Covenant Connections:
A Covenant’s History ~ The Love of the Father
Scripture Text: Hosea 11.1-11
INTRODUCTION
I want to tell you two stories. They are two stories that are almost-as-old-as the hills, …but these stories still capture the hearts and imaginations of people-everywhere.
The first story is one that you’re fairly-familiar with. It’s the story of a God who does some pretty-amazing and powerful-things. It’s the story that is found in our Bible.
There once-was-a-people who were tied-up in slavery. Day and night, …night-and-day they slaved away.
Building-buildings, …planting-fields, …harvesting-crops… These people were-treated like-machines ~ …to-their-owners, …they were important because-of what they made… …they did the work that the people-in-power wanted them to do. For several generations ~ …sons-and-daughters, …becoming moms-and-dads, …and moms-and-dads becoming grandparents ~ …one generation after-the-next was-spent planting-and-harvesting, …making-bricks and setting-stones. They were the machines-of-production.
And they accomplished some-pretty incredible things… The pyramids of Egypt are lasting-legacies ~ …not to the Pharaoh’s who ordered-them constructed; …but they are lasting-legacies to the slaves that poured-out their sweat-and-blood, …to raise-those-magnificent-structures out of the sands of Egypt!
Have you ever felt like your employer valued you, only-for what you could produce?... Of-course-you-have! Whenever an employer doesn’t care what’s goin’ on in your personal life, …whenever your boss pushes you to do more-and-more ~ as though you’re a tool, …or a machine that just needs a little more fuel to get more-out-of-it, …whenever your beliefs, …or your convictions are-ignored by those who sign your paycheck ~ …Those are times when you are simply-looked-at as a piece of the machine. And it doesn’t take long ~ if your employer treats-you like a cog-in-the-wheel ~ …it doesn’t-take-long before you wish for something-different, …wanting something-else.
But-ya-know… that’s the difference between us and those-in-slavery! We are free to go find other-work. We aren’t bound by shackles or watched-over by guards. We can put our resume out-there and see if someone is interested.
But, slaves can’t do that. They have to bite-their-tongue. They have to hunker-down. They have to put their shoulder-to-the-wheel and keep pressin’-on, because they have no-choice.
Those-people, that-were-slaves to the Pharaohs ~ …the ones who built the pyramids and other magnificent-structures in ancient Egypt ~ …they wanted to be free.
But they couldn’t put-in a two-week-notice; …they couldn’t close-up-shop; …they couldn’t strike a picket-line to protest unfair-working-conditions; …or post their resume on Monsters.com.
They served a “monster”… And his name was Pharaoh! He ruled them with an iron-fist; …and he tried to crush their spirit with his steel-toed-sandal!
And-so, they cried-out to the Lord God. They asked Him to rescue them. They prayed for deliverance. They wanted to be free of Pharaoh’s tyranny.
And it happened!... You remember the story, don’t you?... God brought one-plague, after-another upon Egypt, …and it brought Pharaoh to his knees!
The Lord parted-the-Sea so the Israelites could safely get-away from Pharaoh’s army. God brought-them through the desert and defended-them against armies that wanted to take-advantage of this poor, helpless-people. He brought down the walls of Jericho and scattered the Canaanite people, so-that the Israelites would have a homeland. And through it all, …Israel came to see God’s power. They began to understand that God was a warrior that could not be overcome. He brought mighty-Pharaoh to his knees, …and Pharaoh’s chariots to a stand-still. He defended them against warring-armies. The Lord was their shield.
The people-of-Israel saw-that their-God was a God who could be counted-on in-battle ~ …and in the desert, …or whenever-they-found-themselves under-the-boot of some-oppressor. He could-be-called-upon. He could-be-counted-on for help and deliverance and defense. The Lord is a Warrior!
But when the Israelites settled in the land of Canaan, …they began hearing about another-god. This god’s name was Baal. And his-story is the second story I want to tell you. The people of Canaan believed Baal was the god of storms ~ …sometimes they called him “Rider of the Clouds”. Thunder and lightning and rain were his calling-cards ~ And to a people-who depended on land-and-crops ~ …Baal was a very-tempting deity.
The Canaanites believed that Baal brought the rain every spring and every fall. They thought that the land was watered when Baal did his thing.
And as-crazy-as-it-seems to-us, …the Israelites started-thinking that Baal was the god to-serve on the week-days ~ …the days when you work, …and plant, …and harvest, …and shepherd your flocks. They thought that Baal was the god who brought fertility and success and prosperity during the week.
But, on the Sabbath, …they continued to worship the God of their fathers: …the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, …the God who had-delivered them out of slavery and rescued them from Pharaoh and took-care-of-them in the desert for 40-years. He was mighty. He was powerful. He was a warrior with no-equal. And-so, they continued to-gather at the Temple, ..and to-honor the Lord at the great celebrations each-year.
But… in terms of daily-living, …the Israelites worshiped Baal because they thought he made their crops grow and the flocks produce. Rain was what they needed. Rain, at the right time. Rain, in the right measure. And they bought-into the Canaanite-belief-system that Baal took-care-of the rain.
TRANSITION
Waffles….
Someone has said that men are like waffles ~ …we like things to fit into nice, neat little squares. This goes here. That goes there. We like those divided plates so that the scalloped-potatoes and baked-beans don’t get mixed-up together!
Well… another way that waffle-thinking comes-into-play, … is in terms of faith-and-spirituality. And it’s called, “compartmentalization”. The Israelites were guilty of doing this. They put the Lord God in a “compartment” ~ the “war-compartment”, …the “rescuer-compartment”, …the “deliverer-compartment”. …And all-of-that is true, because the Lord is a Warrior and the Deliverer!
But, in the daily-living compartment, …they put Baal. And they worshipped Baal because they thought he took care of the daily-stuff, …the immediate-needs, …the rain, ..the crops, …the flocks.
And this “compartmentalization” broke God’s heart! He wasn’t-just a warrior-God, who protected against bullies. He wasn’t-just the powerful, miracle-worker who could produce manna on the desert-floor and water from a dusty-rock. He wasn’t-just the God of history …and-of ages-past. The Lord was-like-a-Father ~ …caring for His children, …watching over their every-step, …holding out His arms, just-in-case they should stumble-and-fall. And-when they did fall and get a boo-boo, …He took-care-of their wounds, …and He nursed them back-to-health.
Hosea used the word-picture of a husband-and-wife ~ …and he used this word-picture of a marriage relationship to-describe the relationship between God and His people. Today, we find Hosea is changing the metaphor ~ …giving us a different-picture. The Lord is like a Father and His people are like a teetering-toddler! Many of us can-relate! We’ve helped our youngsters take their first-steps. And the hope of every-parent is-that, …as their children spread their wings and put one-foot in-front-of the other, …it’s every-parent’s-hope that their child will turn-around and run-back into their arms! Not-because we want to bind-them and hold-them-captive… But, we want them to come-back as a sign of their love for us! …that they delight to be held by us; …that they find security in our embrace; …that even-as they have the freedom to go-and and to-do, …to-explore, ..and to-see, …it’s our hope that they want choose-us and our love more-than the appeal-and-attraction of all-that-other-stuff out there!
The relationship between God and His people, …the covenant between the Lord and His Church can be illustrated by the parent-child relationship. I suspect that each parent here-this-morning is thinking of some- memory. Memories of-when your son-or-daughter was itty-bitty. As the graduates’ parents shared-earlier, …I loved seeing the old pictures up on the screen! But, these parents and grand-parents are at one-of-those critical-junctures in life: …when things are-about-to-change: …and we know it! Their sons are about to cross a stage, …receive a diploma, …and will-soon begin even-bigger adventures in life. The ways-in-which these young men are spreading-their-wings and taking-new-steps are not-that-different from when they were 10-and-12 months old! The steps they are taking may-be-more-complicated, …but they are steps of independence and learning-to-stand on their-own-two-feet. And I suspect that even-now, …there’s something in the hearts-of-these-parents that longs for their-kids to turn-around and run-back into their arms!
There is pain, here, too. The pain of a parent who has watched his son-or-daughter break-free, …and run-away from their love. It’s the story of prodigal children. Those who use their freedom and independence to flee from the love-and-nurture of parents. Any parent who has drunk from this cup knows it is a bitter drink. Your heart breaks for your child. Your heart longs for your child to “come home”. Your heart carries a burden of heart-ache because the relationship isn’t based on love, anymore.
Any parent who has experienced this rejection ~ …this slap-in-the-face ~ …you can at least begin to appreciate the hurt-and-pain that God endures on a global scale! It is painful. It is hurtful. It is demeaning. And you can understand the passion and the tone of God’s message to His people: …it is the cry of our Heavenly Father, …waiting-for His wayward children to come home. To come back to His love. To return to His loving embrace.
Here’s the thing: Some people get all-bent-outta-shape because God threatens to punish people for their sins. But, what’s-going-on-there is not that God’s punishment arises out of a desire-for-revenge! No! God’s punishment is a form of discipline ~ …like-when a parent disciplines his child so that he learns the stove-top is dangerous, …or that the street is not a place-to-play, …or that disrespectful behavior is unbecoming.
Every parent is charged with the responsibility to discipline their children; …and when they don’t, …the children suffer, …and as their children-grow, …their friends will suffer, …and their teachers will suffer, …and eventually, when-they-marry… Well, you get-the-idea! Every parent is charged with the responsibility to discipline their children; …but that discipline comes out of love. A parent disciplines a child, not to get-even, …or to-make-them miserable! But, parents discipline their children so-that they will grow and learn and become wiser!
But, when our kids don’t receive our discipline, as-love ~ …and they turn-away and run-in-the-opposite-direction ~ …it breaks our hearts. God feels your pain! He knows what it’s like because He’s been dealing with rebellious people since the dawn-of-creation!
But-here’s-the-thing: God does not let His pain turn to wrath! God does not let His hurt turn to bitterness. Instead, God chooses love and mercy and compassion. His continues to reach out to His wayward children; …He chooses compassion toward His prodigals; …He shows mercy instead of anger or vengeance. This is the message that God wanted Hosea to preach. This is the message God wants us to hear, today. We may expect Him to be angry toward us ~ …because we know that we’ve messed-up, …and we know that we’ve been head-strong and slow-to-listen to Him; …we know that we’ve worshiped the Lord on a part-time basis, …we’ve put Him in a nice, neat compartment ~ …and the rest of our days are spent chasing other idols! And-so, you might expect the Lord to be mightily-upset with you. But-really, …what God wants is just-that you’d “come home”! His heart longs-for you to come-back and fall-into-His-arms of mercy. Hosea is telling us about God’s heart toward us. It’s the love of a Father! Won’t you come to Him? ~ It doesn’t matter if you’re a mess. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away or how-far you’ve strayed. All-that-matters is-that you see His arms are open-wide for you. Won’t you “come home” to your Heavenly Father?
