How Can I Give You Up?

Often times I have found myself divorcing the God of the Old Testament from the God in the New Testament. That Old Testament God is just so wrathful and angry. I'd rather worship that New Testament God who sent Jesus to save and love us. 

I suppose this wrong thinking comes from a lack of knowledge on God in the Old Testament. Unfortunately, I don't believe I am alone. As a matter of fact, I believe this is a common practice of the church today. We focus most, if not all, of our attention on New Testament salvation and we completely overlook God's Grace in the Old Testament. 

In case you've never read the OT, it is essentially the story of Israel, time after time, turning from God (Yahweh) and turning to other gods. Not only that, but it is also the story of God relentlessly calling them back to himself. He allowed them to make their mistakes, he allowed them to chase after their own gods (even when the god of choice was a golden calf), but when they came back to him, he lovingly welcomed them every time. 

Ironically for the last few weeks, I have been reading a study on the book of Hosea. I say "ironically" because it has taken me almost a month to finish a two week study due to my non-commitment to the Lord. I have been so much like Israel stumbling through this study.

Instead of daily spending time with The Lord, I squandered precious alone time for mindless television and lazy naps. I can't imagine God's frustration with me when I knowingly dismissed his beckoning,  "Come, spend time in my presence. See my heart and show me yours". 

I'll admit, Hosea was difficult to read. God got really angry with Israel and honestly, I got really mad at them too; mostly because reading Israel's betrayals and shortcomings was eerily like reading the story on my own life. I feel confident in saying you could replace "Israel" with "Caitlin Wiggins".

My stomach churned until I got to chapter 11. 

v. 7-9: "My people are bent on turning away from me... (but) How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my burning anger. I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath." (emphasis mine)

"How can I give you up?"

Wow! Not only could he not give Israel up, but it hurt his heart at the thought of giving them up. Oh Praise you, God of Jacob! 

Creator God does get angry when His children repeatedly and knowingly go against His statutes. For good reason. He created us to bring Him honor and we can't bring Him honor when we live our lives in direct opposition to Him. When He watches us minimize Him and live according to our selfish desires, He feels anger and disappointment; the same way a human parent feels anger and disappointment when their children disobey their instruction. 

However, God loves us so much that, even when we deliberately disobey his commandments, he does not blot us out of existence. He can't give His children up because we are His creation and he longs to have a relationship with us. 

So "Praise The Lord all nations! Extol him all people! For His steadfast love toward us and the faithfulness of The Lord endures forever! Praise The Lord!" {Psalm 117:1-2}