"Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD, over many waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, 'Glory!'
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
May the LORD give strength to his people!
May the LORD bless his people with peace!"
I quoted the entire psalm because of its description of the "voice of the LORD." I felt that it would lessen the effect to take a piece out of context. Look how powerful the LORD's voice is in this psalm! And if you recall, it was by his voice that he created everything in Genesis 1. He spoke light and worlds into existence. "God said...and there was..." The voice of God is powerful.
It's review day again. I'll look over the last six devotions to see if I've learned anything. I like that it has fallen on Sunday this time. Maybe I can keep up the regular days so that it falls this way all the time.
Day 169--How Can I Give Up On You?--Hosea 11:1-5,7-9
God describes Israel's unfaithfulness, to the point that they would rather try almost anything than return to God. But he will not destroy or give up on them. Why? A very important statement from God is the reason: Because I am God and not a human. Isn't that good news? God will not leave us or forsake us, no matter what.
This passage was very much the downer. Not encouraging at all or comforting. But we need to hear news like this from time to time to remind us that we need to be in a constant mode of confession to God. Our nation needs to be confessing its sins. I realize that we are not a "theophany" as Israel was, but we still have a lot of moral issues in our nation that are going almost unnoticed. We can all participate in this confession daily. And that confession should lead to heart-felt prayers for the nation.
God desires, no demands, true repentance as he asks his people to return to him. A key statement in this passage is this: "Change your life, not just your clothes." External appearances don't fool God. But then, we should all already know that, eh?
God is a safe hiding place for his children. A "granite safe house." Granite is a very hard compound (I think it's a compound...). God will keep us safe and provide for us as described in verses 18-19 of this passage. Can you picture a mountain with wine and mild streaming from it?? Wow. A huge fountain pouring from God's Sanctuary...beautiful imagery, here. Makes me wonder why we ever stray from his protection...
God detests injustice, and our world just as the world of O.T. Israel, is full of it. We need wisdom to know how to deal with injustice in the best way. The very best way, though, is to introduce people to Jesus. But even so-called Christians are guilty of doling out injustice sometimes, when they get their heads messed up.
More descriptions of injustice in this passage, mostly dealing with the poor and hurting. But this time, God gives us the remedy..."Seek good and not evil--and live!" There it is. Almost as simple as Nancy Reagan's mantra, "Just say no!" We talk about God being our best friend. We are admonished to live like it. Don't be all talk and no action. That gets us nowhere.
Grace and peace, friends.