Oh... That's What It's For!

History is full of stories about items created for one purpose that ended up being used, and most widely known, for some other purpose.  Post-it Note adhesive, Arm & Hammer baking soda and Avon SkinSoSoft are just a few examples.

Another great example, though a sad one for sure, is found in Hosea 8:11 - "Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning."  The spiritual decline of Israel was so severe that the very altars they built for confessing sin to Jehovah became altars at which they sacrificed to and worshiped false gods.

Each time I read that verse over the past month, I couldn't help but ask, "How often do we do the same thing in our lives and churches today?"  The likelihood of finding a church building occupied by a Bible-believing congregation where pagan deities are worshiped is probably very low.  But finding one where many other, seemingly good, things are worshiped in addition to God… I think that's pretty easy.  So let me play Hosea for a minute and step on a few toes.

Let's start with Pastors…

It's wonderful when the people of a church loves their pastor(s).  It's tragic when they worship them.  It's downright pathetic when a pastor perpetuates it.  As church members, we need to remember Paul's words to the Corinthians… "When one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?  What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe, as the Lord has assigned to each his task."  As pastors, we need to be like John the Baptist… "He must become greater.  I must become less."

Then there are Programs…

When it comes to sacrifices, more than a few sacred cows need to be tossed on the altar in our churches.  I'm all for good programs that help our churches make disciples.  What drives me crazy is that once we start something, there's no way to ever stop it – even if it is no longer effective – because someone's feelings might get hurt.  Again, don't get me wrong… I'm all for supporting, honoring and listening to the wisdom of those who invest their lives into a particular program or model of ministry.  But I'm more for helping those same people understand WHY we do programs in the first place so they are able to truly serve God and others instead of worshiping that program with one more chorus of "We've always done it that way."

And of course, Preferences…

Speaking of music, I'm a little surprised I've never heard KC & the Sunshine Band's "That's the Way (uh huh, uh huh) I Like It" as a call to worship.  The list of false gods we worship in this category could go on forever, but here are just a couple of the obvious ones.

• Music styles.  It's a crying shame that the phrase "Worship Wars" ever had to be coined in the first place.  Whatever style of music we prefer, let's stop worshiping that style and get back to worshiping God.

• Bible versions.  An accurate translation of God's Word is essential to good teaching and true worship.  There are a lot of them out there.  There are also a lot of bibliolaters out there.

Well, I guess I've meddled enough.  I hope I've spoken truth in love.  My prayer for myself, for you and for our congregations is that we stay true to the purposes for which God instituted the local church… and most of all, that we worship Him and Him alone.

Who's to Blame?

I recently tried to help a couple of families resolve a little scuffle between some boys just being boys.  After hearing from all the kids, it became clear that, while we weren't going to get the whole story from any of them, there was more than enough blame to go around.  The discouraging part was one of the parents who simply didn't seem willing to accept that his son could have been in the wrong.  Sadly, I think that attitude, and the impact it has on the son, is a major cause of the type of problem were trying to solve that night.

The whole thing sort of reminds me of Hosea 4 and 5.  Who's to blame for this mess Israel was in?  In 4:1-6, God lays the blame squarely on the Israelite people.  He even says in verse 4, "Don't try to blame your priests."  But then in verses 6-8, He says to the priests, "Wipe that smug look off your face.  It's your fault, too!"  Ultimately, in verse 9: "It will be: Like people, like priests. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds."  The priests failed to lead the people in God's way, and the people failed to hold the priests accountable to do so.  No finger-pointing allowed here.  (Notice that a similar theme plays out in 4:13-14 in the context of families.)

So who's to blame when God's people go astray today?  I think it's much the same. Everyone is individually accountable to God for their own behavior.  We inherit the blame game from Adam ("the woman you gave me…") and Eve ("the devil made me do it…"), but it doesn't get us off the hook any more than it did them.   Nevertheless, those in leadership do bear a special responsibility.  Pastors, teachers, fathers…  these verses come to mind:

• 1 Peter 5:1-4
• James 3:1
• Ephesians 6:4

Lord, help me to stay true to You as a follower and a leader… and to help those who follow me to do the same.

By the way… One of my favorite verses in Hosea is 4:12 - "They consult a wooden idol and are answered by a stick of wood."  Well, what did you expect?!?

Idolatry = Adultery

That's a recurring theme throughout the Bible, but nowhere is it more graphically portrayed than in the book of Hosea.  God's instructions to:

1. marry a prostitute and establish a family with her (1:2) then,
2. when the inevitable happens, buy her back from the man for whom she had abandoned him (3:1)

probably didn't fit Hosea's personal 5-10 year plan.

But the family portrait, no matter how dysfunctional, couldn't be a clearer picture of God's relationship first with Israel then with the Church.  God takes a "bride" despite knowing she would commit spiritual adultery, and His plan all along is to buy her back at the greatest price imaginable.

In Hosea's day, Israel's adultery was literal idolatry - worshiping false gods from pagan nations.  Why would they do that when they already had the one true God and every perfect gift He could give them?  For the same reason we do the same thing today… covetousness!

Hosea 2:12-13… Hosea 3:1… Hosea 4:11-13… they wanted what it seemed the pagan gods had to offer.  And they were, very literally, willing to prostitute themselves to get it.  (Check out the history of "raisin cakes" as mentioned in 3:1!)

Fast forward to Colossians 3:5 (NLT)…  "Put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy (i.e. covetous), for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world."

So, what is it that I want more than what God has already given - or promised to give - me?  When I figure that out, I'll have found my idol.  And when I find my idol, I'd better be willing to cast it down… either that or wear a big scarlet "A" on my chest.

Welcome to the Club!

I decided this year, for my personal Bible study, to spend extended time in the minor prophets. 12 prophets… 12 months…  so, there you go.  Then, after talking with a few people about the idea, I decided to blog about what I learn as I go.  If you'd like to follow along for your own enrichment, join in some discussion, or just help hold me accountable to stay in the Word, keep an eye on this blog.

By doing so, you can consider yourself a member of the "Minor Prophet of the Month Club."  We'll take the books in canonical order:

• January = Hosea
• February = Joel
• March = Amos
• April = Obadiah
• May = Jonah
• June = Micah
• July = Nahum
• August = Habakkuk
• September = Zephaniah
• October = Haggai
• November = Zechariah
• December = Malachi

I'll be reading several translations and also using James Montgomery Boice's commentary on the Minor Prophets (ISBN 0801066484).

So welcome to the club!  I won't promise anything terribly profound… but hey, the dues are free and we just might learn something together along the way!

Lee