Hosea 6:2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.
How do you view God? I hope your perspective doesn’t mirror the nation of Israel’s assessment 700 years before Christ. The book of Hosea paints a pretty clear picture of how the nation saw their Maker. I would describe their view of him as a drive-by God.
Although Israel owed their very existence to God, the more prosperous they became, the more they credited their prosperity to idols. Their arrogance blinded them to their own sins, making them easy prey for deception. They replaced faithfulness, love and respect for God’s word with adultery, murder and chaos. Hosea warned them to repent, that if they didn’t turn back to God, they would be destroyed.
But after years of stubborn resistance, their incomplete view of God resulted in a shallow, superficial repentance. They thought they could quickly acknowledge God and move on. Their burnt offerings would suffice, their “morning mist love” would be enough. They figured after “two days” he would revive them, and after three, they would be restored and return to business as usual.
They worshipped a drive-by God.
When we think of drive-by activity, we picture something random, irresponsible and distant. Drive-by shootings, drive-by media, drive-by appraisals all connote brief, disconnected contact. Israel had formed God in their own capricious image. They thought he would treat their sin as lightly as they did. But he loved them far too deeply to let their faulty perceptions slide.
God was not, and never will be a drive-by God. His love endures forever as all 26 verses in Psalm 136 assure us. He remains faithful even when we are not (2 Tim 2:13). He disciplines those he loves (Heb. 12:6). Everything he does flows from the breadth, length, height and depth of his love (Eph.3:18).
God doesn’t take our sins lightly because he doesn’t take us lightly.
So how do you view God? I pray you aren’t taking his great love for granted. That you see him as the author of every good thing in your life. And the redeemer for all that goes wrong. Don’t be like those Israelites who lost sight of the eternal, compassionate, holy God. His heart toward us is anything but drive-by.