During my prayer time this morning, I focused on two verses from the Sermon on the Mount. While praying about those verses, thoughts from Hosea came to my mind, and this question occurred to me:
Do we intend to follow through with what Jesus taught?
Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5.8-9).
The pure in heart have a single-minded focus on God. God is their Plan A, and they have no Plan B.
The peacemakers are those who risk being offended or injured for the sake of bringing people into God’s well-being.
The promise to the pure in heart is that they will see God, and the promise to the peacemakers is that they are children of God. As we think about Hosea, here’s the question:
Can we see God and be His children, and yet intentionally avoid being pure in heart and peacemakers?
Hosea’s Message
Israel consciously and willfully transgressed God’s law. They didn’t intend to follow God’s directions that were given in the Ten Commandments.
When we deliberately choose to ignore God’s desires or refuse to do what God indicates is right, we fall into the same category as God’s people from the 8th century B.C.
Set the trumpet to your lips!
One like a vulture is over the house of the Lord,
because they have broken my covenant
and transgressed my law. (Hosea 8.1)
The Israelites believed they knew God; unfortunately, their actions didn’t show it.
They cry to me,
“My God, we know you!”
Israel has spurned the good;
the enemy shall pursue him. (Hosea 8.2-3)
We should carefully consider the example of the Israelites. They thought they could compensate for their disobedience to God with more fervent worship.
Their prayers to God were pleas for assistance, and they believed they had an unbreakable bond with Him.
Let’s use Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount to reflect on ourselves.
Are we determined to be pure in heart? Do we aim to be peacemakers?
Do we see being pure in heart or a peacemaker as optional and not necessary for a healthy and whole relationship with God?
What about Jesus’ promise that the pure in heart will see God? Is it possible to see God without being pure in heart?
And think about his promise to the peacemakers, declaring them children of God. Can we claim to be children of God if we don’t strive to be peacemakers?
Considering Hosea’s message, these penetrating questions warrant thoughtful reflection. We should avoid hastily reaching decisions that might too easily let us off the hook from acting upon them.
Examples of Israel’s Sin
God claimed that the Israelites had spurned the good. In the next verses, He outlines exactly what that means.
They made kings but not through me;
they set up princes but without my knowledge.
With their silver and gold they made idols
for their own destruction.
Your calf is rejected, O Samaria.
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of innocence?
For it is from Israel,
an artisan made it;
it is not God.
The calf of Samaria
shall be broken to pieces. (Hosea 8.4-6)
In Israel, God’s representative was the king. Instead of being chosen by the people, he was installed or anointed through direct revelation to the prophets.
Their relationship with the king was serious, but their embrace of Baal worship through the construction of a bull idol was even more serious.
They failed to recognize the contradiction in adopting Canaanite religious practices while simultaneously calling on the name of the Lord.
They appeared indifferent to the issue of worshiping an object created by a human craftsman.
God declared His wrath upon His chosen people, who were incapable of being innocent or pure in heart. They had mixed their love for God with the Baals and their practices.
We find it odd to bow down before a golden idol. However, let’s examine our culture to identify potential idols we might worship that are human-made and not divine.
For instance, it’s projected that more than $10 billion will be spent on the upcoming presidential election campaign.
Estimated income for the National Football League ranges between $12 and $25 billion annually.
A common term used to describe presidential candidates or star football players is “idolize.” We elevate them beyond their actual status, dedicating our money, time, attention, and praise to them.
We must ask ourselves how much of this kind of devotion we are willing to give to our Creator, our Lord and Savior.
Returning to the two Beatitudes of Jesus, as we think about idols in our life: Do we care enough about the vision of God that we will work towards being pure in heart?
Do we care enough about identifying as children of God that we will work at being peacemakers with people close to us and wherever God allows us to serve?
Have we chosen religious activity over obedience and following through with God’s Biblical guidance?
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
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