When The Honeymoon...
When The Honeymoon Is Over…
Hosea 6:4,6
Marriage is a beautiful thing. And although I have never been married I have surely been in love. And the interesting thing about being in love is that being In-love will make you do crazy things.
You know there is a difference between loving someone and being In-Love with someone. When a couple who is In-Love and first marries, the music plays awfully loud, doesn’t it? We can hear nothing but the tender voice of our lover. If they ask us to do anything we jump at the opportunity to make them happy to serve them.
And during the first few months, and for some even years, of marriage we stay on the island of love with our new found partner. Don’t we? And during this time of honeymooning we are more certain than ever that
Well this question of fidelity was not only relevant to the Churches of Galatia but it is also relevant to the Book of Hosea. One of the major themes in the book of Hosea is fidelity. Hosea the prophet is instructed, by God, to take Gomer, a prostitute, as his wife. And God says to Hosea
I want you to love her and stay faithful to her because this is what I have done with Israel.
Within the context our key scriptures, vv 4 we learn that God is angry. For God says to Israel and even to many of us today “Your love is like the morning mist like the early dew that disappears.” (Hos. 6:4) God says,
God wants our devotion to Him to be consistent.
Which is ever evident in Verse 6. The NIV sates that God says “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment” and not burn offerings. The NIV uses the word “mercy;” but in the original Hebrew translation the word חֶסֶד is used. In this context, חֶסֶד really means piety, or fidelity to natural obligations. An example of a natural obligation would be to ones parents or spouse. These are our natural obligations in human relationships.
Well, God wants the same. Since God is your creator and since God created you to be in relationship with Him, what God is looking for is your fidelity to Him.
Additionally, the NIV uses the word acknowledge, or in the Hebrew דַעַת, but is important to note here the etymology of דַעַת, which makes reference to ones knowledge of obedience. Therefore a better translation of the text would render, “For I desire fidelity, not sacrifice, obedience rather than burnt offerings.”
What does this fidelity mean for us in today’s world? What is God trying to tell us when speaking through Hosea? Hosea speaks parallel to the context of Paul in his letter to the Galatians. The reason why Paul mentions faithfulness as a fruit of the spirit was because, like the Israelites under Hosea, the Galatians had lost the faithfulness of their original encounter with God.
For Paul writes the in the 4th Chapter of Galatians beginning at vv 13,
13As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. 14Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15What has happened to all your joy?”
So what Paul is saying is this: What happened to the “Fresh Wind, The Fresh Fire.” What happened to your joy in Christ, what happened to your love of God. What happened to your faithfulness? Where is the enthusiasm that that you used to have for our God.
Oh, you remember how you were when you first had an encounter with the divine God. You were so faithful to God. Whatever God said to do, you did. You wanted every family member, every friend, ever co-worker to know about this God you encountered. You were so in love with God and you desired to dwell in God’s presence.
But God say’s now that the honeymoon is over, are you going to remain faithful to me. And in being faithful, will you worship me, will you serve me, will you endorse me, will you agree with me.
Now that the honeymoon is over will you still draw close to me, will you still long to know all that I am. Don’t be like the early morning dew, don’t go away from me, don’t worship other things.
Now that the honeymoon is over, don’t turn your back on me, but be faithful to me just as I have been to you.
Hosea 6:4,6
Marriage is a beautiful thing. And although I have never been married I have surely been in love. And the interesting thing about being in love is that being In-love will make you do crazy things.
You know there is a difference between loving someone and being In-Love with someone. When a couple who is In-Love and first marries, the music plays awfully loud, doesn’t it? We can hear nothing but the tender voice of our lover. If they ask us to do anything we jump at the opportunity to make them happy to serve them.
And during the first few months, and for some even years, of marriage we stay on the island of love with our new found partner. Don’t we? And during this time of honeymooning we are more certain than ever that
- This is the one.
- This is the one that God ordained.
- This is the one who is called to be my rib.
- This is the one who will surely give birth to my children.
- This is the one who I will surely grow old with.
- This is the one whom I will love forever.
- BUT THEN…you have a disagreements.
- BUT THEN…the music slowly fades from the clear Bose surround sound stereo speakers to some raggedy janky blown out broke down speaker where you barely even make out the tune.
- BUT THEN…One disagreement becomes several arguments.
- BUT THEN…you begin to question who is this person that you have put your self in covenant with.
- BUT THEN…you wonder what happen to late night love affairs.
- What happened to pillow talk.
- What happened to dancing all night.
- What happen to the laughter all night.
- What happened to the random gifts of appreciation and presence.
- What happened to comments affirming your destiny
- What happened to the whispering of sweet nothings.
- What happened, what happened, what has happened.
- What HAS happened is that the honeymoon is now over.
- Will you stay in covenant
- Will you push on to see if the good days out way the not so good days.
- Will you, in the words of Luther, “Love the one your with.””
- Will you stay faithful
Well this question of fidelity was not only relevant to the Churches of Galatia but it is also relevant to the Book of Hosea. One of the major themes in the book of Hosea is fidelity. Hosea the prophet is instructed, by God, to take Gomer, a prostitute, as his wife. And God says to Hosea
- Gomer will be unfaithful to you Hosea, but I want you to love her anyhow
- Hosea, Gomer will lust after other men, but I want you to love her anyway
- I want you to have babies with Gomer even though she will have babies with other men,
- but I want you to continue to take her back,
- I want you to continue to love her
- I want you to take these wayward children in and care for them.
- I want you to name them and I want you to love them.
- And I want you to care for them.
- even though you wife is unfaithful,
- even though you wife will make you the laughing stock of this community,
- even though your wife has the potential to interfere with others hearing the Words that I have given you,
I want you to love her and stay faithful to her because this is what I have done with Israel.
- I have married Israel by covenant and
- I have loved Israel and
- I remained faithful until Israel
- AND YET, Israel has lusted after other things,
- AND YET, they have gone out and had babies by other gods.
- You have remained faithful to your kings and not to The King of Kings.
- You have worshipped what I have provided, but you have failed to worship Jehovah Jireh The God who Provides
- You have adored peace, but you have not adored Jehovah Shalom, The God of Peace.
- You have stood in awe of your powerful armies and their victories, but you have not stood in awe of Jehovah Sabaoth, The God of Hosts.
Within the context our key scriptures, vv 4 we learn that God is angry. For God says to Israel and even to many of us today “Your love is like the morning mist like the early dew that disappears.” (Hos. 6:4) God says,
- Your faithfulness to me O Israel is sporadic.
- Your devotion to me is at your convenience.
- Your loyalty to me is only for a short time.
- Your commitment to me disappears daily.
God wants our devotion to Him to be consistent.
- He doesn’t want us to be flightily.
- He doesn’t want us to be wishy-washy
- He doesn’t want us to be inconsistent.
- He doesn’t want us to only come to Him when we need something.
- He doesn’t want us to repent just so we can get a blessing.
Which is ever evident in Verse 6. The NIV sates that God says “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment” and not burn offerings. The NIV uses the word “mercy;” but in the original Hebrew translation the word חֶסֶד is used. In this context, חֶסֶד really means piety, or fidelity to natural obligations. An example of a natural obligation would be to ones parents or spouse. These are our natural obligations in human relationships.
Well, God wants the same. Since God is your creator and since God created you to be in relationship with Him, what God is looking for is your fidelity to Him.
Additionally, the NIV uses the word acknowledge, or in the Hebrew דַעַת, but is important to note here the etymology of דַעַת, which makes reference to ones knowledge of obedience. Therefore a better translation of the text would render, “For I desire fidelity, not sacrifice, obedience rather than burnt offerings.”
What does this fidelity mean for us in today’s world? What is God trying to tell us when speaking through Hosea? Hosea speaks parallel to the context of Paul in his letter to the Galatians. The reason why Paul mentions faithfulness as a fruit of the spirit was because, like the Israelites under Hosea, the Galatians had lost the faithfulness of their original encounter with God.
For Paul writes the in the 4th Chapter of Galatians beginning at vv 13,
13As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. 14Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15What has happened to all your joy?”
So what Paul is saying is this: What happened to the “Fresh Wind, The Fresh Fire.” What happened to your joy in Christ, what happened to your love of God. What happened to your faithfulness? Where is the enthusiasm that that you used to have for our God.
Oh, you remember how you were when you first had an encounter with the divine God. You were so faithful to God. Whatever God said to do, you did. You wanted every family member, every friend, ever co-worker to know about this God you encountered. You were so in love with God and you desired to dwell in God’s presence.
But God say’s now that the honeymoon is over, are you going to remain faithful to me. And in being faithful, will you worship me, will you serve me, will you endorse me, will you agree with me.
Now that the honeymoon is over will you still draw close to me, will you still long to know all that I am. Don’t be like the early morning dew, don’t go away from me, don’t worship other things.
Now that the honeymoon is over, don’t turn your back on me, but be faithful to me just as I have been to you.
Awesome message woman of God, I needed that "Right Now" word in my life. I will remain faithful and not fearful to fulfill the call and walk out the purpose God has for my life. God Bless You. Your Mt. Zion family misses you!!
Gail Stringer
Posted by
Anonymous |
12/08/2005 1:28 PM