Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
The Bible is not a harsh and mean book. It is honest and real. It is earnest and caring. It has the work of the policeman "to protect and to serve." It reflects, of course, the heart of it's author, Almighty God. It does not whitewash and cover the problem, it exposes sin so sin may be corrected.
The book of Hosea, and in fact, the first chapter of Hosea is a reflection of the heart of God. The sinner and the hypersensitive might see it as mean spirited.
Hosea 1:9 (KJV)
Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
But while this was the present reality, it is not the final word of God. Hosea functions like a roadmap.[1] It takes the reader from the place they were, "...ye are not my people." to where God will one day have them, "Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together..."
And that is exactly the plan of God,
· For the Bible
· For the future and
· For you and me
The Bible serves to take us from where we are "dead in trespasses and sins"[2] to where God would have us "for by grace are ye saved."[3] And from the place of salvation to be seated, "together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."[4]
The Bible is no harsh book. God is not mean spirited and monstrous. But sin is monstrous, and this world is harsh. God is our Rescuer, Deliverer and Saviour. He is our Hero. It is true blindness to reject Christ for the world.
#GodsHeart #RedemptionRoad #SinExposed #DivineRescue #GraceAndMercy
From Rejection to Reconciliation: Finding Hope in the Heart of God
[1] Chapter one appears in my opinion to be a summary of the book as a whole.
[2] Ephesians 2:1 (KJV)
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
[3] Ephesians 2:8 (KJV)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[4] Ephesians 2:6 (KJV)
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.
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