are unable to totally worship God without God’s help (Joshua 24:19). By choosing God, He gives us His Holy Spirit to help us obey and serve Him while on earth (John 14 – 16). God had chosen Joshua to lead Israel because Joshua had the Holy Spirit within His heart to obey, serve God and lead Israel (Numbers 11:16-30; Numbers 27:18; Deuteronomy 34:9). Joshua was concerned for God’s glory, obedience to God, and the benefit of the people. We too can obtain God’s Holy Spirit just like Joshua by turning our hearts to God with love, openness, and a desire to follow Him as our God. God says, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit" (Zechariah 4:6; see also Hosea 1:7). Humans can only through God's Holy Spirit obey and faithfully serve God. With God and His Holy Spirit on our sides, we can do anything (Matthew 17:20; Matthew 21:21; Mark 10:27)!
 

God's Love

3 The Lord surely loves His people and takes care of all those who belong to Him. Deuteronomy 33:3 (NCV).

God loves you! He loves you so much and He wants a relationship with you (John 3:16). God is love (1 John 4:8-12). Even more, the Holy Bible speaks of God’s desire for humankind’s love, worship, and commitment to Him as the living God, humankind's Creator and Redeemer. To receive God’s love, we only need to believe in God and accept Him as the true and living God of our lives.

Often, the Holy Bible speaks of God’s love and commitment to humankind (e.g., Deuteronomy 33:3; Psalm 136:1). The complete expression of God’s love is found the amazing grace and overwhelming love that He showed to all the world by saving humans who deserve only conviction at the tremendous cost of Jesus Christ's death on the Cross at Calvary (Romans 3:22-24; Romans 5:5-8; Romans 8:32-39; Ephesians 2:1-10; Ephesians 3:14-18; Ephesians 5:25-27). Even more, God’s compassion and love never fails and “Great is His faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:23). Though God's ways of expressing His love are sometimes astonishing and confusing, the final testament of those who faithfully walk with God through life's ups and downs is that "every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed" (Joshua 23:14-15).

22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!” 25 The Lord is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him. Lamentations 3:22-25 (NLT).

 

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since He did not spare even His own Son (the Lord Jesus Christ) but gave Him up for us all, won’t He also give us everything else?. . . 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-32, 38-39 (NLT).

To learn more of God’s faithful love, one must read the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible is God’s love letter to the world and discusses God’s dealing with humankind throughout the years. In the Bible, we learn of God’s truth. The Holy Bible contains sixty-six books, thirty-nine written before Jesus Christ’s birth and twenty-seven after Jesus Christ’s death. The Holy Bible was written by human authors and all that Holy Bible writers teach should be respected. These sixty-six books are "God-breathed" meaning that these books are a product of God's Holy Spirit ("breath") and written to help all people live a divine life (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:15-17). All of the Holy Bible’s contents—histories, prophecies, poems, songs, wisdom writings, sermons, statistics, letters, and whatever else—should be received as from God. Many faithful leaders and ordinary people of God have found the Holy Bible as their guidebook for hope, encouragement, and guidance (Joshua 1:7-8; 2 Kings 17:13; 2 Kings 22:8-13; 1 Chronicles 22:12-13; Nehemiah 8; Psalm 119).
4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. Romans 15:4 (NLT).

Reference
Packer, J. I. Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs. 2001.

The Courageous Faith of Caleb

Does God Command Holy War?

Following Jesus

6 Jesus answered, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. The only way to (God) the Father is through Me." John 14:6 (NCV), see also Acts 4:12 and Hebrews 10:19-20.

One of the main purposes of the Holy Bible is to help people understand and accept the call to follow Jesus. Following Jesus means we get a NEW LIFE and a better life (2 Corinthians 5:17) empowered by God’s Holy Spirit (John 15:26; Galatians 5:22–26). For some, following Jesus can be difficult (Mark 10:24-25), while others find following Jesus relatively easy (Mark 2:14–15; Luke 7:36–50). In either case, God provides His grace through the Holy Spirit to help us in our journey to follow Jesus (Mark 10:27; John 14:17). Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to His followers to encourage, instruct, and strengthen them every day with life’s challenges and struggles (John 14:16–17, 26; John 15:26; John 16:7, 13).

Following Jesus requires a simple few steps: (1) a sincere commitment to turn away from sin and unhealthy habits (Mark 8:34–38; Romans 10:9-10); (2) trusting one’s life wholeheartedly  to Jesus in faith (Mark 1:15; Mark 5:34-36; Mark 10:52); (3) repenting of sins (Mark 1:15; Mark 6:12); and (4) total allegiance and loyalty to Jesus even above loyalty to one’s own family and friends (Luke 14:25-35). Jesus demands absolute and total commitment to Him as Lord and Savior (Mark 8:34–38; Luke 9:57–62).  In fact, following Jesus may cost you friends, money, popularity, leisure time, or sports and hobbies. 

God found in Jesus is worthy of all our love, affections, and worship (John 3:16-18).  All the more, God demands that He comes first in every area of our lives, even our families (Matthew 6:33).  Yet, the benefits of following Jesus greatly outweigh any temporary earthly sacrifices. Following Jesus is an eternal investment that will bring enormous rewards (Mark 8:35; Revelation 2:7, 10, 17, 26–28; Revelation 3:5, 12, 21). One day, all faithful believers will go to heaven to be with God (John 14:2–3). 

In addition, Jesus wants all believers to live sanctified or holy lives as God is holy (Leviticus 19:2; John 17:17). Believers are called to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13–16). Believers become sanctified (set apart for sacred use, cleansed and made holy) through faith in Jesus’ life and death (Romans 3:21–29; Hebrews 9:9–15) and obeying the Word of God (John 1:1–3; Hebrews 4:12). The Word of God is God’s truth. Daily application of God’s Word purifies our minds and hearts. Most important, obedience to God’s Word proves our wholehearted love for Him as our God (John 15:1-17).

Jesus wants everyone to turn from sin and trust Him as Lord and Savior by faith (Luke 18:15–17). Faith means complete dependence, trust, and obedience (see Joshua 1). Only by being connected with Jesus through faith can anyone have eternal life and power for living. Receiving Jesus through faith is the beginning of a new life. Believers can stay connected to Jesus by committing their life to Him (Romans 12:1–2); seeking Him through Bible study, prayer, and worship (Colossians 3:16); regular church attendance with other believers (Hebrews 10:24–25); and asking the Holy Spirit to help with daily living and other challenges (Acts 1:8; Galatians 5:22).

So, let everyone follow Jesus because Jesus is the only way to a happy life (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Hebrews 10:19-20).

God’s Protections

9 Joshua traveled all night from Gilgal and took the Amorite armies by surprise. 10 The Lord threw them (Israel’s enemies) into a panic (confusion), and the Israelites slaughtered great numbers of them at Gibeon. Then the Israelites chased the enemy along the road to Beth-horon, killing them all along the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As the Amorites retreated down the road from Beth-horon, the Lord destroyed them with a terrible hailstorm from heaven that continued until they reached Azekah. The hail killed more of the enemy than the Israelites killed with the sword. 12 On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. 14 There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day! Joshua 10:9-14 (NLT).

After Israel’s defeat of Jericho and Ai, the reputation of Israel’s conquering army under the leadership of Joshua spread throughout the rest of Canaan (God’s Promised Land).  From this point, Israel faced an alliance of united cites rather than one city at a time. Israel would eventually fight against a southern coalition of forces (Joshua 10) and then a northern coalition of forces (Joshua 11). The southern coalition of forces included the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. However, Gibeon of the Hivites decided to break from the southern coalition of forces.

Gibeon and its people lived in important cities, like one of the royal cities, in the southern region. Moreover, Gibeon was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters (Joshua 10:2). The Gibeonite cities occupied what would come to be called Bethlehem. The people of Gibeon heard of God’s protection of His people Israel and Israel’s victories (Joshua 9:9-10). These people knew God was fighting for Israel, and no army could resist God (Joshua 10:14). So, the Gibeonites sought peace with Joshua and the Israelites (Joshua 10:4: Joshua 11:19). However, Gibeon people deceitfully hide their true identity as Hivities of Canaan and disguised themselves as being from a far of country to make peace with God’s people. (Deut. 20:10-11). So, Gibeon hid their identity to deceive Israel and save themselves destruction. However, Gibeon’s surrender to Israel gave Israel four Hivite cities (Joshua 9:17; Joshua 10:2) and placed Israel in the central highlands of Canaan close to Jerusalem. The Gibeonites also became Israel’s servants and God’s people (see also 2 Samuel 21:1–15). Furthermore, the Gibeonites and Rahab’s household were the only people in Canaan that made peace with God and His people and received God’s grace, mercy and salvation from utter destruction (Joshua 2:12-14; Joshua 6:22-25; Joshua 11:19-20; see also Luke 15). The Gibeonites and Rahab surrendered to the one true and living God, became reconciled to God and part of His people (Matthew 1:5-6; 2 Corinthians 5).

Nonetheless, the author of Joshua points out that for the second time Joshua acted without seeking God for guidance (Joshua 9:14). The first time was at Ai (Joshua 7:2-4). The initial defeat at Ai should have taught Joshua and Israel the importance of seeking God first and His guidance (Joshua 7:2). God is the real hero of the Book of Joshua and the Commander (Joshua 5:13–15).

After the Gibeonites surrender to Joshua and Israel, five kings of Canaan created a coalition strategy to recapture Gibeon because of Gibeon’s central location in Canaan (Joshua 10:5). The people of Gibeon were now a part of God’s people and Israel came to help the Gibeon people (Joshua 9:15; Joshua 10:6-7). As at Jericho, God spoke to Joshua to affirm him and Israel that He had also given the five Canaanite kings and their cities into Joshua’s hand (Joshua 10:8). So Joshua led Israel into battle and God led the way (Joshua 10:9). Even more amazing, God threw the Canaanite people into panic and confusion before Israel. God threw large hailstones down from heaven on the southern Canaanite armies. In essence, God personally fought for Israel using nature as His weapons of war to defend His people from enemy attack (Joshua 10:10-11; see also Job 38:22-23). Then, God listened to Joshua’s prayer for help and even stopped the sun from setting so Joshua and Israel would have more time to defeat Israel’s enemy in battle (Joshua 10:12-14). God made the sun and moon stand still!

Joshua 10:12-14 describes one of God’s spectacular miracles on earth.  On this day, Joshua prayed aloud to God and asked God to "Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and let the moon stand in its place over the valley of Aijalon!" (Joshua 10:12 (TLB)). So, God ordered the sun to stand still, and the moon stopped, until Joshua and Israel had defeated their enemies.  So, the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day (Joshua 10:12-13). With this event, God revealed to the Canaanites that He was the true, living, and all-powerful God of heaven and earth. Israel’s God was dominant over any of the gods of Canaan.

But how could the sun stand still? From a scientific standpoint, the sun always stands still in relation to earth as the earth travels around the sun. Many explanations have been given for this miraculous event. Some scholars have argued that God slowed earth's normal rotation on the earth’s axis to give Joshua more time to fight. Other scholars argue that God sent an unusual refraction of the sun's rays to give Joshua additional hours of light, while other scholars argue a solar eclipse occurred on this day. Regardless of God's chosen method, the Holy Bible is clear that Joshua experienced the longest day in recorded history (Joshua 10:14). Even more, we know that God hears and response to the genuine prayers of help from His people (see also Luke 11:1-13; Luke 18:1-8)! From this battle, Joshua and Israel now had conquered the central and southern regions of Canaan (God’s Promised Land) for His people.

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Romans 8:31 (NLT).

Reference
Coleson, Joseph. Joshua, Judges, Ruth. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary. Carol Streams, IL:  Tyndale House Pub., 2012.