The dominoe effect of decisions

Every day we are given the same basic choice.  Do I trust God or do I trust…emotions, others, my own logic, media, my pride…. The type of fulfillment we seek changes (security, approval, emotional, etc.) but the choice of a provider doesn’t.  In Hosea, Israel is displayed as an unfaithful wife, whoring after other lovers because she thinks they give her what she needs (food, money, protection, nice things).  God is portrayed as a jealous husband longing desperately for his bride to realize that he is the true fulfiller of her needs.  In order to teach her this lesson, he is willing to “strip her naked” (2.3), removing all the things she thought fulfilled her, and “uncover her shame in the sight of her lovers” (2.10).  Essentially, God removes his goodness from Israel and lets them depend on the idols they so frantically sought.  The result is destruction and complete exile for 10 of Israel’s tribes.

Fast forward 2700 years… Due to the unchanging character of God (Heb 13.8), we can assume that he operates towards his people in the same way today.  I think of my past moments of desperation; the times when my entire world seemed to drop out from under me.  Days and weeks of realizing that I was in no way thriving but simply getting by.  Through the lens of Hosea, I can now see that it was a byproduct of my idols coming up short.  Because of his deep love for me, God allowed me to experience the true power of my idols; he allowed my trust in things other than him to play itself out.  Essentially, God allows us to experience the natural consequences of our infidelity.

But fortunately for us, and Israel, God doesn’t stop there.  Hosea 2.14-23 shows God “alluring” his bride and “speaking tenderly to her.”  He gives her back everything that was taken, restores her integrity and takes her as his “wife in righteousness, justice, steadfast love and mercy forever.”  To use the Hosean illustration, God picks us up out of the gutter, covering our nakedness.  He brings us from the back alley into his bedchamber. He assures us of our self-worth and beauty.  He heals our wounds and provides for our needs.  Why? Because his “heart recoils within him” at the sight of our desolation, and “his compassion grows warm and tender” (11.8).  There are few things more beautiful than that.

Challenge: Reflect upon the decisions that you make and ask yourself, "Does this demostrate a trust in God or in something else?" It is one or the other.