All My Little Words: Redux

*This Blog was inspired by this song. I posted the song twice in order to encourage the reader to listen before and after. The lyrics of the song are posted at the end of the blog in order that you read them and hear the song again in the spirit that inspired this entry.*

Like The Wind


Sometimes spontaneous insights come in the most subtle forms in my everyday life. It's never a pillar of fire or burning bush. I'm not sure I can handle that kind of thing. I would probably have a heart-attack or something, and besides, I think there are more interesting things about God other than his omnipotence; which is clearly displayed throughout all of nature. His Spirit speaks to me more and more about the things I don't know that much about: His character. Now, I listened to the song I posted at the beginning of this post many times before, but something switched in my brain and I thought about the song as if God were singing it to me. The Spirit put the Book of Hosea in my mind, as if the essence of the song and that book were one in the same. What struck me when reading through it was the subtle Gospel story that unfolded. I'm not going to review the whole book, I'll let you read it for yourself if you're interested, just a few things that stuck out to me. For instance, at the beginning of the book Hosea is asked to take a prostitute as a wife. She then gave birth to children, and each child is a condemnation against Israel:

The first son:  And the LORD said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.” (Hosea 1:4-5 ESV)

The first daughter:  She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the LORD said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.” (Hosea 1:6-7 ESV)

The second son: When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. And the LORD said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”

After the children are born, God follows up with this:

"Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” (Hosea 1:8-10 ESV) **Blogger's Note: None of the verses were taken out of order, or out of context. I broke them up to help separate out each point which will be expanded on later.

Schizophrenic God?

It's difficult to understand why God would tell Hosea, a prophet, to marry a prostitute who then gives birth to the condemnations of Israel. Before throwing out the Old Testament in all its barbarity, I want to suggest to you that there is more going on here than what one reads on the surface. If there is one thing that I cannot emphasize enough, to the tremendous failing of the modern Church, it is the lack of understanding and fleshing out the multi-dimensional essence of the inspired Word. It is impossible to understand the Bible if one is reading it from a one dimensional perspective; engaging it superficially and then reorienting the content to equally superficial knowledge and understanding. Let's be honest, many Christians have not really studied the Bible, and if they do, they prefer to remain in the waters of the New Testament and then flounder when trying to reconcile its apparently new message with the Old. As a result, the Old Testament is largely ignored. And if you don't believe in God, well, you've got a different problem because your perspective on the content will be with an eye to justify your unbelief. No matter what side of the fence one is on it's time to be honest here; The Old Testament, at face value, is pretty scary, brutal and doesn't always make sense. There are lingering questions that many have difficulty with, such as:

• Who knows if it's even translated correctly?
• What's the difference between the Bible and Mythology?
• Why was God so angry all the time?

Since the Old Testament is read through those filters it's little wonder why the content is pretty difficult to grasp. I understand this issue deeply since I used to be on both sides of the fence: as an adversary to the God of the Bible and then as a Christian attempting to navigate the cultural performance while trying to understand the OT in a modern context. It has been my experience that if one does not entrust his soul entirely to the Gospel it will be impossible to understand the OT in its proper context. This spiritual state is not something that's exclusive for non-believers, in fact, many Christians struggle with this and as a result fall away from or pervert the faith. Scriptures must be illuminated by the Holy Spirit, acting within you, who gives understanding. We might not see truths in scripture even though it is right in front of our eyes, but if you persist in engaging scripture, participate in fellowship, worship from your heart and keep knocking on the door for God to open your eyes, you will see it. It is hidden in plain sight. The truth of this reality is found in the New Testament:

....after the the crucifixion there was much confusion and great sadness. Read the following passage with my argument in mind:

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.

And he said to them,

“What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?”

And they stood still, looking sad.

Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him,

“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

And he said to them, 

"What Things?"

And they said to him,

 “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”

And he said to them,

“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 


And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:13-32 ESV)

Multi-Dimensional Layering: Scripture and Harmonic Resonance

I find it interesting that people who were part of  the proto-church, who were learned in the scriptures, who had seen Jesus and possibly even walked with him had their eyes kept from recognizing him. They also had no idea that the scriptures and prophets were speaking of him despite the fact that Jesus reiterated that truth throughout his ministry. I also find it interesting that he is the one who opened their eyes to another layer of reality by illuminating the subtext of scripture and adding a powerful dimension that inflamed their hearts: himself. Scripture wasn't just words, but Words that expressed themselves in reality. Quite literally, the Word became Flesh:

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:9-14 ESV)

As an aside, if the inspired word plays itself out in reality, this statement blows my mind, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." This is an incredible open invitation to every human being, but only to those who desire it, but more on that another time. I think the important point in this is that God will not just sonic boom the sky, set the heavens on fire in order to impress you to win your attention, rather, illumination requires faith in action. This begins by submitting oneself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and receiving the free gift of salvation. Once a believer, there are several queues we must take from the encounter retold above as a means to drive more depth into our understanding of scripture and our relationship with God:

They were in Fellowship: They were walking together, discussing the things that had happened. I can only imagine what they were talking about. They no doubt had heard of the resurrection, as indicated in the story, and could possibly be discussing what that meant. Was the body stolen, or was it true that he had resurrected? They were discussing these things amongst themselves, and this is something that we need to be doing if we want to come to deeper layers of understanding and application. It is also a promise of Jesus: "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:20 ESV).

They were open to a stranger: How often do we scorn someone for 'butting' into the conversation. No doubt their eyes would remain closed if they had responded with, 'Hey Buddy! This is an A/B conversation, so C your way out of it!' The fact that they engaged the stranger without scorning him for not being aware of the incredible events that just took place speaks to the kind of people we need to be: gracious and humble. We have possibly missed out on many wonderful experiences and insight by closing ourselves off and clothing ourselves with the mantel of apathy. We need to keep our hearts open to the stranger, to both individual and ideas.

They pleaded with him to stay: After Jesus went through the scriptures with them and they realized that he was revealing truth to them, they asked him to stay. This is something that we accomplish through prayer and worship. We must continually seek the face of the God, inviting God to be with us and to walk with us. He will not impose himself on a soul. To do so would be violence against your will, and that is something God will not commit. Our will is necessary for God to act in a meaningful way in our lives. Our willingness to be in communion with God is necessary to have a relationship. It was after the communion act, the breaking of bread, that their eyes were opened and they could see him. They were astonished.

God will not impose himself on a heart. He will not rip open your harden eyes. A soul must be moved, agitated, like breaking up hard soil in order to make it soft; able to receive holy seed planted in the garden of your heart. I want to make myself clear: I do not want the reader to assume these bullet points are necessary for salvation. I am speaking about characteristics that cultivate a positive relationship with God that begins by first accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Our salvation is an act of faith, and it is faith in action that will grow the seed in your heart in ways you cannot imagine.

Unfolding God Though Space and Time

The reason I chose to use the word 'harmonic' to describe scripture is that in points of space and time the Word fulfills itself in reality; this means that its truth actually exists in two points of space/time simultaneously. We like to call this prophecy. This is why I said earlier in this post that many people don't understand what the Old Testament is saying; they are not looking for Jesus in them and since they are not looking for him, their blinded eyes only see the violence and the seemingly petty decrees of a vindictive God. They reject it out right as if they are morally superior to God, as they surely wouldn't inflict that kind of suffering on anyone, ever! I can safely say that I understand this position because if the spirit had not put the Book of Hosea in my heart while listening to a secular song I'm sure I would not have understood what was going on at the outset if I had just opened the Bible to that particular book at random and read it. Nor would I understand it if I didn't first understand myself in context of The Cross. So, what does that mean?

First, what struck me was that God commanded the prophet to marry a prostitute. A prostitute in scripture spiritually speaks to the idolatry of our hearts. Given the context of the OT, God made a covenant, a promise, to Abraham. The promise was the reason why God got his people out of Egypt and why God married himself to the people of Israel. This is where we get the idea that the people of God are his Bride. If you have never heard any of this before I invite you to research it for yourselves. It is an exciting study. But generally speaking the Bible says that we tend to go our own way; worshipping everything from ourselves to nature, science, the occult, politics, money, on and on it goes so I'm sure you get the point. We fornicate spiritually, in that we take into ourselves the shadows cast by nature and it results in increased orders of sorrow. We break continually the first 4 commandments, which put sucincently, means we do not love God. Instead we are exploited by other things that we feel will benefit us in specific ways. It is the interchanging dynamic of the physio-psycho exchange that is similar to the act of prostitution. It is important to highlight that Gomer was a Gentile. So the book of Hosea begins by the prophet marrying a gentile prostitute; if you're unfamiliar with this stuff, that's like super bad. It is important to note here that in the New Testament, the Church (composed mainly of Gentiles) is referred to as the Bride of Christ.

After the marriage, there comes the children, each of who's names condemn Israel. First, putting an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel, except for Judah, through who God will save, and interestingly not by military means. And though salvation will come through the house of Judah, they will no longer be called his people and he will no longer be their God. What is very interesting is despite these judgements, the number of Israel's children will be like the sand of the sea, and those who were NOT his people will be called Children of the Living God. Now, even if one does not believe the bible is the inspired Word of God, I would like to flesh out several things at this point:

1. We know that Jesus came first for the Jews, as he came through the Jews, and then the gentile:

• "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:14-18 ESV)

• And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. (Mark 7:24-30 ESV) **Blogger's Note: This passage used to offend me when I was a new believer. It is important to understand this in context with what was prophesied, that the gentiles would be grafted in, by faith in him would be called the Children of the Living God.

• For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16 ESV) **Blogger's Note: Greek is generally used to denote gentile.

2. He knew he would be rejected by them, and as a result Jesus cursed Israel before the crucifixion because they did not bear any fruit:

• On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. (Mark 11:12-14 ESV)

Then a little later on...

•  As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. (Mark 11:20-22 ESV) **Blogger's note: Most scholars feel the Fig Tree represent the nation of Israel, and I tend to agree.

3. He was of the House of Judah:

 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. (Hebrews 7:14 ESV)

4. Salvation came through him:

• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 ESV)

5. His kingdom would not be established by military means:

• Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” (John 18:36 ESV)

6. The children of Israel would still be like the Sand of the Sea:

• After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10 ESV)

We know for a fact that the temple of Jerusalem was destroyed shortly after Jesus was crucified; regardless if one thinks of him as savior or not, fiction or fantasy. History shows this to be true. God has fulfilled his word. There are no more 'tribes' of Israel. God has fulfilled his word. We know that Jesus said that he would not cast any out, but to all those who called upon his name he gave the right to be called Children of God. God has fulfilled this word as well, and certainly we would be hard pressed to number all the Christians who have lived and died up to this point. This speaks to the alliteration of 'the number of his children will be like the sand of the sea', in other words, uncountable. There are other aspects of the Book of Hosea has that indicate a tremendous truth in what we now call the age of grace; where anyone can come to God freely and openly and become a Child of God, a bride of Christ.

So What's the point?

It is my hope that what seems on the surface to be brutish and bizarre in the OT, understood within the context of the Gospel and what Jesus did, begins to come into clearer focus. What we could not see before becomes evident in light of a relationship to God through Jesus. It is almost my multi-purposed hope that highlighting the fact that what was written has become real will give the believer a great joy. This should flame our hearts because his promises are true - not just in a social justice sense, but in a spiritual sense as well. We will live because he lives. There is a place for us in death, because he said he is going to prepare a place for us. If it wasn't true, he wouldn't have told us.

I also hope that this gives the skeptics reason enough to pause and consider again the bible as the inspired Word of God. Even though we cannot see his resurrected body for ourselves, and even though we cannot poke our finger into his side to believe, we have the Word and the sure word of prophecy that can be reconciled in very specific ways to major events that have transpired in history. Despite what one believes, Jesus did open up Judaism to the Gentiles, the Jews rejected him and shortly after lost their land, temple and tribe identity as described in Hosea - the only tribe to survive and by proxy many others, was Judah, the house of Jesus; it's hard to say that Hosea was written after the fact. The spirit of God, a down payment on the promise, is the force that opens our heart to the mystery of scripture. It is the spirit of God that whispers to our hearts, that speaks even through secular means to help us understand the scriptures which all speak about Jesus. This too is another promise of God that is true:

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." (John 14:26 ESV)

Most importantly, it is my hope that you come to understand that God loves us more than we can ever imagine. That we are incredibly precious to him, as he sees something so grand and amazing in us that he sent his son to die on a cross so he could gain us. It is difficult for us to believe because we feel the exact opposite about ourselves so much of the time. But despite the lack of appreciation we have for others, and even ourselves, he has known since the foundation of the world what it would cost to have us with him. We have the sure word of prophecy and our testimony. I urge you to consider all these things and to open your heart to Jesus' invitation of Eternal Life. He will not take away your personality; he will enhance it. He will not speak to you through a screaming preacher, but through your favorite songs. God in no way will be violent with you, nor make you sprint when you need to walk, or tear you apart for the mistakes you will make along the way. Believe him when he says that in no way will he cast you out, as in Hosea, he married a prostitute, who didn't love him, but chased after other things. Rather, we love him because he first loved us. If you come to him, hand your life over to him, he will form it in his image subtly and carefully. His words are true. It is my hope that this exercise helps demonstrate that reality.

There are questions I still have. How could it be that His Word has become real? How is it that God says, and it becomes? I do not know, but it is true, and we should all respond to him as there is another truth that's equal in its horror as grand as his grace and mercy. There is a hell, an eternal separation from all that is good and we each have sinned and are headed there, unless we are born again by his spirit. Sadly, many will choose not to accept his gift. Even in the face of evidence and even though they might feel in their hearts they want to come. To come to Christ is the beginning of a Love story that was written before creation. We have our creativity, our love, light, every good thing that is, or ever will be, in God. Do not push away his hand. Do not set him aside. Do not tell him to butt out of your life, because he will, not only in this life, but in the life to come. He loves you and it breaks his heart that despite all that he has created and done, to the point of dying for us, that you will not. It seems for all His little words, many will die never knowing the love of God. Do not be one of those. Come to him, while you still can. Come to him, and live a life full of meaning, community and revelation. Come, into the heart of God. Come, lay your head on his breast and accept his divine kiss, for you are his splendid butterfly.

Peace and Blessings to you, always...

You are a splendid butterfly
It is your wings that make you beautiful
And I could make you fly away
But I could never make you stay

You said you were in love with me
Both of us know that that's impossible
And I could make you rue the day
But I could never make you stay

Not for all the tea in China
Not if I could sing like a bird
Not for all North Carolina
Not for all my little words
Not if I could write for you
The sweetest song you ever heard
It doesn't matter what I do
Not for all my little words

Now that you've made me want to die
You tell me that you're unboyfriendable
And I could make you pay and pay
But I could never make you stay

Not for all the tea in China
Not if I could sing like a bird
Not for all North Carolina
Not for all my little words
Not if I could write for you
The sweetest song you ever heard
It doesn't matter what I do
Not for all my little words

It doesn't matter what I do
Not for all my little words...       

A Functional God?

Interesting. God as muse? God as functional art? God as political action? Perhaps Religion, re-linking, is an apt descriptor as every example is of what man creates to provoke our souls to consider the divine - however - it is usually channeled in the opposite direction in that we marvel at the work and possibilities of what man can accomplish with the divine as muse. Our creative principle is innate and evidence that our anima is fueled by the breath of God blown into our mouths by way of his divine kiss.

And while we rearrange the material play-ground God has given us, extending our minds into reality, none of the forms listed (while admirable and speaking to our divine inheritance) provoke my heart to pour myself out. The greatest symphony, while stunning, cannot heal my dearest relationships. The grand cathedrals cannot give me hope in the darkest night. For all the myriad re-arrangements of nature man can produce, God has accomplished beyond measure in the temple he made without hands. And even though not visibly present, its effect transcends space and time to touch my heart, kissing me again with lips dripping with grace and mercy.