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Hosea 4:1-2, Various

God’s Steadfast Love

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 26, 2024

Hosea is the story of God’s broken heart over man’s sin. Moses brought God’s covenant down from Sinai, and all God’s people acknowledged it. At the end of Deuteronomy, we see the nation saying “I do” as Moses read the moral laws to the people. They clamored that they would keep the commandments of God. But, people are not faithful to their promises as God is. They broke every one of the Ten Commandments. In Hosea 4, God points out specifically how the Israelites have violated the ten commandments and broke their marriage covenant with God.  Hosea Chapter 4, Verses 1 & 2 say, “There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land;  there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.” Notice the perfect alignment with the ten commandments in this passage. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in Vain.  Thou shalt not lie. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Then, the summary statement that God’s people have stepped outside of all God’s instructions for a healthy, happy, and wholesome life. They are completely unfaithful. While, In contrast, God is always completely faithful.

Psalm 136 has 21 verses, and every verse ends with the statement. “for his steadfast love endures forever.” Psalm 103 says, “As far as the heavens are above the earth, so great is God’s steadfast love.”  This is the kind of love God has for us sinners. I know, according to science, we are very much like the animals. Webster writes, “Biology is awed that human beings are so closely related to fruits and vegetables and that more than 60 percent of human genes are the same as those in fruit flies. The scientific view of the human person is inevitably and understandably reductionistic, breaking down the person into component parts, reading DNA, mapping genomes, and discovering proteomes. This effort is true as far as it goes. The old biology aims to explain the what, where, when, and how, but it doesn’t come close to explaining the who.”[1] Unlike all other creations, we are the ones God created in His own image. And he will never stop loving us with everlasting love. Hosea establishes a scenario in which the sin of all mankind, even as vile as it is, does not diminish God’s love for us. Like the father of the prodigal son, God’s love never dims. This is hard to grasp.

A California newspaper carried a story about a discovery made by astronomers. The scientists picked up radio signals from a body in space that they estimated to be fifty million light years from the Earth. Prior to that, the most distant object known was ten million light years from Earth. Distances such as those are beyond our comprehension but illustrate well the infinite boundaries of God’s steadfast love. In contrast to man’s love, God’s love has no boundaries! It took Christ on the cross of Calvary to show us the depth of God’s love in a way we might comprehend it. Paul tells the Ephesians that God’s love is far above anyone’s understanding. But his prayer for them is not that they will understand it but experience it.

[1] Webster, Douglas D. 2023. The Psalms: Jesus’s Prayer Book. Vol. 4. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic.

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Hosea 1:2

God’s Broken Heart

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 25, 2024

Hosea is a story of a broken heart. God’s people, whom he loves with an undying love, have abandoned him for other lovers. They did not appreciate the depth of His love for them. They did not return His love for them. They wanted the pleasure & excitement of playing the field instead of the blessings of a wholesome and honest monogamous relationship. With Hosea’s life, God held up a mirror in which His people could see and appreciate what they’ve done to Him. In God’s work with the Prophet Hosea, he tried to illustrate the depth of his pain to his people by publicly putting Hosea through the same thing. Hosea 1:2 says,  (My Translation) God told Hosea, “Your wife will never be faithful to you. She will conceive and bear children from other men, but not for you. Her promiscuity will make you a laughing stock to the world.  But more importantly, because of your deep love for her, her affairs will break your heart. This will illustrate how my people have treated me.”

God’s deep love for His people is the central theme of Hosea! But their hardheartedness blocks the flow of God’s love.  God’s own people, instead of remaining faithful to Him, yearn for the “strange fire” of the gods of the people in the land. They see the idols of possessions, pleasure, and prestige and follow after them. I often see myself in their weaknesses. I yearn for the pleasures and possessions in this world at the expense of my relationship with God. When it comes to my relationship with God, I’m sometimes the “Wayward Wind” that Gogi Grant sang about back in the 50s. Though I make promises, I find them hard to keep. I’m often a restless wind that yearns to wonder. The sound of the “outward-bound” makes me a slave to my wandering ways. I think we should be careful about being hard on the people of Israel, as symbolized by Gomer. We all have wandering eyes. We all look at the fruit and notice that it’s good for food. God’s love and care for His people were not enough to communicate the depth of His love for them. That’s where Jesus comes in.

Jesus came to break through the hardheartedness of man. God so loved us that He sent His only son to die for us. I remember holding my baby grandson some time ago. As I looked at his infant form and into his eyes, it struck me that God, in the very person of His son, took on the form of a baby. But he took that form for a purpose. The soft little hands were to have nails driven through them. The chubby little feet would be nailed to the cross. And his beautiful little head would have a crown of thorns mashed down on it. His little body, in his “Gramma is out of this world” jumpsuit, would be pierced by a soldier’s spear. Water and blood would flow from his side, the symbol of a broken heart. I remember how sin, as recorded in Genesis 6:6, broke God’s heart. It says, “God’s heart was filled with pain.”  God demonstrated His love for me when my eyes were still wandering. While still in the slums of my sin, Jesus died for me. God so loved the world including me, that he gave His only son to pay the penalty for my sins. My sins broke God’s heart. May his death on the cross soften mine!

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Haggai 1:7-8

Finding Peace

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 24, 2024

Six times, the Lord calls mankind to “consider your ways” in the book of Haggai. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”  We all reflect on the essential issues of life, and whether we like it or not, we are all philosophers in that we all have a philosophy of life. Many people don’t take the time to consider their own philosophy of life. Many cannot tell you what their philosophy of life is. In the end, it boils down to a person’s view on three issues. The three main issues everyone must consider are “Where do I come from? What am I here for? And Where am I going.” My philosophy of life that answers these questions is Biblical. I believe that I’ve been created by a loving God who has a purpose for my life, including a final destiny. Most people today see themselves as a product of an impersonal evolution process determined by chance. There is no “purpose” for their personal lives. The ultimate destiny is the grave. But lately, there have been secularists who look for purpose in the stars. There has been an increasing interest in UFOs and extraterrestrial life. Maybe we can learn about our origin from them and gain meaning and purpose from that. Some think they may hold the secret of eternal life and will establish an eternal destiny for us.

Although Haggai’s exhortation to “consider your ways” is one that pushes people to consider their worldview, it’s really written to those who were God’s children. He’s addressing people who profess faith in God. He challenges them to see if their actions truly live up to their items of faith. They are struggling with survival in their homeland. There are enemies all around them, and they are having trouble providing for themselves and, therefore, have neglected God. The call to “consider your ways” is a call to face up to the real questions of life. Are you basing your life’s choices on the fact that you came forth from God? Are you living in response to God’s purpose for your life? Are you living in light of a day when you will give an account for your life? Are you? Are you? Six times, God asks His people through Haggai, “Are you?” Unfortunately, the expected answer was, “No, we’re not.” Though they were charged with the rebuilding of God’s Temple in Jerusalem, they were more interested in building their own homes. Although they professed they believed in God, They were living as if they believed life was an accident and there was no God who had a purpose and plan for them. They were basing the expenditure of their resources on selfish interests and not God’s purpose. They were living as if they were autonomous and had no accountability to God. Thus, Haggai’s call to “consider” is to see and recognize the truth of what one’s life choices say.

But then he concludes with the call to get it right. Put God back in His proper place in your life! Give God the priority He deserves. In Haggai 1:7-8, we read, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways.  Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house (of worship), that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD.” When you do this, things will change for you. He says, “Fear not. For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’” (Haggai 2:6-9)

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1 Peter 3:18-20, Various

Victory In Jesus

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 23, 2024

I’ve always struggled with the part of the Apostles Creed that says Jesus descended into hell, where he stayed for three days before his resurrection. Those who argue that this is the case will often refer to 1 Peter 3:18-19 as evidence that Jesus did just that. They argue that it is clear that Jesus proclaimed the Gospel to the fallen souls in Hell.  They have a particular way of teaching what Peter said in this passage to support their position. The defense of this position rests somewhat on the English translation of the word “preached.” According to the King James Version (KJV) It says, “…He went and preached to the spirits in prison.”

The context of this passage, along with comments in other Bible books, disputes this interpretation. The context makes it clear that the “spirits in prison” are the evil angels of Genesis 6:1–4 (or their offspring).  This is also clear in that their disobedience is mentioned in 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6. The context makes it clear that it took place after his resurrection, not before. Also, verse 18 concludes with, “He was made alive in the spirit, in which he went…” The phrase “in the spirit” is often used to refer to the third person of the trinity, whose major mission is to declare and convict of the glorious success of Jesus’ ministry on earth. Further, “in prison” may not be the same as the Hell of eternal damnation for unrighteous humans.

There are many biblical problems with this teaching. I want to argue that Jesus didn’t preach. He “proclaimed.” The ESV and other translations use the word “proclaim” instead of “preach.” It’s much better because it captures the original idea.  It means to make an official announcement. The issue is not the gospel, as some argue. If so, it implies that those who die will have a second chance to be saved.  The scriptures make it clear that “it is appointed for man to die once, and then the judgment.” There’s not a 2nd chance after death to come to faith. Rather, the issue is the victorious proclamation to fallen angels of His unequivocal victory over temptation and sin. Verse 20 clearly indicates to whom the proclamation is being made. It is addressed to the disobedient in the “days of Noah.” Jesus is asserting his triumph over the sin issue. Jesus came to undo the original fall. He brings redemption to fallen man, and he proclaims his victory over the fallen angels who were tested and failed. Jesus was tested and succeeded.

The story of the fallen angels of Genesis 6, which brought about the flood, tells of an angelic infiltration into the human race. These angels could not repent, but they were brought to subjection. Verse 22 says that Jesus “Has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”  Norm Geisler puts it this way, “1 Peter 3:19 is about Christ announcing the victory of His death and resurrection to the fallen spirit world that was defeated by His actions. There is no reference to leading saved spirits out of a compartment in Hades and taking them to heaven.” Paul tells the Colossians that Jesus “Disarmed principalities and powers. He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15). The significance of this for you and me is well phrased by D. A. Carson. He writes, “Jesus’ victory over evil spiritual beings, proclaimed at his ascension, means that Christians need not fear their power (3:14, 19–22).”[1]

[1] Carson, D. A., and Douglas J. Moo. 2005. An Introduction to the New Testament. Second Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

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1 Samuel 12:3

Finishing Well

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 22, 2024

The prophet that anointed Saul had served Israel faithfully for his entire life. We remember the barren Hannah, his mother, who dedicated his life to serving God if He would bless her with a son. God gave her Samuel. She weened him and turned him over to the Priests. Eli was not the most faithful of priests, and his sons, Hophni and Phineas, were the worst possible priests. In spite of that, Samuel faithfully served God. In 1 Samuel 12:3, Samuel seems to be turning over the reins of the kingdom to Saul in his farewell address. He describes himself by saying, “I am old and grey, and my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day… whose ox have I taken? Whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I taken a bribe?” The nation responds with the pronouncement of innocence of Samuel.” Samuel lived his life in a glass bowl for the entire nation of Israel to observe. In the end, there is no one to make a charge against him. What a wonderful way to finish.

Ogilvie comments, “The integrity of Samuel stands as a model for us today. I can still remember the shock that many registered when they learned that bribes are a standard part of doing business in many countries. There was almost a patronizing tone in the voices of those who insisted that though we do not believe in these practices, we have no other option if we hope to be involved in world trade. But in recent years, we have had stockbrokers imprisoned for insider trading, defense contractors fined for cheating the public out of hundreds of millions of dollars, enthusiastic alumni exposed for paying money under the table to college athletes, and countless public officials convicted for betraying the public trust. While we live in a high-tech society with amazing potential for improving the lot of people, improvement isn’t happening because there are too many people in too many high places whose lives and work lack integrity. To be able to come to the end of a career of any sort with Samuel’s ‘clean hands’ would be a noble goal for anyone.”

Well, I think it is probably too late for most of us. We’ve already messed up our lives and reputations in one way or another, but maybe we can finish well. Although I’ve had a rocky start in life, I sure would love to finish well. In the culture we live in, this is not an easy task. More than how you start, it is how you finish. One writer observed, “Leaving a rich legacy depends upon finishing well, and the odds are against you. Research on leaders from biblical and church history has documented the fact that few leave a positive legacy. In fact, according to Dr. Robert Clinton, only about one in three leaders finish well. The odds in the marketplace maybe even worse. From Enron’s corporate fraud to the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandals to the headlines of the local paper, we are bombarded with real-life reminders that it is difficult to achieve great things, maintain integrity, and finish well. Many capable people who have had worthy dreams have failed to leave a positive legacy because they could not overcome flaws in their character. This is the legacy challenge—the difference between achievement and character, the gap between doing and being.”[1]

[1] Moore, Steve. 2004. The Dream Cycle: Identify and Achieve God’s Purpose for Your Life. Indianapolis, IN: WPH.

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1 Samuel 11:2

Am I My Brother’s Keeper?

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 21, 2024

Saul is the first king of Israel. He’s anointed as such under the direction of the prophet Samuel. There is no unanimous support for Saul. He has his naysayers. Doesn’t everyone?  Although he didn’t end too well, I think Saul had a good beginning. Chapter 11 of 1 Samuel records Saul’s first official act as king. It also answers the critics of chapter ten who say, “How can this man save us?” Jabesh-Gilead is under attack from the Ammonites. They appealed for peace and offered the terms that every citizen must have one eye gouged out. If they submitted to this condition, the Ammonites would let them live. The elders of Jabesh sent a plea for help to all of Israel, but no one would come! They were too wrapped up in “everyman doing what was right in his own eyes” to get involved with other’s problems. But when the message came to Saul, He came up with a way to motivate the nation to defend their own. He sent pieces of a divided carcass to the cities with an angry response, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen.”

For the first time since Joshua, Israel received a command with authority from a central government. When the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul, it was made clear that the nation could not long survive with everyone concerned only about their own interests. It was absolutely essential for them to shift from “doing their own thing” to “I am my brother’s keeper.” Amos 6:1 tells us what God thinks of the complacent. “Woe to those who live at ease” while the nation suffers. The people recognized the evil being perpetrated on their own kin by the Ammonites, but for personal convenience’s sake, they didn’t want to get involved. Amos’ condemnation involves God’s indictment of those who stand by and watch when they could have helped.

In the middle of the great depression back in the early ’30s, Herbert Hoover said, ” Time and time again, the American people have demonstrated a spiritual quality, a capacity for unity of action, of generosity, a certainty of results in time of emergency that have made them great in the annals of the history of all nations. This is the time, and this is the occasion when we must arouse that idealism, that spirit. … This civilization and this great complex, which we call American life, is built and can alone survive upon the translation into individual action of that fundamental philosophy announced by the Savior nineteen centuries ago. Part of our national suffering today is from failure to observe these primary yet inexorable laws of human relationships. Modern society can not survive with the defense of Cain, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Saul’s first act was to mobilize the nation to defend its citizens against its enemies. He had a good start.

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Joel 3:14,

The Valley Of Decision

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 20, 2024

The minor prophets as a whole, and Joel very specifically, present God’s call to His prodigal children to repent and return to the God that saved us. His generation had to make a decision. Every generation has to make a decision. You and I have to make a decision. The third chapter of Joel informs us that God will one day make a decision regarding our decisions. In 3:14, Joel calls this the Valley of Decision. He says that there will be many in that valley. He writes, “Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” Everyone has to decide!

I hate decisions! I can’t decide what kind of razor blades to buy anymore. There are just too many to choose from. But deciding what’s really important is inescapable for each of us. I’ve met people who have been introduced to the Gospel message yet have made no personal decision regarding it. They’d rather not deal with it. I know I put off the decision personally until I was nearly 32 years old. But not making a decision is making a decision. It’s deciding not to. Indecision is a decision for the negative. In the Valley of Decision, God will decide regarding our indecision and our decisions. Guzik says, “The idea of the ‘Valley of Decision’  has been used in countless evangelistic meetings to show people that they stand in the ‘Valley of Decision’ and must decide for or against Jesus. Joel’s context is exactly the opposite. Man does indeed stand in the valley of decision, but it is God who does the deciding, not man. It is a valley of judgment—and we should decide for Jesus right now, so we never stand in this valley of decision.”[1]

Ronald Reagan once had an aunt who took him to a cobbler for a pair of new shoes.  The cobbler asked young Reagan, “Do you want square toes or round toes?”  Unable to decide, Reagan didn’t answer, so the cobbler gave him a few days.  Several days later, the cobbler saw Reagan on the street and asked him again what kind of toes he wanted on his shoes.  Reagan still couldn’t decide, so the shoemaker replied, “Well, come by in a couple of days.  Your shoes will be ready.”  When the future president did so, he found one square-toed and one round-toed shoe! “I learned right then and there,” Reagan said later, “if you don’t make your own decisions, someone else will.” Joshua challenged the Israelites as they were struggling with the temptations of the gods of the land they were supposed to subdue. He said in Joshua 24:15, “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

[1] Guzik, David. 2000. Joel. David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible. Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik.

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Joel 2:28, Various

Pouring Out The Spirit

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 19, 2024

Joel talks about the future restoration of a repentant people. In Joel 2:28, There will come a day, God says, when “I will pour out my spirit on all people.” The “pouring out” is a fascinating concept. Samuel anointed David as the King of Israel by “pouring” oil over his head. At that moment, David is filled with God’s spirit for the task of leadership. At that same time, the Spirit leaves Saul. Without the Spirit, Saul becomes despondent and depressed and has fits of rage and irrational behavior. David, the one with the Spirit, comes to play music to soothe his ravaged psyche. It’s almost as if there is not enough of the Spirit to go around. But Joel tells us that one day, there will be enough for everyone. The passage goes on to say, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” As an old man, I can verify that we dream dreams, as Joel says. I’ve never had as many dreams as I have in the past year or so. They have not all been good, so I believe that Joel means something different than the kind of dreams I have.

Peter explains that the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost is the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. All Christians, upon coming to faith in Jesus, receive the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit is now freely given to all believers. There is enough for us all. Paul tells Titus that God “saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” (Titus 3:5-6) Lang suggests, “The significance of Joel’s prophecy is that in the Old Testament, the Spirit empowered only a select few people—prophets, military deliverers, and kings. The early Christians saw the Spirit empowering all who put their faith in Christ, fulfilling Joel’s prophecy.”[1]

It is the refreshing rain that the crops need to produce fruit. Isaiah puts it this way, “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”  With the pouring out of God’s Spirit, the ground is refreshed, and it produces fruit. With Christ as our Savior, God pours out his Spirit on us also. The refreshment of the Spirit brings forth fruit in our lives. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

[1] Lang, J. Stephen. 1999. 1,001 Things You Always Wanted to Know about the Holy Spirit. Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.

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