31. Hosea - a very complicated love affair

Hosea picked a theme and stuck with it

1. Called to highlight the unfaithfulness of God's people, Hosea marries Gomer, a well known prostitute, and she bears three children whom Hosea names Jezreel (after the bloody massacre at Jezreel for which Jehu, a house of Israel, is responsible), No-Love-For-Israel and Not-My-People

2. Hosea believes that God's people have become like an unfaithful wife, but one day they will run out of lovers and will return to the loving relationship they once committed to

3. Hosea buys time with his unfaithful wife; this is symbolic of how God wants to bring the people back from the pagan worship practices they've been spending time and resources on

4. For God is angry with the unfaithful people of Israel, and with the priests who've led them astray; they have worshipped false gods on every high place and under every tree

5. And so God's favour is withdrawn from Israel, from those tribes that have abandoned God's ways, for that which seemed more favourable to them

6. God entreats the people to return to true worship; to be less flighty, to love faithfully as they are loved by God despite their unfaithfulness

7. When God heals Israel the wickedness of the priests and leaders will be revealed; they turned anywhere but to God, in their times of trial, their foolishness knows no bounds

8. God has been forgotten; they bow down to kings and gods of their own making, and so they can no longer hear the warnings and will be destroyed by God's wrath

9. Because the people have been unfaithful they will become unfruitful; they will be driven to other lands and they will perish 

10. When the times were good the people forgot God and trusted in themselves, but they cannot save themselves from the destruction God is sending upon the idolators in the land

11. Remember God's motherly love for Israel and how the people pulled away like stubborn children; when God roars like a mother lion, calling her children to safely, only Judah will respond

12. The tribes which have abandoned God will suffer for it in times of trial

13. They have trusted in superstition; and so the God who could have saved them - who saved them before and cherished them - has become their destroyer

14. Come back to God, turn away from superstition and self reliance; God will heal and care for you, be smart and walk with God

I suspect that Hosea's message was powerful because of the performance; deliberately marrying an unfaithful woman (prostitute or not) would certainly have kept people talking. But the written account of it we find in the bible makes for fairly dull reading. Most of all I wonder if he loved her, and how she felt about him - and what became of those poor children, having to live with such grim prophetic names?

30. Esther - queen of my heart

It's story time, are you sitting comfortably? Once upon a time...

As I read this action filled and sometimes bawdy story, I'm imagining it being told down the pub; I can picture the nudging and nodding when Ahasuerus makes it law that wives obey their husbands ("quite right" all the blokes shout, while the women snort and fold their arms). Imagining the cheers and whoops as Ahasuerus organises a beauty pageant and 'tests out ' each would-be queen for a night. Meanwhile the women purse their lips and tap their feet, and plot their revenge...

1. A very rich show-off king called Ahasuerus, got into a miff when his Queen (Vashti) refused to attend one of his shows, and so he sent an order across the land that all wives should always obey their husbands

2. Ahasuerus decides to replace Vashti through a combination of competitive beauty pageant and one night stand; and Mordecai puts forward his adopted daughter Hadassah (her Jewish identity hidden behind the name Esther) who 'wins' the contest

3. Haman, a man popular with king Ahasuerus, is offended by Mordecai, who will not show him deference, so he influences the king to introduce a nationwide law, ordering the destruction of all of the Jews

4. When the law is pronounced across the kingdom, the Jews despair; Mordecai pleads with Esther to use her influence with the king, and despite her fears she agrees, asking her uncle to lead a movement of prayer and fasting among the Jews for her

5. Esther cautiously seeks an audience with Ahasuerus, inviting him, along with Haman, to two feasts; but the special treatment only makes Haman even more angry about Mordecai's lack of deference

6. Late at night, while catching up on paperwork, Ahasuerus discovers that Mordecai has done him a great service and decides to honour him; he gives Haman the job of publicly rewarding Mordecai, much to Haman's chagrin - who had been busy preparing an enormous spike on which to impale Mordecai!

7. At the second feast Esther begs Ahasuerus to spare her life and the life of her people, doomed by Haman's law; and to his horror, Haman finds himself recipient of the king's anger, as he suffers the spiked fate he intended for Mordecai

8. Esther and Mordecai gain everything that Haman lost; and when Esther pleads with Ahasuerus to revoke Haman's law, Mordecai is authorised to grant full citizenship to the Jews across the land, causing nationwide celebration

9. With the kings permission the Jews are allowed to retaliate against their enemies for two days; by Esther's command this is followed by a two day festival of celebration, known forevermore as Purim

10. This story ends here, but the deeds of Mordecai, who loved his people and his family so dearly, are remembered amongst the histories of the kings of Persia and Media

Esther's story has many saga like elements, and is an entertaining look at a bit of Jewish legacy, but there is no mention of God whatsoever. I wonder why this is? Living in exile, the Jews needed a memorable story with a happy ending, to remind them that this moment of trial wasn't everything - that things can change. 

The story also shows how one or two people can be significant in the face of a greater power; both Haman and Mordecai found themselves with influence. One tried to use it to further his own ambitions, the other to help a people in trouble. What made Mordecai willing to take such risk? Haman's behaviour is much more typical of the way humans respond to power.

And what about Esther? She's the epitome of powerlessness; a woman sold into sexual slavery and forced to hide her true identity. Her life is precarious, and the story doesn't play down her fears about helping Mordecai. In the only signs of faith in the story, Esther asks for prayer. Firstly she asks for all of the people to pray for her as she prepares to approach the king. Then, she demands a two day festival of national family-focused celebration to give thanks for what happened. God may not be mentioned in the story, but it is very clear from Esther's actions, where the motivating force lies. Esther's story is of a life of faith and hope, lived out in powerlessness, in a hostile land. Great stuff - thank you Esther!

29. The letter to the Ephesians - bubbling with warmth and enthusiasm

Needing a break from the old testament I've turned to Paul's letters - I'd forgotten quite how much that apostle tries to cram into a sentence - so my sentences are a bit cumbersome and I've cheated by adding a sign off and a post script at the end.

1. Hello Ephesians, I'm so thankful for you - so thankful that you know God's saving power revealed throughout eternity, but known most perfectly through Jesus Christ - and I'm praying for you, praying that you will draw even closer to God and grow as a church

2. Remember that you are the church; once you were completely separated from God, but now you are united with all of God's people and with God, through the death of Christ Jesus

3. You have discovered God's secret plan (which has in fact been there from the beginning of time) to be reconciled to all peoples through Jesus, and so my prayer for you now is that you will come to know the fullness of God's love - I'm very excited and thankful about this!

4. Remember that you are now like one body, with Christ at the head; so do not let yourself be torn apart, but bind tightly to one another with love, by exhibiting the gifts of the Spirit in your life together

5. To this end remember that marriage is a good allegory for God and God's church; they should fit together, each showing love and attention to the other - Christ perfected God's part of the relationship, we must do our best to achieve perfection too 

6. In fact all relationships - even that between slave and master - should reflect God's grace; it will help you to be strong in your faith, so that you can wear it like amour, and know God's protection.

Peace and grace be with all followers of Jesus forever, love Paul xx

P.S. Tychius is bringing this letter, so he can update you more fully about what's happening to me - I'm still a prisoner, but doing okay

It's funny to me how Christian teachers pore over Paul's writings, analysing each word and turn of phrase. It creates the image of a very complicated man, with convoluted thought processes.

Stepping back and looking at the bigger trends Paul seems simple if rather forceful; he wants to see growth, unity and kindness. And he cares - he cares so much. This letter just feels chocked full of love and tenderness. The line in chapter 5 about marriage being a significant allegory closely follows the CEB translation of Ephesians 5:32 because I thought it was a good summary of what Paul was trying to communicate. Unmarried himself, Paul must've seen something in the marriages he observed that spoke to him strongly about an ideal tender, loving relationship. Fortunately Paul was not backward about using as many allegories and metaphors as possible when describing what people's relationship to God could be like, so there is plenty to reflect on for those not inspired by a marriage model in this and in Paul's other letters!