Which politician says let us return to the Lord? I’m not sure that any politician ever said that. But, you may remember one that claimed “Nobody has done more for Christianity or for evangelicals or for religion itself than I have”.
But can a politician return us to the Lord?
As the image shows, when we follow a politician who claims to take us pretty much anywhere must be questioned.
The sad reality in our world is that far too many politicians are out for themselves, their families, their friends, and/or whoever pays them the most.
For those of you old enough to remember the Jimmy Stewart movie, Mr. Smith doesn’t go to Washington anymore.
Trying to find someone who’s promising to lead us to God? Well, let’s refine that a bit. Trying to find someone who’ll lead us to the God of the Christian Bible? Good luck.
There’s reason for the saying, religion and politics make strange bedfellows.
As I’ve written before, whenever Christianity and the government, let alone the politics of trying to get someone elected to the government, get together, Christianity always loses.
As Jesus said, no one can serve two masters.
Yes, the issue in Luke’s gospel was money. And yes, that’s the thing we tend to think of when we hear no one can serve two masters.
However, the more general thought behind that was presented in Matthew’s Gospel.
Treasures in Heaven
6:22, 23 pp — Lk 11:34-36
Mt 6:19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Mt 6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Mt 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and Love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
Going back to the image in the inset box for Christianity and politics make strange bedfellows, it’s all about choices. And whenever our choice is between Christianity and something else, this passage should come to mind. Oh yeah – we should also try to act on it appropriately.
The problem is, with politics, it’s impossible to act appropriately. Compromising our faith will be a frequent issue. And it’s impossible to imagine someone can truly follow Jesus in this world and get/stay elected.
Hosea and Which politician says Let us return to the Lord?
So that’s the background for today’s topic. This is the second segment of of An unrepentant world. Part one answered the question, How does Hosea apply to an unrepentant world today? Now, we begin going through chapters 6 and seven of Hosea to see the details.
Hosea: Come, let us return to the Lord
Israel Unrepentant
Hos 6:1 “Come, let us return to the LORD.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.
Hos 6:2 After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence.
Hos 6:3 Let us acknowledge the LORD;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”
That all sounds good, doesn’t it? Return to the Lord. God will restore us. Let us acknowledge Him. God is predictable.
Can you return to the Lord and still be unrepentant?
Now that you’ve read the first three verses, what do you think of the NIV Passage Title – Israel Unrepentant?
The first verse does sound like Israel was repentant:
Hos 6:1 “Come, let us return to the LORD.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.
Was Israel repentant?
To be sure, there are commentaries from scholars who write about Israel’s repentance. Let’s look at a few of them.
Afflicted Israel had learned the bitter lessons of disobedience, and her people encouraged one another with the words, Come, and let us return unto the Lord. The words contain an implied confession, for Israel had departed from the Lord in her idolatrous practices. The God who had torn in judgment could be expected to heal in mercy. Israel’s wounds could not be healed by Egypt or Assyria (cf. 7:1; 11:3). Only God could bring new life to the wounded nation. 1
The people have learned their lessons. They’re encouraging each other. The God who had torn in judgment could be expected to heal in mercy. Yes, God can be expected to have mercy. When they return to Him. If they return to Him. But will they?
Is that good stuff? Maybe. But notice, the words contain an implied confession. We can read the words. But God knows what’s in people’s hearts. We don’t.
Possibly the people are talking to each other in 6:1–3, but it is more likely that Hosea is urging his neighbors to make an about-face and to return to the Lord. They will recognize that the Lord is not vicious, but filled with love. The people can have confidence that the Lord will heal their wounds. Returning to the Lord will not be wasted time; it will issue in new life. 2
Whether it’s Hosea talking to his neighbors, the people talking to each other, or maybe more likely some of both, I wonder if that’s the issue here.
To me, the bigger things are: They will recognize that the Lord is not vicious, but filled with love. And, The people can have confidence that the Lord will heal their wounds. Yes, both things could happen. But then again, did they? Once again, words are one thing, regardless of who says them. What’s in our heart is the true measure God uses to view us.
Obviously, saying the right things and doing nothing/the wrong thing is a problem. So is not saying or doing anything, as that’s staying the course. The wrong course. But what about not necessarily saying the right things, but actually doing the right things? This one may be a surprise.
The Parable of the Two Sons
Mt 21:28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
Mt 21:29 “ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
Mt 21:30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
Mt 21:31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”
Our actions tell what’s in our hearts, not in our words. Of course, there’s also the possibility of things like malicious obedience, where our actions try to cover up what’s really in our hearts. But you get the point. That is, the people must realize that the Lord is loving, merciful, and will heal them – as opposed to just saying the words but not believing and/or not living like they believe it.
Are we repentant when we say, let us return to the Lord?
OK, that’s a look at the people of Israel. But what about us today? After all, this is a series about Christianity in America and about an unrepentant world. So what about us?
And let’s not forget about the person we see when we look in a mirror. A country, even the world, is made up of individuals. So what about us as individual people?
As Christians, we presumably read, or maybe will now read, Hosea. Hosea spoke to us as well. There’s a reason Hosea is included in our Bible today. Jesus even quoted Hosea in His ministry. It’s in Matthew 9:13 if you’re not familiar with it. It’s kind of buried in the passage below, but it is important.
The Calling of Matthew
9:9-13 pp — Mk 2:14-17; Lk 5:27-32
Mt 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
Mt 9:10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
Mt 9:12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The part from Hosea is ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ When we add Jesus’ words enclosing that quote with the context of calling Matthew, then the quote really comes to life for us today. At least, it should, as the excerpt below from a Messianic Jewish Rabbi points out.
As we go through it, ask yourself if your thoughts, words, and activities represent the thought behind Come, let us return to the LORD in your Hosea – or if they are representative of the Pharisees below. In addition, ask if the leaders you support, whether they be religious, political, or otherwise, are returning to the Lord – or if they’re the ones helping to divide us and tear us into pieces.
In a most intriguing account, we have here Matthew’s own personal testimony of how he became a follower of Yeshua. As he was continuing his ministry throughout the Galil, Yeshua spotted a tax collector named Mattityahu collecting his fees. The name means “gift of God,” which was ironic considering this particular individual. As a tax collector, Mattityahu would have been doubly despised by his own people. First, he was a collaborator with, and employee of, the occupying forces of Rome. If this wasn’t bad enough, it was commonly known that such agents would make their living by overcharging and often extorting higher fees. Not exactly the “gift of God” that most first-century Jews would appreciate!
That irony will continue when we see the difference between what the Pharisees actually do versus what they should do.
It was not uncommon for Jews to have two names, as is the practice today. Jews in the Diaspora have both a Hebrew name as well as a name common for the country in which they live. We know from the other gospel writers that this man’s secondary name was “Levi.” If this means that he was also from priestly descent, then the enigma of this person is even greater. Because of the problems associated with such “publicans,” the rabbis issued a series of judgments against them, such as their disqualification as legal witnesses and even the unlikelihood of their real repentance (Tractate Sanhedrin 25b).
Notice, the rabbi’s issue injunctions against the tax collectors, as opposed to doing anything to help them. In fact, they believe the tax collectors to be impossible to help.
The abrupt change in Mattityahu indicates that he was not a stranger to Yeshua or his message. He had probably encountered this Messiah several times as he passed along the shores of the Kinneret. Upon hearing the call to “Follow me!” Mattityahu abandons his previous occupation and joins the other disciples. As a sign of heartfelt appreciation for his new calling, a meal is provided at a house (probably Mattityahu’s) where there are all sorts of controversial guests. The Pharisees were appalled at the sight of many other tax collectors and sinners dining in the presence of the Galilean rabbi. From their perspective, such apostate Jews were not only beyond personal fellowship, but this kind of crowd would certainly render any observant Jew ritually unclean.
Maybe for similar reasons, maybe not, but it seems many Christians end up with few to no non-Christians close friends. Of course, with us as with the Pharisees, regardless of the reasons, it makes it really hard for us to talk to other people about God when all our friends already know. Or is that, think they know?
By its very name (P’rushim/Separate ones), the Pharisaic sect of Judaism denoted that its members would keep far from anyone considered wicked. The Talmud states it this way: “If tax collectors entered a house, all within it become unclean. People may not be believed if they say, ‘We entered but we touched nothing’ ” (Tractate Toharot 7:6). Yet, Yeshua breaks down some commonly accepted norms once again, as he not only goes to such a meeting but also shares intimate fellowship with the crowd by partaking in a meal! From Messiah’s perspective, these are the very ones who need his help.
Here’s the thing about all this.
You may remember The Seven Woes, where Jesus accused the Pharisees of many things.
A couple of them included the reality that they, the Pharisees, were responsible for making the Jewish people unclean!
You can check that out in the referenced piece on Blessed are those who mourn.
Just open that page and search for “whitewashed tombs”.
Although such actions may have raised some objections from the traditional community, Yeshua reminds all those present that this principle of acceptance is an important value of the Prophets of old: “I want compassion rather than animal sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). This summary statement clearly conveys one of the primary purposes of Messiah’s mission to Israel—not to call the righteous, but the sinners. Of course, the irony of this statement is that all people, including those who considered themselves frum (Torah observant), were in need of the righteousness that only the Mashiach could provide. The need of all people, Jews or non-Jews, religious or pagan, for this unique work of Yeshua continues. Though this idea may sound strange in today’s postmodern, relativistic world, it should not deter us from acting on the urgency to share the Good News of Yeshua with all those around us. Apparently this is one reason why Mattityahu sponsored this celebration dinner in the first place. 3
Notice the message: “I want compassion rather than animal sacrifice”. I think the message for us today, as Christians, would be something like, I want compassion rather than you having to continually ask forgiveness so often. Sure, we will need forgiveness, because we aren’t perfect. However, I wonder about our, as I refer to it, “sin, ask forgiveness, rinse and repeat” attitude towards life isn’t what Jesus had in mind. It’s like what Paul wrote about sin and grace.
…
Ro 5:20 The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
Ro 6:1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
What’s the big deal about repenting? Can’t we just return to the Lord?
Ultimately, the first question has to be, are we really returning to the Lord?
Hosea says:
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.
And that’s all well and good. Maybe we even believe it.
However, there’s an assumption in the first line of the verse we’re looking at. Here’s the whole thing, in case you forgot:
Hos 6:1 “Come, let us return to the LORD.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.
Returning to the Lord is an assumption. However, it’s also a condition! The Bible gives us plenty of evidence that returning to the Lord is a requirement for healing. For forgiveness. For eternal life with Jesus.
Christians speak of, and hopefully learn about, transformation.
We’ll always sin in this life. We’ll turn away from God, but hotpefully only for a time. Then we’ll repent and return. That’s part of transformation.
Earlier I had a reference to Blessed are those who mourn, to look at the whitewashed tomb reference from Jesus about the Pharisees. Our transformation is laid out in The Beatitudes. It’s a continuous process. And we grow as move along in the process of being transformed.
Jesus asked us to love God and each other with everything we have.
That means, among other things, we must look at who we follow. Who we choose, or allow, to lead us.
Conclusion – Which politician says let us return to the Lord?
If our political leaders are dividing us, that’s a problem. We cannot love each other if we’re divided. And if we don’t love each other, then we can’t/don’t love God. Oh – did I say that? Not really, it was someone else:
God’s Love and Ours
1Jn 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
1Jn 4:13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
1Jn 4:19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Just in case you missed it:
1Jn 4:19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Carrying that just one step further, if those we choose to lead us don’t love everyone – everyone – then they don’t love God. Period. If we choose to support/follow them, then we must realize that they are not going to help us return to God.
Now, I don’t care if the political leader is Republican, Democrat, or any other party, they are not going to lead us back to God. They just aren’t. It’s not their jobs. In fact, their jobs often put them in direct conflict with the idea of loving everyone. And that’s more true than ever now, where hatred seems to be the main decision criteria for choosing a candidate to support.
If you want to return to God – do not look to a political leader. None of them.
If you want to return to God – do look to the Bible. And to/for a church that truly puts God first. And doesn’t look to any political leader.
God can take care of Himself. Jesus was born during the time of the Roman Empire. God protect Him.
Guess what? God can protect Himself now as well. And, He can protect us, if we allow Him to do that. The catch for us is this. Jesus didn’t promise us a good life. Nor did Jesus promise us a long life. And Jesus didn’t promise us an easy safe life either.
Jesus did promise to protect our souls from the Evil One.
So, if we want to claim the entirety of today’s verse:
Hos 6:1 “Come, let us return to the LORD.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.
… then we need to remember that. And live like it. Live like we really do put Jesus first in our lives.
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