Let us press on know him

Come, let us return to the Lord,

He has torn us to pieces;

now he will heal us.

He has injured us;

now he will bandage our wounds.

In just a short time he will restore us,

so that we may live in his presence.

Oh, that we might know the Lord!

Let us press on to know him.

He will responsd to us as surely as the arrival of dawn

or the coming of rains in early spring."

Hosea 6:1-3 (New Living Translation)

My son, Peter, and I studied together yesterday for his college World History exam.  We discussed the gods of ancient China, India, Mesopotamia and Greece.  These were gods who were good sometimes but could use their power capriciously, for their own benefit, not for the benefit of the people they ruled. Abraham Heschel, in his classic book The Prophets, gives the Greek philosopher Sophocles' description of the Greek god Zeus: one who  "rules the world with arbitrary power, according to new-made laws, a tyrant among the gods, insensible to prayer and decides at will what is to be just." (p.315)

 

In contrast, the God of the ancient Hebrews, who is our God, is known for his faithful love for his people, even when they are unfaithful and disobedient.  God may wound, but it is for our good, so we will return to him and be healed. Let us "press on to know him" who "forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases." (Psalm 103:3 New International Version)
--Posted by Mama O.