Does God take sin personally? The very question seems to take God from His high and exalted place and frame Him in terms that seem almost human. While God is a holy Being, He is not a human being. Yet God addresses sin and those who He loves in a very personal way in Hosea.
God sent Hosea to the northern kingdom of Israel to call them back to Himself. The name Hosea means “salvation.” But a person can’t be saved if he can’t see himself as lost! A person can’t see himself as lost until he sees himself from God’s perspective and standard.
It is a modern myth that someone can leave or reject a person that loves them and there be no hard feelings. The destruction of homes today, for instance, seems to be an abstract and legal matter. Oftentimes, estranged spouses will say, “Well, we are still friends.” That detachment is almost the very definition of sin in Hosea. Sin is described as a departure, not from a code or a command, but from a Person.
Hosea demonstrated the painfulness of Israel’s departure from God by taking a wife who would be unfaithful. The Bible says that the children of Israel committed a great unfaithfulness in “departing from the Lord.” Sin is a personal matter! Sin is not against a person or a code of conduct; sin is against God.
There is a sense in which you can be living in a state of sin, even while you’re doing everything “technically” right. Remember, sin is a departure from the Lord. You can do things that are expected of you but still be drifting away from God. The pain that Hosea’s unfaithful wife caused him could be no greater than the ingratitude we show the Lord when we drift from Him.
Matthew 22:37 reminds us that the “great commandment in the law” is “thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” It certainly does matter what you do, and what you do should be an indication of Who you love. However, what you do can never make up for a lack of love to God who made you, loves you, and redeemed you by the high cost of His Son.
Camp Quote:
“Lowliness means not being self-absorbed but aware of the needs of others.” -Evangelist Troy Carlson
Prayer Requests:
1. Staff orientation week training continues this week
2. Health, safety, and protection for staff this summer