I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Hosea prophesied against Israel, but the contents of this passage apply to all peoples in all times. The richer people get, the more they turn to the worship of idols. People spout empty words and make promises they do not intend to keep (sound familiar?). The result of all of this is that injustice springs up among the people, getting continually worse. From time to time I have heard people justify lies and broken promises as necessary to fight against injustice. This passage reminds us that lying and making promises you do not intend to keep in order to fight injustice is like randomly shooting into a crowd to prevent the people in the crowd from being shot.
The people fear that something bad may happen to their idols, the things they worship and rely on in place of God, more than they fear injustice or that their neighbor will suffer. People believe that a strong military will keep them safe, even if they commit injustices and sin against their fellow-man. They cheat and steal from their neighbor and think that such actions are the method by which they can acquire wealth. They fail to recognize that their wealth was a gift from God, given to them so that they may carry out God’s will.
Hosea tells us what we must do if we want to avoid destruction. We must turn to God and confess our sins. Then God will heal us of our faithlessness. Let us stop worshiping things that are not God and turn to walk in His paths. Everything of value comes from God, I will trust in Him and strive to do His will.
Jude warned us against those who claim that God’s grace leaves us free to live immoral lives, that we do not need to live righteous lives because of God’s grace. God rescued Israel from the land of Egypt but later destroyed those who did not remain faithful. The same is true for us, God rescued us from sin, but will destroy those who choose to return to that sin.
There are people who claim to have received authority from their dreams, or some other source that cannot be confirmed by others. They use this imputed authority to justify living immoral lives, defy those whose authority derives from more traditional (and verifiable) sources, and scoff at the supernatural. The writer reminds us that we do not have power over supernatural beings, our power versus the devil is not our own. We merely have the authority to invoke Jesus’ power. Those who scoff at what they do not understand are blemishes on our fellowship gatherings. They are people who use others for their own aggrandizement and give nothing in return. They are a contamination of the body of Christ.
Jude tells us how to recognize them. They do not produce the fruit of the Spirit (see Paul’s writing to know what that is). They grumble and complain, only interested in what satisfies their own desire. They spend their time telling others about all of the “wonderful things” they have done. They tell you what a wonderful person you are in order to get you to do what they want (if you dare to resist their desires, you suddenly become a pariah). I watch my behavior because these characteristics are a sign that I am drifting away from God’s will for my life (or have already moved away from it). It is these sorts of people who create division in the Church.
Jude concludes by telling us the counter to such people, the way to live so as not to be like them (or be led astray by them). He tells us to build each other up in our faith in Christ, show mercy to those who struggle with doubts. Let us reprove those who are destroying themselves with their sin, but extend friendship and hospitality to those who are struggling. As we strive to show love to those who are struggling in sin we must be cautious not to allow their sin to become our own. In all of this, let us never forget that God is able to keep us from falling into sin, if we only trust and rely on Him.
Today’s psalm is an important reminder that no matter how skilled we are, no matter how hard we work, all of our efforts will be wasted if we do not work within God’s will.
It is through being disciplined that children learn wisdom. It is only by the discipline instilled by our parents when we were young that we learned the skills we need to thrive in this world. It is only through the discipline instilled by God that we learn the skills we need to thrive in the next.