Revelation Day 44 - God's Delight
DAY 44
God’s Delight
Hosea 11:1-9
God’s anger shows God’s delight.
In fact, Revelation’s talk about God’s wrath shows us is God’s delight for us. Modern people love to quote “God is love” but squirm to say “God hates.” Some of that is understandable because some people have used “God hates” like a club to hurt people. That’s not what it means.
But I’m convinced that you can’t have love without anger. Real love hates evil and it hates evil most in the thing it loves most. God loves us, God loves creation, so God hates sin, evil, and suffering. In fact, no one hates evil more than God. God’s anger against evil actually shows how much God delights in us.
Let’s be clear: if we say, “God hates sin,” that doesn’t mean God hates us - or anyone else. Scripture is absolutely clear that God loves us. Some Christians try to balance these two truths with a pithy proverb: “God loves the sinner but hates the sin.” That’s true, but we’ve spoiled that phrase by quoting it most to people we love the least.
Rev. 15-16 makes another connection between God’s wrath against evil and God’s delight in sinners. Just as the plagues of Egypt were supposed to soften Pharaoh’s hard heart, so these plague-judgments are supposed to spur people to repent. We see that in 16:9 and 16:11. We heard God’s call to repent in Rev. 2, Rev. 3, and Rev. 9.
Why does God want people to turn from evil? Because God delights in us.
Please hear this clearly: God is not out to get us. God is out to get evil. God is out to get evil out of us. God ordered the prophet Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman. His life powerfully illustrated Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. But in Hosea 11, God passionately speaks about his love and commitment to this unfaithful people. His love has stirred up his anger at their evil, but his anger will not “devastate” them (Hos. 11:9). God loves us so much that he aims his anger at everything evil, even the evil in us.
REFLECT
Reread Hosea 11 but imagine God is speaking this about you.
PRAY
In spite of all my unfaithfulness, you love me, Lord. Thank you. Kindle in me a passion for you to match yours for me. Amen.
God’s Delight
Hosea 11:1-9
God’s anger shows God’s delight.
In fact, Revelation’s talk about God’s wrath shows us is God’s delight for us. Modern people love to quote “God is love” but squirm to say “God hates.” Some of that is understandable because some people have used “God hates” like a club to hurt people. That’s not what it means.
But I’m convinced that you can’t have love without anger. Real love hates evil and it hates evil most in the thing it loves most. God loves us, God loves creation, so God hates sin, evil, and suffering. In fact, no one hates evil more than God. God’s anger against evil actually shows how much God delights in us.
Let’s be clear: if we say, “God hates sin,” that doesn’t mean God hates us - or anyone else. Scripture is absolutely clear that God loves us. Some Christians try to balance these two truths with a pithy proverb: “God loves the sinner but hates the sin.” That’s true, but we’ve spoiled that phrase by quoting it most to people we love the least.
Rev. 15-16 makes another connection between God’s wrath against evil and God’s delight in sinners. Just as the plagues of Egypt were supposed to soften Pharaoh’s hard heart, so these plague-judgments are supposed to spur people to repent. We see that in 16:9 and 16:11. We heard God’s call to repent in Rev. 2, Rev. 3, and Rev. 9.
Why does God want people to turn from evil? Because God delights in us.
Please hear this clearly: God is not out to get us. God is out to get evil. God is out to get evil out of us. God ordered the prophet Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman. His life powerfully illustrated Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. But in Hosea 11, God passionately speaks about his love and commitment to this unfaithful people. His love has stirred up his anger at their evil, but his anger will not “devastate” them (Hos. 11:9). God loves us so much that he aims his anger at everything evil, even the evil in us.
REFLECT
Reread Hosea 11 but imagine God is speaking this about you.
PRAY
In spite of all my unfaithfulness, you love me, Lord. Thank you. Kindle in me a passion for you to match yours for me. Amen.
Posted in summer 2023
Recent
Archive
2024
January
February
The Way DAY 9 - Full of the Holy SpiritThe Way DAY 10 - Defeating Your DefeatersThe Way DAY 11 - The Year of JubileeThe Way DAY 12 - FreedomThe Way DAY 13 - Freedom to LoveThe Way DAY 14 - Ditch "What About Me"The Way DAY 15 - The Way of LoveThe Way DAY 16 - The TeacherThe Way DAY 17 - What is the Kingdom of God?The Way DAY 18 - Trust and ObeyThe Way DAY 19 - Follow MeThe Way DAY 20 - Differences and DisagreementsThe Way DAY 21 - Jesus and Mr. RogersThe Way DAY 22 - Respond Like JesusThe Way DAY 23 - Bend Toward MercyThe Way DAY 24 - Burden or Bless?The Way DAY 25 - BONUS: The TwelveThe Way DAY 26 - Happy?The Way DAY 27 - Excessive GenerosityThe Way DAY 28 - What is Love?The Way DAY 29 - Give What God Gives
March
The Way DAY 30 - Follow the LeaderThe Way DAY 31 - Dinner with a PhariseeThe Way DAY 32 - Don't Be the HeroThe Way DAY 33 - God's GraceThe Way DAY 34 - The Grace You ShowThe Way DAY 35 - Our Sin and Our SaviorThe Way DAY 36 - Jesus and ParablesThe Way DAY 37 - The Farmer and the SeedsThe Way DAY 38 - The Seed and The SoilThe Way DAY 39 - The Good HeartThe Way DAY 40 - Who is Jesus, Pt 1The Way DAY 41 - Who is Jesus, Pt 2The Way DAY 42 - They Saw His GloryThe Way DAY 43 - Your Next StepThe Way DAY 44 - His DevotionThe Way DAY 45 - The Leadership of JesusThe Way DAY 46 - Pick Up Your CrossThe Way DAY 47 - Daily DenialThe Way DAY 48 - Forgive Like JesusThe Way DAY 49 - Trusting God
April
Because of Easter DAY 1Because of Easter DAY 2Because of Easter DAY 3Because of Easter DAY 4Because of Easter DAY 5Because of Easter DAY 6Because of Easter DAY 7Because of Easter DAY 8Because of Easter DAY 9New Devo Starts SoonPsalms DAY 1Psalms DAY 2Psalms DAY 3Psalms DAY 4Psalms DAY 5Psalms DAY 6Psalms DAY 7Psalms DAY 8Psalms DAY 9Psalms DAY 10
2023
June
COMING SOON! RevelationRevelation Day 1 - TAKE IT TO HEARTRevelation Day 2 - IN THE SPIRITRevelation Day 3 - Learning to SeeRevelation Day 4 - The VoiceRevelation Day 5 - A Faithful WitnessRevelation DAY 6 - Past, Present, or Future?Revelation Day 7 - PRESS ONRevelation 8 - Comfort and ChallengeRevelation Day 9 - Compromised CommitmentRevelation Day 10 - I'm Fine, ThanksRevelation Day 11 - Holy, Holy, HolyRevelation Day 12 - Who is Worthy?Revelation Day 13 - Don't Give Up!Revelation Day 14 - No ContestRevelation Day 15 - Worship WellRevelation Day 16 - The Problem of EvilRevelation Day 17 - When You Don't Know WhyRevelation Day 18 - The Limits of SufferingRevelation Day 19 - Is God Angry?Revelation Day 20 - Saved Through Suffering
July
Revelation Day 21 - The Cry for JusticeRevelation Day 22 - The Judgments of GodRevelation 23 - They Still Did Not RepentRevelation Day 24 - Don't Curse CorrectionRevelation Day 25 - Search Me, O GodRevelation Day 26 - You Shall ProphesyRevelation Day 27 - Eat This BookRevelation Day 28 - Fight!Revelation 29 - Let the Truth TalkRevelation Day 30 - Worship and Witness