And she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal (Hosea 2:10; English: 2:8, ESV).
What a world we live in! While I am well aware of the reality of suffering and tragedy, we live in a most marvelous place. I have heard that for many astronauts, their biggest thrill was not being thrust out into the darkness of space at unimaginable speeds, floating in zero gravity, or walking on the moon, but rather seeing the earth. When I take my daily walk, I can be so focused on my own thoughts that I miss what is around me. But every now and then I am struck by the beauty of nature: a magnolia tree in full bloom, a scarlet cardinal, or a pair of deer sitting on the forest floor. It takes my breath away to encounter nature's beauty and intricacy.
Aside from beauty, nature provides us with so much, including our basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter. It also enhances our lives through the pleasures of comfort and entertainment.
This might seem obvious, but we were made for this place. While the state that the earth is in is not what God intended, nor is it now what it will be one day, it is the sphere of our existence. I am aware that many people think that our destiny is in a heavenly, non-earthly sphere, but that is not actually what the Bible teaches. We look forward to a new heaven and a new earth, and those who are right with God will be resurrected to live on the new earth. Maybe we will come back to this subject some other time. Suffice it to say for now that we were made to live on planet earth.
One of the things that God has sought to teach us is how to understand our place on this planet. Because of the rebellion of our first parents against God, everything about life on earth has been out of sorts. We are surrounded by such bountiful beauty provided by God for our good, yet due to the disruption of our relationship with him, we tend to abuse nature.
The prophet Hosea speaks of this in this week's Haftarah. God through his prophet says that Israel was ignorant of the fact that God was the provider of the good things of earth. The result of this ignorance is destructive. Having been blessed with precious metals, instead of using them appropriately, they became instruments of idolatry.
When we fail to acknowledge God as creator and provider of the good gifts he bestows upon us, we end up wrongly focusing on the very things he has graciously given us. God designed the elements of his creation for all sorts of good purposes, but when we fail to understand their true origins, they become destructive.
The only way to fully appreciate and properly relate to nature, therefore, is to know the God of creation. Once we are restored to him through Yeshua we can see this planet through his eyes, discover our God-given place here, and learn to utilize the things of his creation in the way he intended.
4 comments:
I agree with your analogy of Hosea but I am bothered by your last statement that we have to be restored through Yeshua. I came to the knowledge of God and to understand His love was through reading of the "Old Testament". To me it was not old but new and the more I studied and applied God's commands to my life, the more I was blessed and really began to know God's desire for my life. Yeshua had his ministry and that was to bring and/or return his people "Israelites" to God our Father. Many have come to love God with out knowing Yeshua and to indicate that they are lost if they did not go through Yeshua they are still lost is wrong.
Jeremiah 31:31ff is clear that the Jewish people's covenant with God was broken. God's remedy was a New Covenant, which came into being through the Messiah Yeshua. Without this, we would all be lost.
Hi, Alan, As all your messages are, this lesson is right on. I wish it would be the front page story on every newspaper in America and Canada; and that it would be the lead news story on every TV news broadcast today. Alas, I know it will not, but do wish it would. Now then, your remark about heaven and earth and that will will live on a "new earth", etc. -- I don't understand. I am a Christian, and have always been told that when I die I will go to be with Jesus and the Father; and that place is in Heaven. Will you please explain this further in an upcoming Torahbytes? Thanks. God bless and keep you. Shalom. tbccagpcc
Thank you for your enthusiastic encouragement. Regarding our future with God, this is something have I have been giving more thought to lately. The Bible clearly teaches that our expectation is of the resurrection, but it does seem that the popular view among Christians is one of an eternal disembodied state - something that the Bible does not teach. Hopefully I will be able to delve into this more fully soon. But for now, I encourage you to search the Scriptures on this, since that is where the Truth is found.
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