Tag Archives: nation of Israel

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Written on Our Hearts!

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“Written on Our Hearts!”

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (31:33) – March 17, 2024

            Relationships are foundational to life. Positive, negative, distant, close.  Both of my parents are gone now, but I had a loving relationship with both of them. My sisters and brothers—again, I have relationships with them. Members of my extended family, too, are included in my list of relationships. Also my friends, acquaintances, colleagues, even my enemies. All of these people have relationships with me.

Think about yourself. You have relationships with many, many people, too. Most of your relatives and acquaintances I just mentioned, if not all of them. Positive or negative, distant or close. We all have relationships—or friendships—with many people.

            But what about God? What kind of relationship do you and I have with God? Is that relationship good? Even wonderful? Is it close? Or distant? Bumpy at times? Our Scripture reading for today talks about this relationship. The prophet is talking about it from God’s perspective. God’s view of the relationship, or the friendship, if you will.

            If we think about the nation of Israel in the time of Jeremiah, the nation was devastated, and destroyed by the conquering nation of Babylon. The nation of Israel was probably not thinking about keeping up their relationship with God at all – with so much chaos and destruction surrounding each individual, each family, across the whole country.

            Centuries before the time of Jeremiah, God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, and the whole law code of Moses in the years after that. This law code or rule book was meant to be a structure for the nation of Israel to follow, to live their lives, on a daily basis. And, this structure was a way for them to have a relationship with their God, their helper and deliverer – if they chose to follow God and God’s ways.

            Isn’t that the main problem? The nation of Israel had continuing problems following God’s rule book, God’s law code. Isn’t it exactly the same thing today, that you and I have the same problems following God, too?

            We’re not talking about a distant God, a God Who wound up the universe like a watch, put it on some shelf, and then walked away and promptly forgot all about it. No! The Lord wants to be in a relationship – with us!

            If we look at this reading, we see that God did have a relationship—a friendship, we could say—with the nation of Israel. God was the one Who started it. See what verse 32 says? God took the nation of Israel by the hand when God led them out of Egypt. God wanted the friendship. Israel did not start the relationship.

            We can compare that friendship to God’s relationship with us. God wants us as friends, too!  Just as with the nation of Israel, God goes out of God’s way to make friends with us. You and me. Each and every one of us. God approaches us.

            But something happened. Something awful! The nation of Israel was not a faithful friend to God. The relationship was disrupted, broken. But, God didn’t break it. No! Israel did. Remember the many, many times  in the Hebrew Scriptures that Israel ran away from God? Or forgot about God? Or just plain ignored God? Time after time, we can read about how the nation stumbled, resisted, or was unfaithful to their friendship. Their relationship.

            We can see the number one reason the people of Israel were taken out of the land and sent into exile: because the people broke their Covenant and God’s rule book time after time after time again. That’s the big reason for the nation of Israel’s exile to Babylon.

            What about us? What about you and me, in our relationship with God? Isn’t it a lot the same? Don’t we stumble, or fall? Haven’t we forgotten about God, or even broken God’s rules? I’m thinking of sin. Putting other things in God’s place. Making other things or other people in our lives more important to us than God. 

            Our relationship with God is broken! Disrupted. Sometimes we grow so used to sinning, to being apart from God, that you and I cannot choose to do anything else. What a predicament! Our relationship with God—under the Old Covenant—is gone. Destroyed. We are sunk, there is not a chance for you and for me.

            What about the nation of Israel? What did God do for them? Rev. Sharon Blezzard said, “God does not abandon the people, even when their hearts have turned from God’s divine love and life-giving law. God is faithful and promises to be known – not just in word and in teaching, but in the very DNA of the people.” [1]

            The Lord does not leave us abandoned, either! God still wants to be in relationship with us! With you, and with me. God’s nature is not punishing or arbitrary, but instead loving and forgiving. This forgiveness is heart language, from God. And, God will write this new covenant, this new relationship upon our hearts.

            The foundation of this forgiveness comes from our new knowledge of God, written on our hearts. And what is our response to God’s love? God’s forgiveness? God’s reconciling embrace? You and I have the opportunity to live changed lives, as changed people—from the inside out. God is not willing that anyone should be strangers, but instead that all would have the opportunity to be friends with God. Best friends.

God will be our God. We will be God’s people. And that’s a promise. That’s forgiveness. That’s the opportunity that each of us has to be with God, forever. Amen, and amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.stewardshipoflife.org/2015/03/language-of-the-heart/

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“Held Close to God!

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“Held Close to God!”

Hosea 11:1-4 – July 30, 2023

            Do you know a family who has a complicated relationship with each other? Some couples and some families have some problems that they deal with on a continuing basis. And how! I see all kinds of things in couples and families right now, in my job as hospice chaplain.

            The prophet Hosea had all kinds of problems in his relationship with his wife and family, too. I don’t know if you know much about the prophet Hosea, but he followed some specific directions from the Lord for his marriage and choice of wife. The Lord told him to marry a prostitute (who would later leave her husband). And, the Lord told Hosea to love her, cherish her and treat her really well (as all spouses ought to treat each other). This was even though – or perhaps because of – her past and future occupation.

Hosea tells a series of stories in this short book – true-life stories, from his own life. The tie-in or connection comes from a very similar story, about the nation of Israel. This true-life story “is that when God’s people were slaves in Egypt hundreds of years before this, God had freed them and led them through the wilderness to a new Promised Land.

“While they were in the wilderness God taught them what it meant to be God’s people. God gave them the 10 Commandments and taught them how to live together and how to love God. It was kind of like teaching a baby to walk. Unfortunately, when they got to the Promised Land the people forgot what God had taught them. They lied. They cheated. They stole from each other. They even worshiped other gods. God loved them too much to let it go on.” [1]

The prophet Hosea was a fascinating story-teller, and he had lots of people in the nation of Israel on the edge of their seats as he told his many-part story from God over a number of years. Hosea has moved on to relating several metaphors or parables. Like this one, here at the beginning of chapter 11.

Remember how I started this sermon? Talking about mixed-up, complicated relationships? That’s what Hosea relates at the beginning of chapter 11. Remember how the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt centuries before this time! Listen again to the words of Hosea: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt. 2 But as the saying goes, “The more they were called, the more they rebelled.”They never stopped offering incense and sacrifices to the idols of Baal.”

This child Hosea talks about? This child isn’t just one person. “The child is all God’s people – and they had been really, really rebellious for a very long time. God is about to let them be conquered and taken prisoners to Assyria. It is sort of like God was giving all the people a big “time out.” That’s the secret! “Child” is really all God’s people.” [2]

But first, before mentioning the punishment from the Lord, Hosea gets very tender. Listen to verses 3 and 4. “3 I took Israel by the arm and taught them to walk. But they would not admit that I was the one who had healed them. 4 I led them with kindness and with love, not with ropes. I held them close to me;I bent down to feed them.”

In this summer sermon series, “Re-Imaging God,” we are looking at a number of Scripture readings which show the nurturing side of God. Or, a loving, mothering kind of God!

While it is much more common for Scripture to show our God as a heavenly Father, especially from the many descriptions our Lord Jesus gives to us while He was here on the earth, the imagery here is very feminine! Can you imagine a mother, teaching her little one how to walk, feeding them, and picking them up when they are hurt or injured? And, what about “leading them with kindness and love?” Our loving heavenly Parent cradling the small child Israel close. All such nurturing, caring activities. Here, Hosea gives his readers a warm, loving word-picture of our Lord. Such tender compassion shown!

Who remembers reading children’s picture books? I am thinking of several picture books I read to my small children many times. These books are about a parent who loves their child very, very much, no matter what! These books – “Runaway Bunny” by Margaret Wise Brown and “Mama, Do You Love Me” and “Papa Do You Love Me,” both by Barbara Joosse –  are wonderful expressions of the nurturing, embracing love we as human parents can show.

Hosea tells us a similar story! He insists that God loves all of the nation of Israel as much or even more than a human parent! Even when the people of Israel go their own way, stubbornly refuse to follow their God, and instead follow foreign idols, and other ungodly attractions.   Our God still loves the nation of Israel! And, our God still loves us, even when we go astray!

I can remember my small children not wanting to come home after a long playtime at the playground in the park. I would call them, and every once in a while, they would try to run away and hide, and refuse to come home. Did I walk away, and leave them there at the park? Of course not! I still loved them, even though they were disobedient. I still continued to love them, as they grew, no matter what.

We need to share a word of caution, however. In some families, relationships are definitely imperfect. Some parents feel the angry rebellion of their children. Some teachers face opposition from their students. And, some mentors want to give up on their charges. Plus, some children have parents who are distant, uncaring, or even hurtful. If that is your experience of your parents or grandparents, I am sad and sorry, and have great compassion for you. [3]

            But, there is Good News! In fact, the Greatest News of all!

Our God will never be distant, or uncaring, and especially not hurtful! Even if human relationships are like that sometimes, our relationship with our Heavenly Parent stands the test of time. The persevering love, caring and nurture of our Lord is rock solid and true. We can trust the faithfulness of God in this story that Hosea tells us. Remember, our God is always faithful, always loving, and always has arms outstretched to embrace us. No matter what.  

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2016/06/year-c-proper-13-18th-sunday-in.html

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/prophet-margins/eighth-sunday-after-pentecost-year-c-lectionary-planning-notes