Day 175: The Cross

Mark 15:21-47; 1 Kings 11; Hosea 13

Jesus, while suffering on the cross, refused to drink a concoction that would have eased the pain. He died fully aware and fully feeling not only the physical pain, but the emotional and spiritual agony. One of the things that I have sort of come to realize better in the last few months is just what happened on that cross. It wasn't that Jesus just chose to be there and God looked away. Jesus was sent for the purpose to suffer the wrath of God for all mankind's sin. Jesus didn't just die; he was punished. I believe that if it wasn't for punishment for sin, then it wasn't accomplishing what it was supposed to. When he cries out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" I believe that he is experiencing what Hell is. I don't know if Hell will literally be fire and brimstone, but personally, I think that would be better than a world without God at all (which is what I think Hell will be). In those few hours, Jesus is suffering not just physical torment, but spiritual torment: life where God is absent because that is what we deserve for our sin and unfaithfulness to The Lord. Wow. To think that Jesus did that for you and me.

Solomon had lady problems, but when you have 1000 wives, that's bound to happen. He was yoked with women who did not believe what he believed and they led him astray. Solomon compromises; in all his wisdom, he thought it would be ok to worship other gods. Maybe he thought that it would be more diplomatic to do so, or maybe he thought that it would be more pleasing to his wives. You know, like how our society works: however and whatever you want to do is fine with me so long as it doesn't effect me. Whatever the reason, he was well aware that what he was doing would not please God--God had given him the wisdom to know that! Solomon was wrong to compromise, wrong to let his wives worship other gods, and wrong to join in the act of worshiping other gods. He gave up the long term promise of God (that his descendants would rule Israel) for false gods and temporary worship.

Idols are a big issue. Here in Hosea that is Israel's problem too, just like Solomon. Humans have, for a long time, put other stuff before God and worshiped those things. We focus on money, sex, success, fame, popularity, sports, family, more than God--and that is wrong. God needs to be our everything. That doesn't mean we quit our job, throw away our money, and forget our friends and family; what it means is that our worship belongs to God, and everything else falls into place behind that. It's about the purpose of our life and our decisions; if the purpose isn't to honor and glorify God, then it's for something else, an idol. There is not enough room in our hearts to serve God and something else with all our hearts. In this passage in Hosea, it is clear that God is angry and he can and will and does take his anger out on the very people that caused it. Serve The Lord first, above everything else! That is what I'm trying to make the goal and focus of my life.