The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-08-05
Gods Children

MANY ECHOES Of the TRACE
dy through which the prophet
Hosea passed. are to be read
in his pages. He uses figures of
speech which suggest sad chap
ters in his life history. When his
wife Conner left him and all
three children behind her, he
had to be a father and mother
to the little ones. This may be
a memory underlying the OPEN
ing words of the 18th chapter.
The II" In verses l through 9
refer to God. He is presented as
a loving father. taking his child
(Ephriam. one of the names for
the nation Of Israeli in his arms
and teaching him to walk. It is
a heart-stirring picture, tn e
mighty God picking up baby
Ephraim and holding him in
His Everlasting arms" and
teaching him to walk.
Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth
Perhaps Hose had had
trouble with his motherless chill
dren. Surely God had untold
trouble with Israel. God a n d
Israel are elsewhere called hus-
band and wife; here they are
father and son. But the picture
is not of harmony and happi-
ness; it is a picture Of a broken
home, broken because the son
will not stay at his fathers
house. he disrespects his fathers
orders and wishes. Yet Gods
love continues. Even VIII e n
Israel acts more like brutes
than men, Hosea says G d
feeds them. and makes their
Jokes and brides as easy as
possible. Yet Israel has never
appreciated what God has done
Israel has never appreciated
what God would do if they would
let him. They worship little gods
"Baals," instead of the tru e
God. They owe their whole ex-
istence as a nation to his mighty
help in bringing them out of a
hopeless slavery in Egypt to a
land Of hope and freedom.
How sharper than a serpent's
tooth is
To have a thankless child
Shakespeare said. Must not God
feel the sting of ingratitude even
more than we would in a SINH
lar case?
Even Az Inelr WORST
Israel was bad nation, made
up of mostly bad people. The
citizens Of their rival country.
Judah, thought God had no use
for Israel at all. Its history was
stained with bloodshed, its great
men were mostly skilled in the
arts of destruction, especially
war, its worship was cheap and
unworthy of the great God.
Hosea says they went away from
God, they sacrificed to idols.
they are bent on turning away
from God, they have refused
to return to God. And yet, in
spite of Israel, in spite of what
they were at their worst, God
cries out, How can give you
up?"
No book in the Bible makes
it palmer that the love of God
is indestructible. God loves men
even at their worst, he loves
those who run away from him.
Many persons are bothered by
the suggestion that God is the
father Of all men. Does that
mean that all men are alike
in Gods sight? Does it mean
he loves wicked men quite as
dearly as good men? If we fol-
low the hints we have here in
Hosea, we can venture t h e e
answers to those questions: Men
are not alike in Gods sight; the
Bible clearly marks off good
men from bad. God does love all
men; but some run away from
his love.
Why Be A Beast?
At several points Hosea
speaks of Israel not as a wife,
not as a son, but as an animal,
most likely an OK, a beast Of
burden. Now it is the glory and
the privilege Of Gods children
to honor and serve him. But
here is a great deal of differ
ence between serving God glad
ly. out of love for him and
eagerness to please him. a n d
serving God only because he
puts a bride around your mouth
and drives you as a farmer
drives a mule. We do not upset
Gods plan for the universe by
being balky. We grieve G 0 d,
but we do not defeat him, by
our mulishness. No man really
r unS a successful rebellion
against God. God is all-power-
full and all-wise as well as all
patient and ALLOWING. He desires
the free devotion Of free sons;
but If this Is refused, the fail
,,v-o ond tho FRO rodxy ro,e1oc S1ovyr