Be the Message
This might sound a little...well...silly, but I was reading Hosea 1:4-9, and that made me think. It says, "Then the LORD said to him: "Call his name Jezreel, for in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. It shall come to pass in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.” And she conceived again and bore a daughter. Then God said to him: “Call her name Lo-Ruhamah, for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, but I will utterly take them away. Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword or battle, by horses or horsemen.” Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. Then God said: “Call his name Lo-Ammi, for you are not My people, and I will not be your God."
The Scripture doesn't sound silly at all...in fact, it is kind of sobering. Three kids given names of a prophetic nature, messages from God for His people who were running away from Him so very fast. What sounds silly, perhaps, is my consideration of the process. Hosea is given a word from God about each child's name...and the first name isn't that hard. Jezreel is the name of a strategic, fertile agricultural valley in Israel. People in our culture name kids after places all the time.
But the second kid was named "No mercy." Yes, you can say Lo-Ruhamah if you want, but when that is said in Hebrew, what is heard is "No Mercy". That is one odd name for a child.
The next child is named "Not My People". Hmm...how are the neighbors supposed to interpret THAT name? These poor kids are going to have to deal with those names for a long time...and that won't be easy.
God GAVE them those names. Yes, again, I know I am the one quoting it. But imagine Gomer, the mother, dealing with these names! Maybe naming was solely and ONLY a paternal prerogative...mommy never EXPECTED to name them. And...maybe not. Either way, whether she had an expressed opinion about the names or didn't, she had to have a feeling about those last two names once Hosea assigned them. Cannot see those being very popular choices.
Imagine those kids in school. Again, I know it is a different culture, and maybe they HAD no school. But just imagine those two answering to "No Mercy" and "Not My People" for the rest of their academic career. Yikes! Harsh.
But the REAL problem was not the names...it was the disaster coming, and God wanted everybody else to hear that message and change. It was that important! We just talked about hearing the message last week. What about the other side of the question. Can we BE the message of God for other people? Through a name, a hobby, a choice, a job, a relationship...can we BE the message. Do people see us and hear us and ask questions, or do they assume that you are like everyone else anyway...and stop paying attention?
You probably DON'T have a weird name...but we still have a reason to attract attention!
The Scripture doesn't sound silly at all...in fact, it is kind of sobering. Three kids given names of a prophetic nature, messages from God for His people who were running away from Him so very fast. What sounds silly, perhaps, is my consideration of the process. Hosea is given a word from God about each child's name...and the first name isn't that hard. Jezreel is the name of a strategic, fertile agricultural valley in Israel. People in our culture name kids after places all the time.
But the second kid was named "No mercy." Yes, you can say Lo-Ruhamah if you want, but when that is said in Hebrew, what is heard is "No Mercy". That is one odd name for a child.
The next child is named "Not My People". Hmm...how are the neighbors supposed to interpret THAT name? These poor kids are going to have to deal with those names for a long time...and that won't be easy.
God GAVE them those names. Yes, again, I know I am the one quoting it. But imagine Gomer, the mother, dealing with these names! Maybe naming was solely and ONLY a paternal prerogative...mommy never EXPECTED to name them. And...maybe not. Either way, whether she had an expressed opinion about the names or didn't, she had to have a feeling about those last two names once Hosea assigned them. Cannot see those being very popular choices.
Imagine those kids in school. Again, I know it is a different culture, and maybe they HAD no school. But just imagine those two answering to "No Mercy" and "Not My People" for the rest of their academic career. Yikes! Harsh.
But the REAL problem was not the names...it was the disaster coming, and God wanted everybody else to hear that message and change. It was that important! We just talked about hearing the message last week. What about the other side of the question. Can we BE the message of God for other people? Through a name, a hobby, a choice, a job, a relationship...can we BE the message. Do people see us and hear us and ask questions, or do they assume that you are like everyone else anyway...and stop paying attention?
You probably DON'T have a weird name...but we still have a reason to attract attention!
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