Our
nation has been through quite a lot the last few months. Despite the pandemic,
the unemployment and the political and social instability we seem to actually
be doing pretty good. So good in fact that I haven’t personally seen much evidence
of new spiritual brokenness and seeking after G-d among people, something that
I have been praying quite regularly for. I guess people are doing well over
all, and G-d isn’t really relevant went things are going well, right? Of course
wrong, but for the “spiritual but not religious” age we are living in, let’s be
honest, seeking a deep passionate faith in an all-powerful G-d isn’t really
high on people’s priorities.
The
Scriptures, especially the prophetic books, put a big emphasis on just this
issue: “it’s not what you’re doing, it’s how serious your commitment to G-d
really is!” We often recall King Saul’s disobedience in offering a sacrifice,
and Samuel’s rebuke – “It’s better to obey then sacrifice”, but the prophets
take it a step further and state, “It’s better to be in serious committed
relationship with G-d then to sacrifice”. In my recent reading of Hosea I was
reminded of this, and especially was impacted by the Hebrew words translated “loyalty”
and “knowledge” in Hosea 6:6:
For I delight
in loyalty and not sacrifice, knowledge of G-d more than burnt offerings.
(TLV)
The
Hebrew word for “loyalty” is chesed
which has the meaning of deep commitment from one individual to another! The
word “knowledge” is da’at having the
meaning of intimacy of relationship. Deep commitment and intimacy is really
what matters to G-d. Not our religious habits and customs, no matter how
Scripturally aligned they might be!
May
we be renewed in our loyalty to G-d and our passionate desire to know him more
intimately each and every day. May we be humbled before G-d and spiritually
refreshed in the knowledge of his commitment to us. This is what G-d desires
from us and this is the message our messed up world needs to see and hear right
now from us as believers in Messiah Yeshua.
Forward
for Messiah,
Kirk
Gliebe
Rabbi &
Director
