God's Compassion for Straying People

Discipleship and Mission

Call to Discipleship

Calling the Lost

Hosea 11:1-9 The Message (MSG)

Israel Played at Religion with Toy Gods

11 1-9 “When Israel was only a child, I loved him.
    I called out, ‘My son!’—called him out of Egypt.
But when others called him,
    he ran off and left me.
He worshiped the popular sex gods,
    he played at religion with toy gods.
Still, I stuck with him. I led Ephraim.
    I rescued him from human bondage,
But he never acknowledged my help,
    never admitted that I was the one pulling his wagon,
That I lifted him, like a baby, to my cheek,
    that I bent down to feed him.
Now he wants to go back to Egypt or go over to Assyria—
    anything but return to me!
That’s why his cities are unsafe—the murder rate skyrockets
    and every plan to improve things falls to pieces.
My people are hell-bent on leaving me.
    They pray to god Baal for help.
    He doesn’t lift a finger to help them.
But how can I give up on you, Ephraim?
    How can I turn you loose, Israel?
How can I leave you to be ruined like Admah,
    devastated like luckless Zeboim?
I can’t bear to even think such thoughts.
    My insides churn in protest.
And so I’m not going to act on my anger.
    I’m not going to destroy Ephraim.
And why? Because I am God and not a human.
    I’m The Holy One and I’m here—in your very midst.

For Reflection

So there you have it. God does not think or act in human terms. How many times have we asked God to be vengeful on our enemies when we know full well that we are to love our enemies? How many times have we asked God to lift the burden of our human condition rather than raising a finger to collaborate in God's plan for salvation and reconciliation?

When your insides churn with anger, direct your action to create God-centered, mercy-filled solutions to that which has angered you.

Pray

Pray, so that you will see creation with God's eyes. Pray, so that desiring vengeance is never a desirable option.

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