Today's Worship: The kindness and sternness of God.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Hosea 14:4-7,

 

"I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the grain, they will blossom like the vine— Israel's fame will be like the wine of Lebanon."

 

What a contrast! The Lord calls to Israel to return to him, to take a change in direction. When the time comes that they seek the Lord and ask him to "Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously..." the Lord responds to them with these wonderful blessings.

 

What a contrast to the horrors of God's judgment proclaimed in the previous chapter, "I will have no compassion, even though he thrives among his brothers. An east wind from the LORD will come, blowing in from the desert; his spring will fail and his well dry up. His storehouse will be plundered of all its treasures. The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their pregnant women ripped open." Hosea 13:14b-16.

 

What a difference is made in the fortunes of a people when they turn from rebellion against God. God's severe judgment is turned into wonderful blessings as he responds in his forgiveness, mercy and kindness. I am reminded of Paul's words in Romans 11:22-23, "Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again."

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com