pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: sin


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God’s Longing

Reading: Hosea 6-10

Hosea 6:6 – “I desire faithful love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God instead of entirely burned offerings.”

Chapter 6 begins with an invitation to return to the Lord. In justice God had injured and struck down Israel. In righteousness God will heal and bind them up. The rest of chapters 6-10 detail the sins of Israel: nationalism, idolatry, false worship, and trusting in self. All are guilty. Again and again Israel has not chosen to walk in the ways of the Lord.

God begins our reading with two rhetorical questions. Hod wonders what to do with Ephraim (Israel) and Judah. God’s hope is stated in verse 6, “I desire faithful love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God instead of entirely burned offerings.” Israel is going through the motions, doing the things. But there is no sincerity or meaning in their worship. Because of their unfaithfulness, God will “bring them down.” In chapter 8 God declares that Israel has broken the covenant, making idols of gold and silver. They will be swallowed up and will go into Assyria, “a wild ass wandering alone.”

Israel’s sacrifices do not please God. Therefore, their bread will be for “their hunger alone.” It will not come into God’s house. In 9:8-9 the priests are addressed. Even though they are supposed to be “God’s watchmen” rejection is in God’s house. They are corrupt and wicked. The priests attend to the regular sacrifice, yes, but they do not check Israel’s sins. They do not speak out and call our Israel’s sins. They too are a part of the evil. God declares, “I will drive them out of my house. I will love them no more.”

Chapter 10 closes with hope once again. God calls Israel to “sow for yourselves righteousness, reap faithful love.” It is time to seek the Lord. Then, in turn, God promises to “rain righteousness upon you.” Israel has “plowed wickedness… reaped depravity.” God longs for covenant renewal. But the people must be willing. God longs for this today. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, you see all of your children’s sins. You see our sin. Yes, at times we too choose selfishness, idolatry, pride. Break us of these evils, Lord. Heal and bind up our sins. Guide and lead us to be people of righteousness and justice. Rain down your power and love. Rain down justice and righteousness. Amen.


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Hope, Yes, Even Then

Ezekiel 20:33 – “As surely as I live, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, I will be your king!”

Good and evil 1

We begin today with a riddle. The great eagle is Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He planted Zedekiah, but he rebelled, trying to form an alliance with Egypt. But Pharaoh wouldn’t help. Zedekiah went into exile. In chapter 18 God clarifies the consequences of their sin. Contrary to popular understanding, sins and their consequences are not carried on through the generations. Through a three generation example, God reveals that the righteous will live. The sinful will die. God states in verse 30, “I will judge each of you according to your ways.” The chapter concludes with a plea from God: choose life.

Chapters 19 and 20 lament Israel’s leaders and history, respectively. In chapter 19 poor leadership has resulted in Israel and Judah being planted in the desert – in exile – in a “parched and thirsty land.” God then reviews Israel’s long, long, long history of disobedience. Again and again and again God is ready to “pour out my wrath” on Israel and again and again and again we read that “for my name’s sake” God gives Israel another chance. Whether literally or figuratively it was again and again, “one more lap around the desert” as God tried and tried to bring Israel into a lasting covenant relationship. Finally, in 20:33 we read, “As surely as I live, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, I will be your king!” There will not be another lap, another “again.” Yet even as disaster looms, God speaks hope. After the doom, God will regather the small remnant. God will “bring you into the covenant bond.”

Chapter 21 describes the disaster soon to come. The guard will strike all – left and right, twice and three times. Reminded of their guilt, they will be laid low. “A ruin, ruin, ruin, I’ll make it!” declares the Lord.

Prayer: Lord God, these words of death and loss and devastation and disobedience can be hard to read. They are hard to wrap our heads around. Yet we also must acknowledge that just as you laid out the way to live, the people chose to walk the other way. We too face the same choice: life or death. Guide us to choose life, to choose to walk in your ways of love and grace, of justice and righteousness. Amen.


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Lamenting Suffering

Reading: Lamentations 3-5

Lamentations 3:22 – “Certainly the faithful love of the LORD hasn’t ended; certainly God’s compassion isn’t through!”

Photo credit: Falaq Lazuardi

Today’s key verse summarizes the feel of Lamentations 3-5. There is hope in these words of lament. There is a hope that God isn’t utterly done with Israel. Yes, the author knows the promises of rescue and restoration, but in the depths of the suffering, hope can flicker.

Lamentations 3 is in the first person. It reads as if Jeremiah were reflecting on the hardships and trials of his life as a prophet. He has felt God’s hand against him. He has felt like God “silences my prayer.” These memories of suffering bring bitterness. He muses, “Certainly the faithful love of the LORD hasn’t ended; certainly God’s compassion isn’t through!” Hope arises, though, as he declares, “Great is your faithfulness… The Lord is my portion! Therefore I’ll wait for God.” As the chapter continues, there is an invitation to “examine our ways” and to recognize, “We rebelled.” This is step one to forgiveness.

Chapter 4 reflects on the people’s suffering. The children are thirsty and hungry. The author laments that their fate wasn’t like Sodom’s – quick and final. He laments, death by the sword would be better than death by famine. The false prophets draw some of the blame. There is reality in verse 12: “Our end had definitely come.”

The last chapter is a communal lament. They invite God to notice their disgrace. They recognize that they are burdened by past sins. Their joy is gone. They are “doomed because we have sinned.” Hope surfaces again as the community recalls how God reigns from one generation to the next. With that hope, they offer this request: “Return us, Lord, to yourself. Please let us return!” May it ever be so.

Prayer: Lord God, we too lament when we suffer justly for our sins and for our choices to be of the world. We too long to end these seasons and to return to you, our God and king. In the suffering and trial, refine us as you are working to rescue us. Draw us to you, O Lord, again and again. Amen.


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Warning and Promise, Reality and Hope

Reading: Lamentations 1-2

Lamentations 2:19b – “Pour out your heart before my Lord like water. Lift your hands up to him for the life of your children.”

Photo credit: Shane Rounce

Today and tomorrow we read through Lamentations. These five acrostic poems lament the fall of Jerusalem and the suffering that followed. Jeremiah (and/or others writing in his voice) give a vivid and emotional account of this dark time in Israel’s history. Jews have read this book yearly during the month of Ab as a reminder of the consequences of sin and disobedience to God’s Instruction.

Chapter 1 opens with “Oh no!” This phrase evokes the wailing customary in a Hebrew funeral dirge. Jerusalem is personified as a woman, sitting alone, widowed and enslaved. There is no one to comfort her. She recalls the treasures that filled the palace and temple. She also laments the walls and gates being destroyed. She now feels “naked.” There is also the harsh reality of survival laid bare in these words. Hunger is prevalent. People sit on the ground and moan, fainting from lack of strength. As I envision this scene, my mind goes to places like Gaza and the Ukraine.

Running throughout chapters 1 and 2 is an acknowledgement. Israel and Judah have brought this upon themselves. Their sin, their disobedience, the false prophets – all led to this outcome. The nation who touted God’s presence, power, and might has been laid low by God’s almighty hand. Israel’s enemies rejoice. But even though God “ripped down, showing no compassion” and even though “the comforter who might encourage me is nowhere near,” there remains a faith and a hope in God. The writer encourages Israel and us to, “Pour out your heart before my Lord like water. Lift your hands up to him for the life of your children.” May this be our prayer when we find ourselves in times of suffering and hardship.

Prayer: Lord God, the reality of pain and suffering is right there. The cost of turning from you and walking in the ways of the world is laid bare today. May we read and feel these words, O Lord, as both warning and promise, as both reality and hope. May they work in us to yield faith and obedience to your will and way. Amen.


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A Fire in the Heart

Reading: Jeremiah 17-20

Jeremiah 17:10 – “I, the LORD, probe the heart and discern hidden motives, to give everyone what they deserve, the consequences of their deeds.”

Chapter 17 begins with a condemnation of the sinful. Judah’s sin is “engraved” on their hearts. God will give their land, wealth, and “all that you treasure” to their enemies. They are cursed because they have trusted in human strength. Contrasted to these are the people who trust in and rely on God. They will be like trees planted by the water – ever fruitful. Verse 10 cuts to the heart of the outcome of Judah’s and our choices: “I, the LORD, probe the heart and discern hidden motives, to give everyone what they deserve, the consequences of their deeds.”

In today’s readings we find a few laments from Jeremiah. Often he expresses trust in God and asks for his tormentors to be punished. In chapter 20 his despair is deeper. He regrets being called by God. He ponders quitting. Yet there is “an intense fire in my heart, trapped in my bones.” He knows well his love of God. Yet he is also weary of the abuse, ridicule… He closes this lament cursing the day he was born. It has led to much “suffering and misery.”

We also have two great visuals in today’s readings: the potter and the clay and the clay jar. At the potter’s house, Jeremiah watches the piece become flawed. The potter smashed it down and starts over. God proclaims the power to “dig up, pull down, and destroy”sinful nations. God also claims the power to “build and plant” new nations. It is the people’s choice which they will be. God responds for them rhetorically, saying, “What’s the use?” They have hardened, willful, evil hearts.

God then uses the clay jar as reinforcement. Jeremiah again speaks of their sins and the coming disaster. The siege will be horrific. In desperation they will eat one another’s flesh. He smashes the jar, saying this is what God will do to Judah. He then repeats these words in the temple. The high priest beats and then imprisons Jeremiah. The life of a prophet is not easy.

Prayer: Lord God, we too are called to speak your word and to offer hard truths at times. It is not easy. We can expect to face trials as Jeremiah did. May you become a fire in our hearts, a passion trapped in our bones. Lead us to stand for you and to be a part of your building the kingdom here on earth. Amen.


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God Will Teach Them

Reading: Jeremiah 13-16

Jeremiah 13:11 – “Just as a linen undergarment clings to the body, so I created the people of Israel and Judah to cling to me.”

Photo credit: Kenny Eliason

Our reading today begins with an illustration. Jeremiah buys, wears, and then buries an undergarment in the Euphrates River (in Babylon.) He digs it up and it is ruined, just like the people of God will be. God laments, “Just as a linen undergarment clings to the body, so I created the people of Israel and Judah to cling to me.” Because of their sin and disobedience, God will not have pity or compassion or mercy. They will be “dragged off to exile” and God will “scatter you like straw.”

Drought comes. It initially gets their attention. The people acknowledge their sin but then accuse God of being absent. God responds by telling Jeremiah not to pray for them. And God won’t accept their fast or their offerings. God will send war, famine, and disease. Brief attention is given to the false prophets. Yes, God says, they too will die – and their families. Chapter 14 closes with another attempt by the people. Yes, we’ve sinned. Yes, we’re sinning. But don’t reject us, don’t break your covenant. There is no repentance, no intent to turn from their sins.

God is so upset that God declares that even if Moses and Samuel came and interceded for the people, God still wouldn’t listen. God’s hand is set against Judah. The widows will “outnumber the sand.” In 15:10 Jeremiah laments his treatment. God asks, “Haven’t I taken care of you?” Jeremiah declares his love for God’s word. God offers to take him back – if he is faithful. God then promises to rescue and protect Jeremiah.

In chapter 16 God tells Jeremiah not to marry or to have children. That’s how bad it will be. The people are accused of being worse than their ancestors. Even so, in verses 14 and 15 we find hope. One day God will bring them home. But first they will be paid back double for their sins. God will teach them. “They will understand that I am the Lord,” declares God. Yes they will.

Prayer: Lord God, sin and disobedience break your heart. They create separation between who we are being and who we are meant to be. Teach us too, O Lord, how to walk faithfully and obediently. Guard us from sin. Plant your word in our hearts, enabling us to shine your love out into the world. Amen.


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A Sad Saga – Then and Now

Reading: Jeremiah 1-4

Jeremiah 3:11 – “Then the LORD said to me: Unfaithful Israel is less guilty than disloyal Judah.”

Photo credit: Shane Rounce

Jeremiah begins with context. He ministered to Judah in the years that led up to the exile. The prophet has been claimed since the womb. Even so he tried to evade the call: I’m too young. God says, no, you’ll go where I send you and you’ll say what I tell you. And, don’t be afraid. Prepare for battle, but don’t fear, I’ll be with you. Judah’s sins are laid out. They’ve abandoned God, they worship idols, they think they can save themselves.

In chapter 2 God longs for what could have been. Israel followed God in the wilderness and entered the land of plenty. But they turned away, rebelled, chose Baal over God. Israel forsook the living water and dug wells for themselves – ones that failed, ones that couldn’t hold water. And even though they became skilled at sinning and even though their clothes were stained with the blood of the poor, they still claimed innocence before God.

In response God declared that the prostitute could not return to God. That would be illegal. Jeremiah invites Judah to look at Israel. Her sins led her into exile. Israel has ignored God and received “divorce papers.” Even with this warning and Israel’s example, Judah continued to walk in sin. God declared, “Unfaithful Israel is less guilty than disloyal Judah.”

In chapter 4 God offers mercy to Israel, inviting them to return, to get rid of their idols, to choose truth, justice, and righteousness. God invites Judah to break up the rocky soil of their hard hearts, to dedicate themselves to the Lord. They too refuse. Jeremiah then foresees the coming devastation, recalling the state of earth before the creation. The earth will grieve and heaven will grow dark with sadness. But God won’t change the plan. Desolation is coming. And even then, even with this news, Judah still gets all decked out, looking for another lover, seeking to find help on their own. Sadly, this “lover” will be the one who seeks and takes their life.

Prayer: Lord God, what a sad saga we read today. What a tough road Jeremiah had to walk. What a clear choice Judah had before them. And, alas, things are the same today. We have a clear choice: life through you or death by the ways of the world. The Spirit joins your word and your son’s example. And we can still rebel, still be faithless. Lord have mercy. Lord, strengthen us for the battle. Enrich the soil of our hearts. Walk with us, O God. Amen.


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A New Relationship

Reading: Isaiah 60-66

Isaiah 65:14 – “My servants will sing with contented hearts, but you will cry out from heartache; with broken spirits you will wail.”

As we close our Isaiah today chapter 60 encourages Israel to arise, to welcome sons and daughters home as they return from exile. Isaiah proclaims that peace and righteousness will reign. He tells of a day when the sun and moon won’t shine – God will be their light.

Isaiah 61 is a joyful proclamation that reveals God’s heart for justice and righteousness. The anointed prophet brings good news, heals brokenness, frees from sin, and promises the Lord’s favor to the faithful. He tells of God helping Israel to rebuild, to be restored and renewed. There is a promise of being clothed in victory and in a robe of righteousness. As we continue into chapter 62 God promises not to rest until Israel’s light shines and her salvation “blazes like a torch.” God delights in this people, will care for them, will lead them to be called “Holy People,” redeemed by God.

The prophet steps back in chapter 63, reminding the people why all this rebuilding is necessary. Edom’s sin raised God’s anger and wrath, just as Israel’s sin had. Yet for Israel there was also God’s love, mercy, and redemption. Isaiah invites more, asking God to “tear open the heavens” to come to them. He admits, Israel is the clay, God the potter. Good words of surrender and trust.

Isaiah closes out the book in chapters 65 and 66 with the usual good/bad news. The choice and outcome are summed up well in today’s key verse. No one listened when he spoke… God will repay their sin in full… God’s fire and sword will slay many. God is creating a new heaven and earth where there will be no tears, where they will thrive. Their relationship will deepen. God will answer before they call, God will hear before they speak. If only our hearts were so in tune with the Lord our God. May it be so one day.

Prayer: Lord God, we rejoice in your presence with us. Your love and mercy, grace and compassion, faithfulness and forgiveness – these continue to flow to your people. You remain at work, rebuilding when we break down, restoring when we fall away. Your justice and righteousness call us to reflect all of this as we seek to bring your good news to all people. Lead and guide us, O Lord. Amen.


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Higher Than Our Ways

Reading: Isaiah 52:13-55:13

Isaiah 54:7 – “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great mercy I will bring you back.”

Photo credit: Kate Remmer

Today, as we conclude Second Isaiah, we begin with the fourth Servant Song. The servant grew up quietly. He was not one to behold, nor did he draw attention to himself. In time he was despised and avoided, his words piercing the soul. He suffered with and was familiar with the sick, the outcast, the lonely. He bore our sins and was pierced because of our rebellions. By these wounds we are healed. An unjust ruling led to his death but “after his deep anguish he will see the light.” On the third day he arose, returning to his “share with the great.

Chapter 54 speaks of Israel’s restoration. A nation that has become barren will “burst out” to the left and right. God will partner with Israel to rebuild the nation. In verse 7 we read, “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great mercy I will bring you back.” These days are like the days of Noah. The punishment is ended. The new restart begins. Israel will be founded on righteousness, oppression will not come near. The new generation will be “disciples of the Lord.”

The themes of joy and restoration continue in chapter 55. In my Bible it is titled “An Invitation to the Feast.” There is water for the thirsty and food for the hungry. The invitation is also to “listen, and you will live.” God will make an “everlasting covenant.” God also invites the wicked to abandon their ways. The God who is “generous with forgiveness” wants to have mercy on them. Yes, God’s ways are higher than our ways. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, what hope and promise, both for your children then and for your children now. You went to great lengths to take in flesh and to suffer and pay for our transgressions. That spirit continues as you invite all to come to the table of grace, to feast on your generous mercy. Your words lead and guide us, they teach and instruct us. They do not return empty. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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What a Glorious Day

Reading: Isaiah 32-35

‭Isaiah 33:22 – “The LORD is our judge… our leader… our king — he will deliver us.”

Isaiah lifts up the image of a faithful king in chapter 32. This portrait is centered on justice and righteousness. The blind will see, the deaf will hear. When the “Spirit from on high” is poured out, the fruit of righteousness will be peace, calm, and security. Tucked in between these times will be a time of hardship. Isaiah warns the carefree because they will struggle greatly during this difficult time.

Chapter 33 goes back and forth. Assyria will be destroyed. God is our strength and salvation. Jerusalem cries out, the covenant is broken, no one cares for humanity. The Lord arises and stands tall, declaring, “Know my strength!” The devouring fire brings terror to the sinners. A righteous and truthful one will lead. In this hope-filled portion we read, “The LORD is our judge… our leader… our king — he will deliver us.”

Our last two chapters, 34 and 35, are likely from another time and author. Chapter 34 calls for vengeance against Edom. This nation helped Babylon sack Jerusalem in 587 BCE. Edom will experience “a year of payback for Zion’s cause.” Edom clearly falls on the wrong side of God’s “measuring line.” In chapter 35 we find a vision consistent with Second Isaiah. Here we read of the desert coming to bloom and of God’s glory and splendor. The weak and unsteady will have strength and support. The blind, deaf, lame, and mute will be made whole. The righteous will walk “The Holy Way” as they stream home to Zion, ransomed from exile. What a glorious day!

Prayer: Lord God, how we long for leadership marked by justice and righteousness, for a world filled with peace and security, with wholeness for all. We long for you to rise up, to lay low the wicked and the evildoers. We long to walk your holy highway, ransomed from our sin, drawing close to your glorious presence. May it be so, O Lord. Amen.