Peter Misselbrook's Blog

Jul 12 2019 - Hosea 1:1-2:1 – Hosea's wife and children

Hosea, like Amos, was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel shortly before its destruction by the Assyrians. He was commanded by God to go and marry a woman who would be unfaithful to him. One can only imagine how this must have torn apart the heart of Hosea. He loved Gomer his wife, but she proved unfaithful in her love for him.

Sadly there are many men and women in our society today who do not have to imagine what this feels like, they have known the pain of such unfaithfulness in their own experience.

God called Hosea to be a living demonstration of the broken heart of God, telling him, "Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord" (1:2). The Lord God had loved the nation of Israel. These were a people whom he had rescued from slavery in Egypt and had brought to Sinai to meet with him. There, as it were, they were married; God had taken them to be his people and he was their God. In love he had provided for them in the wilderness and had given them the land in which they were now living. But they were an "adulterous" people, turning away from the God who had redeemed them to worship useless idols. Hosea's broken marriage was to act as a powerful visual aid making visible the unfaithfulness of Israel and the broken heart of God.

Hosea was told by God to give his first son, born to him by Gomer, the name "Jezreel" because, says God, "I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel" (1:4-5).

Cast your mind back to the days of King Ahab. Encouraged by his wife, Jezebel, he had led Israel into idolatry and rebellion against God. God had raised up a young tearaway called Jehu to take over the throne of Israel after Ahab's death in battle. Jehu had ruthlessly slaughtered all of Ahab's household along with his "chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving no survivor" (see 2 Kings 10:1-11). This slaughter had happened in Jezreel. God is declaring that, as Jehu destroyed the dynasty of Ahab, he will now destroy the dynasty of Jehu, and along with it the nation of Israel.

Hosea and Gomer's second child was a girl. God told Hosea to name her, "Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”), for I will no longer show love to Israel" (1:6). The third child, a son, was to be called, "Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God" (1:9). Imagine these children growing up with these terrible names. Imagine their parents calling to them to come in from play or from the fields, or other children asking them what their name was and then why they had been given such names. Day-by-day their names would be a reminder of Israel's unfaithfulness and of God's approaching judgment.

But today's reading ends on a brighter note. Judgment shall not have the last word. Beyond judgment there will be restoration and renewed blessing: "In the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people', they will be called 'children of the living God'… Say of your brothers, 'My people', and of your sisters, 'My loved one'" (1:10, 2:1). God will own and love those who had previously been rebels against him and had suffered under his judgment.

And this is our hope also. We who have no natural right to be called children of God and who are by nature "children of wrath" have been redeemed through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus and have been adopted into his family (see Paul's application of these verses from Hosea to us Gentiles in Romans 9:23-26). Because of Christ, we know that we are loved by God – loved with a love that will never let us go. We are called to love him in return and to live in faithful union with him – a union giving birth to many more who are loved and welcomed into the family of God.

Father God, we praise you that your love in the Lord Jesus has overcome judgment and that there is now no condemnation for us. Thank you, Triune God, for your great love for us. Help us to remain faithful to you and not to grieve your Holy Spirit through our disobedience or half-hearted service.

Jul 12 2020 - Titus 3:1-15 – Not because of righteous things we have done...

Yesterday we noted that when Paul says that "the grace of God ... appeared" he is talking about Jesus; he is the one who has appeared, full of grace and truth. We pick up a similar theme this morning. In today's passage Paul says that "the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared" (Titus 3:4). Again, these qualities of God have appeared in a person; Jesus has appeared and has brought the kindness and love of God to us. In Jesus we see the kindness, love and grace of our God who has "saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life" (3:5-7).

God has made us his own through Jesus, not because of anything we have done to deserve it but because of his great love for us. It was an act of grace and love, an act of kindness and mercy. He took us to be his own when we were dirty and polluted; he has washed us and made us clean. He took us to be his own when we were dead towards him; he has given us life. He has given us his Spirit, and not a little measure of his Spirit but has poured his Spirit upon us in generous measure to renew our lives. He has begun a work of refashioning us into the likeness of his Son that we too may lead lives marked by grace, love, kindness and mercy instead of malice and envy (3:3).

Above all, he has given us hope, the hope of eternal life. Our hope rests not in what we have done but in what our wonderful Saviour has done for us. Grace is a sure foundation for hope. He who died for us and was raised for us now lives for us and is preparing a place for us. He will one day come for us and we will be with him for all eternity.

Meanwhile, since he is our life, we live for him. We also are to be a people in whom the kindness and love of God our Saviour is made apparent to others as we devote ourselves to doing good.

Titus is encouraged by Paul to remind the Christians in Crete of these things and of how they are to live in the light of them; “be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle towards everyone” (3:1-3). They also are no longer to treat people in the way they think they deserve but with unmerited kindness, gentleness and respect. We also need to “stress these things … that are excellent and profitable for everyone” (3:8).

Living God, we praise you that your kindness and love have been poured out upon us in the Lord Jesus. We thank you that even though we deserved your judgment, you have forgiven us our sin for the sake of your Son. We marvel at the fact that you have justified us by your grace – declared us to be righteous in your sight. We thank you that we have been born again through the power of your Spirit – given new life. We rejoice that you have given us the sure and certain hope of eternal life grounded in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Help us to live that new life by the power of your Spirit. May your kindness, love and grace shine from our lives today that others may see Jesus.

Peter Misselbrook