SERIES
Sojourn: Toward an Enduring City
2017-03-05T08:00:00-06:00
11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright (c)2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.esv.org
On Sunday, Mark read a quote from a book on marriage by Dan Allender called, Intimate Allies. Allender not only acknowledges the comparison between human marriage and God’s love for the Church, but he broadens the scope to make marriage a way of understanding the message of the Bible as a whole. He writes,
“The Bible is neither a marriage manual, nor a systematic statement of how to live. It is a love story, revealing the intimate relationship between God and His people. This divine-human marriage begins with fresh romance, devolves into a divorce, and then ends with a wedding. The Bible’s love story illumines the heart of our divine Lover, exposes our spiritual adultery, and woos us with the wonder of our Bridegroom’s persistent, unending love.”
To view the Bible as a story of love and marriage between God and His people is one that is certainly legitimate. The analogy of human marriage and Christ’s relationship to the Church is seen especially in books like Genesis, Hosea, Ephesians, and Revelation. But viewing the Bible as a story of love and marriage is also powerful. To use phrases like, “love story,” “fresh romance,” and “divine Lover,” gives a startling reminder of the relational and emotional dynamics between God and His people portrayed from Genesis to Revelation.
But what is perhaps most startling is how Allender describes our sin: he calls it, “spiritual adultery” which results in “a divorce.” As common as adultery and divorce are in our culture, the words themselves still evoke a sense of scandal and pain in us. To be accused of physical adultery and threatened with divorce is serious, and is no less serious if the adultery and divorce are spiritual. The prophet Hosea levels this exact accusation against Israel, and against us in Hosea 2:1-13. Our sinfulness is adultery (v. 2), and our sins the pursuit of other lovers (v. 7). To those of us quick to minimize our sinfulness and sins (which is all of us), those charges deserve our genuine consideration. And finding them to ring true, they deserve our earnest tears and pleas for mercy.
In Hosea 2:14, Hosea announces God's response to our spiritual adultery, and the first word, “therefore,” appears to be an ominous introduction to judgment. But listen to God’s response, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.” God does not respond with rigid and angry condemnation, but with tender and loving compassion. For while God’s character is one of justice, His mission is one of redemption. So after exposing the scandal of our scandalous sin, God comforts us with the soaring wonder of His grace to us in Jesus Christ. As Allender says, “The Bible’s love story…woos us with the wonder of our Bridegroom’s persistent, unending love.”
Brother and sister, linger long in the wonder of our Bridegroom’s persistent, unending love as told in His Word. Pray for God to reflect your marriage to Him onto your marriage to your earthly spouse. And may the marriages of our church give glory where it is due: to God alone.