But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt.
Hosea 2:14-15 NLT
The topic of this month’s blog “The Wilderness” comes from my reflection in taking some time off the grid the beginning of this month at Turkey Run State Park. I thoroughly enjoy time to be able to get away and disconnect from the routine of life and technology. The main purpose of getting off the grid with my wife Mikaela was to set aside intentional reflective time with God and while in the midst of doing that was to rest. To make sure we were being intentional in doing so, we agreed to take the whole week off from social media, which can easily be a distraction at times.
The result after that week was being spiritually and physically refreshed. After contemplating what to write this month’s blog on, I decided a wilderness route would seem appropriate and that is when it hit me, what does the Bible say about the wilderness? I was quickly reminded of a sermon I preached on in the fall of 2018 from Isaiah 5:1-7 on the Vineyard of the Lord. Within that sermon I pulled from Hosea 2:14-15, which is the Scripture that opens this blog.
In the book of Hosea, God’s covenant is the center of Hosea’s prophecy. It was through God’s calling of the prophet Hosea that he would make apparent Israel’s unfaithfulness as a wife to the Lord and in turn give messages of warning in the majority of the book of Hosea. What is intriguing about chapter 2 is that God brings his charges against Israel, his unfaithful wife, however starting with verse 14, the chapter shifts into the Lord’s love for Israel, despite her being unfaithful to the covenant.
At this point I would encourage you to re-read verses 14-15 above, or better yet, read all of chapter 2 before continuing to read this blog.
We find the Lord, who had innocently suffered Israel’s repeated unfaithfulness, announces that he will take the initiative in wooing Israel in order to win her back once again. He will lead her into the desert where he first entered into covenant with her, away from the seductive influences of Canaanite religion. The Valley of Trouble that verse 15 refers to was the scene of Israel’s first act of disobedience after they entered the Promised Land. The Lord had both the will and the power to grant Israel a new beginning after their sin and trouble, so Israel would again be offered a gateway of hope.
There’s an important point in these two verses for all of us. Israel was being influenced by Canaanite religion in turning their backs against God and worshiping Baal and other idols. So what does our loving God decide to do and help them out? He leads her into the desert away from the seductive influences of Canaanite religion. God is saying here, “Look, I need to get you away from this strong influence of sin in your life and bring you to a place where there’s nothing else but you and me, the desert where I first made my covenant with you.”
God can reach us no matter where we are at, but if we are living in a place of sin that is heavily influencing us and affecting our daily lives, our heart, and our mind. How can we expect ourselves to hear God’s invitation to come back to him and reestablish ourselves in righteous living before him? Now God does this personally whether we are willing to listen or not as he takes the initiative in speaking to us in Spirit, or through his Word the Bible, or through the guidance and counsel of a fellow believer in Christ. However, God doesn’t want to force us to follow him, but lovingly extends the invitation.
The question I found myself asking and want to pose to you is this… Are you willing to let God lead you into the desert/wilderness, away from the things in life that pull you away from him, to be spiritually and physically renewed with the Creator? The Israelites faced the seductive influences of Canaanite religion, what is it we face today? I would venture to say many things would be similar, but in the appearance of a 21st century world. As in the verses in Hosea, in his love, God wants to “win her back once again,” as God wants to take the initiative as noted early and he seeks to do the same with us.
The thing about being led in the wilderness is this, it is not comfortable for me, it is outside my normal routine, and it will require me to give up my time. In other words, it will require the continuation of dying to self, dying to fleshly desires. As Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians…
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 3:20 NLT
Or if perhaps you are not a follower of Jesus (Christian) and you find yourself reading through this blog, know that God can transform the Valley of Trouble in your life, into a gateway of hope. Even though Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, God does not want to force you into covenant (an agreement) with him, his heart’s desire is that you will choose to follow him and enter into a faithful agreement with him. He went the extra mile for you and me in sending his one and only Son to stand in our place because the wages of sin is death.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 NLT
It’s a free gift from God, a free invitation for you to come to the dinner table and party with Jesus. So what happens when we finally let go and say “God, I can’t do this anymore. I have struggled for so long Lord and I have been trying to stop sinning with my own strength rather than relying on your strength Father. It is impossible for me to fight this sin on my own, I need you. I give up, I submit myself to you and acknowledge that only you can save me. Forgive me Father.”
I hope this blog has been encouraging for you. Now I will leave you with one last scriptural passage. Blessings
The Lord gave me another message. He said, “Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says: I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness. In those days Israel was holy to the Lord, the first of his children. All who harmed his people were declared guilty, and disaster fell on them. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Jeremiah 2:1-3 NLT
Best Regards,
Derrick Shipley