Will God Turn His Back On an Unfaithful Church?
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What happens when the church is unfaithful to God and His Word?
What happens when the church is unfaithful, and doesn’t even realize she is unfaithful, because she has deluded herself into thinking that compromise with the world is necessary – even pleasing to God?
What is God’s response to the church?
Does He overlook her unfaithfulness or excuse her actions because her motives and intentions are correct?
While reading the book of Hosea, it is impossible not to see the obvious parallels between the state of Israel at that time and the state of the church today.
Its tolerance of sin and rampant idolatry.
Its mixture of idol worship and worship to God.
The use of the holy places as temples for idolatry and the mingling of idol worship and worship to God.
Its tendency to turn to the world for counsel and advisement; using pop-psychology to resolve the situation of man.
The leadership, the priesthood of the church is just as corrupt as the people.
They “willingly walk by human precept” (5:11); substituting the philosophy and wisdom of man for the power of the Holy Spirit.
God spoke a warning and reminder of impending judgement through the prophet of Hosea to the northern kingdom of Israel, because they had pushed Him too far.
Their unfaithfulness would no longer be tolerated.
I think many times when we think of God, we don’t think of Him as animated by emotions. We don’t tend to ascribe feelings to Him.
Yet, the Bible clearly tells us that God is a feeling God: He rejoices (Zephaniah 3:17), He is angry (Jeremiah 3:12), He is jealous (Deuteronomy 4:24), and He is tender (Psalm 119:156).
So that when the church is stubbornly unfaithful to Him, He suffers.
He will not be played the fool.
And while He is also long-suffering, He is not foolish and naive. He will only tolerate unfaithfulness to a degree, at which time He must send a clear and distinct message, “God will not be mocked! (Galatians 6:7)“
And that is where we find the Northern Kingdom of Israel at in Hosea. God is clearly saying, “You’ve mocked me long enough, and now here are the consequences.”
Hosea took a wife who was repeatedly unfaithful to him. She bore children who represented the progressive distancing of God from His people.
- Jezreel: God scatters – God would scatter His people to their enemies
- Lo-Ruhamah: No mercy – God’s mercy had seemingly come to an end
- Lo-Ammi: Not my people – God was disowning His people
But will God turn His back on an unfaithful church?
Has He walked away completely, or just for a time?
The difference between punishment and discipline is the purpose behind the action.
What was the end result that God wanted from allowing Israel to be conquered by her enemies?
To shame her or to awaken her to the condition in which she finds herself?
We see the answer to that question weaved throughout the entire book.
“Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and appoint for themselves one head; and they shall come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel! Say to your brethren, ‘My people,’ And to your sisters, ‘Mercy is shown.’ “
Jezreel in the Hebrew means both “God scatters” and “God sows”
“My people” in the Hebrew is Ammi. Gomer’s third child was Lo-Ammi. “Lo” means not. So, God is changing their name from “Not my people” to “My people”.
“Mercy is shown” in the Hebrew is Ruhama. Gomer’s second child was Lo-Ruhama. Again, the word “Lo” meaning not or no. So, God is changing their name from “No mercy” to “Mercy is shown”.
God lavished His love and promises on them, then He allowed them to be brought to destitution, but in the end He would restore them.
Alpha and Omega.
He was with them the entire time. He allowed them to be overtaken by their enemies, but not destroyed because His intention all along was to restore them.
No, God will not turn His back on an unfaithful church, not forever.
His discipline may be severe, but His goal is always to draw her back into a faithful relationship with Him.
This post is part of the Blogging Through the Bible series with Good Morning Girls
More posts from the book of Hosea:
Will God Turn His Back On an Unfaithful Church?
