Alisa Childers - Blog

Door of Hope (Hosea Study #7)

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 03:51:19 GMT

(To read these posts in order from the beginning, start here.)

Read Hosea 2:15-23

Last time, we stepped into the wilderness to discover that in the Bible, the wilderness is often a harsh and dangerous place God uses to test and refine his people. It is also a place where he provides sanctuary and allows his people to encounter him in powerful ways.

Today, were going to go back in time a bit to when Joshua fought the battle of Jericho. Remember the scene? Israel was to surround Jericho and march around the city once every day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day. Just after they marched on the seventh day, God gave them very specific instructions: “Keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.” (Joshua 6:18) In other words, they were not to take any spoils from Jericho for themselves.

Unfortunately, a guy named Achan thought he could get away with stealing a cloak and some silver and gold and buried them under his tent. This act of rebellion incited God’s wrath and ultimately, Achan was found out. He, along with his whole family was stoned, burned, and buried. Joshua 7:26 tells us that because of this, the place shall be remembered by “The Valley of Achor.” The word עָכוֹר (akhor) means “trouble,” and this Valley of Trouble would be remembered as such for many years to come.

Our reading today begins with, “And there…” Where is there? The Wilderness. God is going to bring Israel back to the wilderness, speak tenderly to her, give her vineyards, and turn that Valley of Trouble into a door of hope. The prophet Isaiah even predicted that the Valley of Achor would become “a resting place for herds, for my people who seek Me (Isaiah 65:10).

Now that the Lord has wooed her into the wilderness, he makes what one commentator calls “a bouquet of promises”[i] that culminate in a betrothal/marriage and a renewed covenant. The promises are really quite breathtaking… God promises to abolish the bow and sword from the land, establishing safety for his people. He promises that even the names of the Baals will be forgotten and Israel will call the one true God “Husband.” He promises to betroth them to himself in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love and mercy.

And remember those poor kids of Hosea’s with the terrible names? Here we have finally come to the great reversal. Not My People becomes “Children of the living God.” Jezreel (to scatter) becomes gathered up and planted. No Mercy becomes “You have received mercy.”

The Valley of Trouble has truly become a door of hope!

Here is the prayer I am praying as I study this section:

Most merciful God, thank you for how tender and patient is your steadfast love. Thank you for your perfect righteousness and justice. Please forgive me when I, like Achan and Gomer/Israel think I can take for myself things you have forbidden. Thank you for the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the perfection of your revealed word which is a light to my path. Thank you for the promise that even when I have created a Valley of trouble due to my sin, when I seek you, you can turn that into a place of forgiveness and rest…a door of hope.

[i] Garrett, D. A. (1997). Hosea, Joel (Vol. 19A, p. 91). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

I Will Allure Her and Bring Her Into the Wilderness (Hosea Study #6)

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 14:20:49 GMT

(To read these posts in order from the beginning, start here.)

Read Hosea 2:14

Long before God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, he had another son, Ishmael. God had promised Abram and Sarai a son, and when he didn’t move fast enough for them, they took matters into their own hands. Sarai gave her handmaid Hagar to Abram as a wife and things didn’t turn out so well. Sarai became jealous of Hagar and dealt harshly with her. So, Hagar escaped into the wilderness with her son Ishmael.

This wilderness is where Hagar met God. And here in Hosea, once again we find ourselves meeting God in the wilderness. Our last post left us sitting in the tension of God’s wrath…his controlled righteous anger against idolatry (or anything that falls short of his perfect nature and character). But then, in typical Hosea form, there is a sudden and almost shocking change of tone. “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.” I can’t wait to get to that “speaking tenderly part” but I wanted to focus this post on the concept of wilderness, since it is such a recurrent and important theme throughout the Bible.

When God brings Israel into the wilderness, he is separating her from the distractions of her adulterous lovers where she can focus entirely on his pursuit of her.

Here are some characteristics of the wilderness we find in the Bible:

1. The wilderness is harsh and dangerous, causing a person to rely solely upon God.

Not long after God miraculously delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, they started complaining: “At least we had meat and bread in Egypt! Yet you’ve brought us into the wilderness to die of hunger!” (my paraphrase). Then the Lord told Moses he would rain bread from heaven every day, but each morning they would only be allowed to gather up one day’s portion of manna.

God told Moses this was a test. Will Israel keep his law? Would they trust him for their sustenance day by day or would they take matters into their own hands? For forty years they complained and failed to keep God’s law, so he kept them in the wilderness to test, refine, sometimes punish, but ultimately teach them to rely solely on him.

2. The wilderness is a place of sanctuary in times of danger.

David once wrote that he was overwhelmed with horror and that his heart was in deep anguish. He wished he had the wings of a dove to fly away into the wilderness, which he described as a place where he could find shelter (Psalm 55). It was in the wilderness that he found safety from Saul, who was trying to kill him. Saul as his men pursued David when God saved David from Saul’s hand in a last-minute intervention. That’s why this place was named “Rock of Escape.”

The wilderness is where God told Elijah to hide from Ahab after predicting a drought. Elijah obeyed, and God sent ravens to bring him bread and meat.

In both cases, the wilderness represented a place where God protected his people from danger.

3. The wilderness is a place of testing, repentance, and spiritual growth

After the last book of the Old Testament was written, God was silent for 400 years. Then John the Baptist burst on the scene preaching a message of repentance. People from all over Jerusalem, Judea, and Jordan came confessing their sins as John baptized them. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Intense spiritual battles were fought and won in the wilderness.

4. The wilderness is a place for encountering God

Now back to our story in Hosea, the wilderness serves two drastically contrasting roles. After Yahweh says he will make Israel like a wilderness, strip her naked, and kill her with thirst, he promises to bring her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. But this isn’t the first time people have had profound encounters with God in the wilderness. Remember when Elijah hid from Ahab after predicting a drought? Not long after that, he won a tremendous victory against the prophets of Baal only to flee for his life when Jezebel threatened to kill him. He curled up under a broom tree in the wilderness and prayed that he might die. God met him there by sending an angel to minister to him and ultimately speaking to Elijah and giving him important instructions about what to do next.

I wanted to dedicate an entire post to the theme of wilderness because there is so much to apply isn’t there? When we think of the wilderness we think of times of struggle, danger, thirst, fear, isolation, and the unknown. Sometimes God brings us into the wilderness to test us, call us to repentance, cause us to rely only on him, and remove the distractions that would take our attention away from him. It’s where we are tested and sanctified.

Often, it’s where we meet God.

This is my prayer as I study this theme of wilderness:

Lord, please forgive me for all the times I have failed to trust you completely when I have found my self in "wilderness"situations that were painful, difficult, and well out of my control. Looking back on my life, I see your hand at work in every trial, grief, fear, and circumstance. I praise you for your sovereign hand working all things together for good. Thank you for times of difficulty that you have used to forge patience, make me strong, and teach me to trust you. Help me to mine every treasure out of every wilderness experience as you, the God of all grace restores, confirms, strengthens and establishes me. (1 Peter 5:10)

Hedge My Way With Thorns (Hosea Study #5)

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 14:24:10 GMT

(To read these posts in order from the beginning, start here.)

Read Hosea 2:1-13

In America, committed Christians are now a “worldview minority” in an increasingly anti-Christian culture. Israel was not just a worldview minority in their surrounding culture but was a tiny speck on the map of a rapidly expanding and violent Assyrian Empire. They were also surrounded by the polytheism and Baalism of the Canaanite culture. But they were called to worship and depend on Yahweh alone, which made them highly unusual among their neighbors. There’s evidence in Hosea that the Canaanites engaged in ritualistic sexual intercourse with cult prostitutes to stimulate Baal to send rain for their crops and fertility to their wombs. If you could just please the gods, they would take care of you. And often, Israel would play both sides of the fence, even sometimes sanctioning the worship of other gods in official worship centers. And the word Baal?Teeeechnically just meant “my lord.” So, Israelites could justify praying to “my Baal,” thinking they might get a two for one from Yawheh and Baal.

But Yahweh wasn’t having it. Israel was his Bride and she was committing adultery with other gods.

In the last post, we covered the end of Hosea chapter 1, with God suddenly reversing the narrative with a promise to redeem Isreal (and Gomer). Things were about to change for Hosea and Gomer’s three kids (and Israel). No Mercy would be shown mercy. Not my people would be called, “Children of the living God.” And remember that bloody warzone called Jezreel? God promised, “Great shall be the day of Jezreel.” He promised to bring the fractured nation back together—north and south—and establish them once again under one head. But first, they needed to understand the depth of their sin.

Beginning in chapter 2, we hear in terrifying detail, the punishment for Israel’s adultery. Yahweh rejects Israel as his wife. (Remember, this is primarily about Israel, but the story is playing out between Hosea and Gomer.) After their three children are born, Gomer leaves and ends up in destitution. “Plead with your mother, plead—for she is not my wife and I am not her husband—that she put away whoring from her face, and her adultery from between her breasts.” Many scholars think that the “whoring” on her face and the “adultery” between her breasts might be some kind of cosmetics and/or jewelry that identify her as a cult prostitute consecrated to a particular shrine of Baal worship.

Because of her “whoring,” he will strip her naked, make her like a parched land, and kill her with thirst. This is the stuff they don’t make coloring pages about in Sunday school, but there it is. For Israel, this represents God turning her over to the foreign nations and false gods she once turned to for help. Now she would be abandoned to their conquest.

The  Canaanites believed that Baal and other gods would supply their needs. Down in verse 5, Israel/Gomer is noted as saying, “I will go after my lovers who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my oil and my flax…”  Notice the focus on herself. My bread and my water. Me me me. She is entirely focused on herself and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. She should be depending on and thanking Yahweh for sustenance, but instead, she depends on and credits her “lovers” for her wants and needs. It’s likely she even saw her three children as a reward from Baal. She has found her identity in her selfish pursuit of idols. D.A. Garret noted, “The culture of Israel, particularly its political and religious leadership, is here metaphorically the prostitute mother of the Israelite people.”

Verse 13 is a sad reminder that Isreal has “forgotten” her husband. The very God who rescued them out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea, sent manna and quail, and caused water to gush from a rock is now forgotten…with all the accolades and thanks going to false gods.

But in his incredibly mercy, Yahweh promises to “hedge her way with thorns and build a wall against” her so she can’t find her path. Thank you Lord. Can we all just take a moment and thank Jesus for the times when he literally blocked our path when we chased after our idols? He doesn’t always, but if God has done that in your life, he has been very merciful to you, as he was to Israel.

This section ends with Yahweh promising to punish her. But then, like we are becoming accustomed to in Hosea, there’s a quick reversal and a shocking change of tone: “Therefore I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.” In entire next post will be dedicated to this “wilderness,” which is a major theme throughout both Old and New Testaments. But for now, let’s continue to sit in the undeniable wrath God possesses for the sin of idolatry.

This is the prayer I am praying as I study this section:

Lord, I thank you for your perfect holy character. I love that you do not tolerate one ounce of idolatry. Please shine your convicting light on every area of my being. May my heart be broken over my own sin—and grant me repentance and the grace to follow you without any hint of divided loyalty. Shine your light on my idols. Reveal them. Have mercy on me, O God, and hedge my way with thorns and build a wall against me when I wander from the path you have set before me. Draw my eyes to the One who wore a crown of thorns. Thank you that I get to read Hosea from this side of the cross, knowing that the full punishment for my sins was paid for by your Son Jesus. Please make me more like you every day as I study your Word.

No, Martin Luther Was Not a Deconstructionist

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 20:05:54 GMT

This article is in response to this piece from The Gospel Coalition. As a past TGC contributor, as an act of good faith, I did express my concerns directly to TGC before posting my article here.

**Update** The Gospel Coalition was gracious to publish a condensed version of my article on their site.

No, Martin Luther Was Not a Deconstructionist. And neither was Jesus.

Many years ago, my Christian beliefs were challenged intellectually by a progressive Christian pastor. It threw me into deconstruction that took several years to fully come out of. I would find out later that he himself had already deconstructed and had hoped to propel his congregation into deconstruction so he could convert them to progressive Christianity. He was very good at it. In fact, he was almost totally successful. A few of us came back around to a historically Christian understanding of the gospel, but most did not.

Because of this, when “deconstruction stories” started popping up in my social media newsfeed, along with hashtags like #exvangelical and #deconstruction, I paid attention. I’ve been following along… seeking to understand what people mean by those words.

I witnessed a hashtag turn into a movement.

As of today, there are 293,026 posts on Instagram utilizing the hashtag #deconstruction. The vast majority are from people who have either deconverted from Christianity, become progressive Christians, embraced same-sex marriage and relationships, rejected core historic doctrines of the faith,and/or are on a mission to crush the white Christian patriarchy. There are a few photos of deconstructed clothing (apparently this is a thing?) and a scant few sneaky posts from evangelicals attempting (mostly unsuccessfully) to convince the deconstructors that Jesus is the way. A plethora of insults, mockery, and anger are hurled at the church, along with memes stating, “I regret saving myself for marriage,” and “Good morning! It’s a great day to leave your nonaffirming church.”

Online, there are countless deconstruction therapy and counseling sites which will facilitate your deconstruction and reconstruct you with mindfulness or the contemplative practices of progressive Christian favorites like Richard Rohr. There are conferences you can attend, one for which I personally paid good money (for research purposes) to be taught how to break free from toxic religion, reject Christian dogma, and learn to embrace what basically added up to warmed-over Buddhism.

Phil Drysdale, a deconstructed Christian and deconstruction researcher asked people on Instagram to name the accounts that have helped them through their deconstructions. A quick scroll reveals that the leaders and guides the vast majority are looking to are accounts/people like Lisa Gungor, Audrey Assad, God is Grey, Jesus Unfollower, Your Favorite Heretics, Jo Luehmann, The Naked Pastor, and a plethora of others dedicated to providing a space for Christians to examine, reinterpret and/or abandon their beliefs. None of these accounts are encouraging Christians to look to Scripture as the authority for truth.

My Kingdom for a Definition

In my book, Another Gospel: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity, which chronicles my own deconstruction journey, I define deconstruction this way:

In the context of faith, deconstruction is the process of systematically dissecting and often rejecting the beliefs you grew up with. Sometimes the Christian will deconstruct all the way into atheism. Some remain there, but others experience a reconstruction. But the type of faith they end up embracing almost never resembles the Christianity they formerly knew.

I would add that it rarely retains any vestiges of actual Christianity.

Over the past year or so, it has become common for Christian leaders to begin to refer to deconstruction as something potentially positive. I get it. When I first heard that take, I thought, “Hmmm. That could work. Just deconstruct the false beliefs and line up what you believe with Scripture.” I was operating from the foundational belief that objective truth exists and can be known. But as I continued to study the movement, this understanding of deconstruction became untenable.

That’s because the way the word is most often used in the deconstruction movement has little to do with objective truth, and everything to do with tearing down whatever doctrine someone believes is morally wrong. Take, for example, Melissa Stewart, a former Christian now agnostic/atheist with a TikTok following of over 200k. She describes how lonely and isolated she felt during her own deconstruction, and how discovering the #exvangelical hashtag opened up a whole new world of voices who related with what she was going through. Her TikTok platform now gives her the opportunity to create that type of space for others. In an interview on the Exvangelical Podcast, she commented on the deconstruction/exvangelical online space:

My biggest experiences with it were people talking about what they went through—their stories—and it was very personal and it focused on the human beings who have come out of this, rather than on whether a certain kind of theology is right or wrong.

In my experience studying this movement, I think she nails it on the head. Deconstruction is not about getting your theology right. It’s built upon a postmodern-ish embrace of moral relativism. For example, if your church says a woman can’t be a pastor, the virtuous thing to do would be to leave that church and deconstruct out of that toxic and oppressive doctrine. Deconstructionists do not regard Scripture as being the final authority for morality and theology—they appeal primarily to science, culture, psychology, sociology, and history.

A Life of Its Own

Now, the narrative is evolving. I’m seeing more and more posts, including the previously mentioned Gospel Coalition article, that portray Martin Luther and even Jesus himself as deconstructionists. This, in my view, is inherently irresponsible. If deconstruction means nothing more than changing your mind, or correcting bad ideas, then I can say I deconstructed by switching from AT&T to Verizon. Martin Luther was trying to reform the church to get back to Scripture. This is most certainly not what the deconstructionists are doing. In most cases, the Bible is the first thing to go. And when people put Jesus in the deconstruction camp…it’s unclear whether they mean he deconstructed his own views or he deconstructed the views of others. Either way, it's seriously problematic. Deconstruction is not an appropriate term to use in these contexts.

It’s as if all of the sudden no one knows what the word means anymore, and they are somehow trying to redeem it or co-opt it to represent something like changing your mind or reforming your faith. Some in the deconstruction movement will argue that the current iteration of deconstruction is not to be conflated with the postmodern philosophy of Jacque Derrida, who is often referred to as the “Father of Deconstruction.” But I’m not convinced. Ultimately, Derrida didn’t believe that words could be pinned down to singular meanings. James Lindsay and Helen Pluckrose put it like this: “For Derrida, the speaker’s meaning has no more authority than the hearer’s interpretation and thus intention cannot outweigh impact.”[i]

Of course, for Derrida deconstruction had to do with text and words, not necessarily the dismantling of one’s faith. But it’s only a short jump from deconstructing the text of the Bible (which, I would argue, is typically the first stop on the path to deconstruction as it is manifesting today) to the complete unraveling of one’s orthodox Christian beliefs.

Here’s the irony. If we attempt to completely detach current deconstruction from Derrida and define it subjectively, we are literally deconstructing the word “deconstruction” a la Derrida. Why are we trying to co-opt a word and spin it into a positive? And if the meaning of the word deconstruction signifies any number of different things, at best we will be equivocating. At worst, we will have bought into the assumptions of postmodernism hook, line and sinker.

Matt Chandler is Right

Recent comments by Matt Chandler have made the rounds in which he characterized deconstruction as “the sexy thing to do,” hitting on the almost trendy type of cool factor the word now carries. Aside from giving the deconstructionists endless opportunities to make him the butt of their “Matt Chandler thinks I’m sexy!” jokes and memes, his comments (along with the recent comments by John Cooper of Skillet) have revealed that many Christians are using this one word in profoundly different ways. For example, Relevant magazine claims Chandler and Cooper have a “fundamental misunderstanding” of deconstruction. I disagree. I admit I’ve had a few quibbles with points Matt Chandler has made in recent years. But on this I think he understands something they don’t. He links deconstruction with the postmodernism of Derrida, and in a subsequent Instagram post, commented, “Deconstruction doesn’t mean doubt or theological wrestle or struggling through church hurt.” (All things he said he’s been through and has tons of mercy for.) I think he’s dead right.

We are Christians, and we should be deriving our vocabulary and categories from Scripture. I see nowhere in the Bible where anything like the current movement of deconstruction is promoted or condoned. I propose we leave it with Derrida and instead use biblical words and categories like doubt, reformation, discernment, and even sometimes, (gasp!) apostasy.

Let’s save deconstruction for what it presents itself to be. Here are some characteristics to look for if you think you might be deconstructing:

1.    Some type of moral relativism is assumed, whether explicitly or implicitly. If Scripture is your authority, you are not deconstructing. That doesn’t mean you’re not struggling deeply with doubt, seeking healing from church abuse, or have profound confusion over what it means to be a Christian.
2.     You are detaching from the body of Christ and seeking only the community of others who are also in deconstruction. If you are working through your doubts and questions in community with other believers, or at least have the intention of doing so, you are not deconstructing. Sometimes this will mean leaving an unbiblical church environment for a time, with the goal of finding a healthy one.
3.     You are looking to non-Christian religious philosophies, history, or sociology—rather than Scripture— to determine authentic Christianity. Not that things like history and sociology are without merit, but if you are honestly seeking to derive your religious beliefs from Scripture, you are not deconstructing.

This doesn’t mean there’s no hope if you find yourself in actual deconstruction. Ten years ago, I found myself spiraling into deconstruction, and God in his unfathomable mercy and faithfulness led me out.

Let’s not Deconstruct Deconstruction

As Christians, we tend to protest when progressives and secularists take words and phrases like “love,” “tolerance,’ “biblical inspiration,” and “incarnation” and change the definitions to suit their preferences. Let’s not do the same with deconstruction.

Deconstruction has taken on a life of its own, and now is the time to be extremely careful to define our words accurately. After all, if the word means everything, then it means nothing, yet it carries the potential to suck unsuspecting Christians into a very dangerous vortex of ideas from which they might not return.

Mercy Me... (Hosea Study #4)

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 21:44:39 GMT

(To read these posts in order from the beginning, start here.)

Read Hosea 1:8-11

More than a thousand years before Hosea, there lived a nomadic farmer who was out in the middle of nowhere minding his own business when God started speaking to him. And what God said wasn’t easy. God put Abraham through a grueling test of faith by asking him to slaughter his only son on an altar of wood. This was set to take place at a location that would eventually become the site of the first Israelite temple.

Abraham passed God’s test, although God intervened in the last second and refused to let him go through with it. First of all human sacrifice was forbidden by God, as Abraham’s descendants would find out. (Lev. 20: 2-5) So there’s that. But all of this business came about because God was making a much bigger point. No mere human could ever be an acceptable sacrifice. One day, God would provide for himself a sacrifice. More than two thousand years after this incident, John the Baptist would lay eyes on Jesus and declared: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) Remember this idea from the last post? --> God keeps his promises.

Okay, let’s rewind back to Abraham. As part of his divine salvation plan, God promised him:

Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. (Gen. 22: 16-17)

Hang on to that and we’ll swing back around.

The last post left us with quite a depressing cliffhanger for the Northern Kingdom (Israel), but there is a glimmer of hope for the South (Judah). Let’s find out what happens with Hosea and Gomer’s third child, a son.

Sidenote: I thought about combining the names of Hosea and Gomer into a celebrity-type mashup, but “Gomea” doesn’t really work, and “Hoser” is just terrible. Speaking of terrible names (how’s that for a transition?), about three years after No Mercy was born, HoGo (no that doesn’t work either) welcomes Not My People into the world. The reason? God says, “For you are not my people and I am not your God.”

The reversal here is significant and painful. They go from “My People” to “Not my People.” This was God basically saying that his covenant with them was void.

This name is a bit shocking because back in Moses’ day (about 700 years before Hosea), God promised to deliver Israel out of slavery in Egypt with these words: “I will take you to be my people.” The reversal here is significant and painful. They go from “My People” to “Not my People.” This was God basically saying that his covenant with them was void. The relationship was severed. Some commenters have compared it to a divorce.

And then out of nowhere, the curtain on this dark and terrifying scene is suddenly and radically lifted. With no warning or transition, God reaffirms to Israel the promise he made to Abraham all those years ago: “Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea…” WOW! Then God vows that Israel (in the north) and Judah (in the south) will be gathered together.

With Israel ceasing to be a nation in 722 BC, and the population being mixed up and scattered, how will this “gathering together” be possible? To put it simply, it would take a miracle.

Speaking of miracles, by the time of Hosea, the nation of Israel was like a little ant compared to the rapidly expanding beast of an Assyrian Empire. But God said they would be as many as the sand on the seashore? One commenter noted that for people in Hosea’s day, this would have been laughable!

In a breathtaking reversal, Hosea prophecies restoration to Israel through all three names of Hosea’s children. Where there was a pronouncement of judgment, now there would be grace.

But let’s revisit a common theme in Hosea for a moment <-- God keeps his promises.

In a breathtaking reversal, Hosea prophecies restoration to Israel through all three names of Hosea’s children. Where there was a pronouncement of judgment, now there would be grace.

First up: Not My People

“And in the place where it was said to them, You are not my people,’ it shall be said to them, ‘Children of the living God.’”

Up next: Jezreel

Remember — Jezreel can mean to scatter (like throw out) or to scatter (like sow seed and plant). Hosea prophecies: “And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.” What was scattered and rejected will now be gathered and planted.

Finally: No Mercy

“Say to your brothers, ‘You are my people,’ and to your sisters, ‘You have received mercy.’”

If we skip ahead to the end of the next chapter, we’ll see God gloriously declare:

I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth, and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel, and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, "You are my people"; and he shall say, "You are my God." (ch. 2:21)

But it’ll be a dark journey getting there. God has set the scene for his enduring faithfulness, but we’re not out of the woods yet. In the next post, we’ll zoom in to learn more about how God feels about Israel’s unfaithfulness, and the punishment they deserve.

This is the prayer I am praying as I study this section:

Lord, thank you for your revealed Word, where I learn about your perfect nature and character. Thank you for the juxtaposition of your holiness and mercy. These are not competing parts of who you are but equal reflections of your Being. Help my understanding of who you are to grow as I study your Word. You are faithful even when I am not. You are changeless even when my heart is divided and confused.

Is Christian Nationalism A Real Problem or an Overblown Strawman? with Neil Shenvi—The Alisa Childers Podcast #138

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 17:46:11 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

Christian Nationalism is a phrase we see everywhere, but what exactly does it mean? Neil Shenvi joins me to define terms, and discuss Christian Nationalism from a biblical perspective. He also shares his review of the book, "Taking America Back for God," which is an analysis of Christian Nationalism in America.

Read Neil's Notes on the Episode

Watch on Youtube:

Why Would Anyone Call His Daughter That? (Hosea Study #3)

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 16:09:54 GMT

(To read these posts in order from the beginning, start here.)

Read Hosea 1:6-7

I will never forget the first time I saw the face of my newborn daughter. She was my first child, and apparently I was expecting to give birth to a carbon copy of myself because I was surprised when I glanced at her tiny head covered with thick black curly hair. I was pretty much bald until I was 5-years-old, so to say this was a shock is an understatement. As I took a few moments to take her in after a scary ordeal of a birth, I noticed that her face didn't look exactly like mine either. In fact, all I saw was the face of my mother in law. One of my first thoughts when I saw my daughter Dyllan, was "I gave birth to Thelma!" (My mother in law is a beautiful woman, so I wasn't complaining.)

The love was instantaneous. My husband and I had carefully chosen her name: Dyllan Joi. We opted for a spelling of "Dyllan" that had to do with faithfulness, (although I admit she was born at the tail end of my Bob Dylan phase), and her middle name speaks for itself. Her very existence had brought her parents so much joy. And of course, we had to spell it with an "i" because we just can't do anything normal. The meaning of her name meant the world to us. Her first name was a prayer for her, and her middle name a symbol of what she gave to us. Now imagine that I see the sweet face of Thelm....er....Dyllan for the first time, and God commands me to name her: She is Not Loved.

That's exactly what God required of Hosea.

Last time, we talked about little Jezreel, the first of Hosea and Gomer’s three children. Although the meaning of Jezreel is a bit ambiguous, there’s no question when it comes to the name of the next chip off the old block. The Lord told Hosea, “Call her name No Mercy,” or in some translations, “Not Pitied.” It means quite literally, “She is not loved.”

D.A. Garrett noted that due to the Israelite culture being so child-centered, this name was about as scandalous and offensive as it gets. It identified her as someone who was rejected and abandoned by her father. A friend of mine commented that just having that name alone would rack up the therapy bills! Garrett wrote, “Whenever her name was spoken, it commanded the attention of the people around and invited the question, Why would anyone call his daughter that?”

Let's talk about some important context for a sec.

At this time, Israel was split into two kingdoms, the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah). Hosea was a prophet to Israel, but as we’ll see, God has not forgotten Judah.

Okay. Put that in your pocket for now, and let’s get back to poor little Not Pitied.

Whenever her name was spoken, it commanded the attention of the people around and invited the question, Why would anyone call his daughter that?

Dreadful name for sure. But once again, Hosea straight up obeyed. But why did God command this name in the first place?

God said it was because, “I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all.” (Remember, that’s the Northern Kingdom.)

In the Hebrew, No Mercy’s name is Lo-Ruhama. Ruhama comes from the verb rāḥam, which connotes not just the action of love, but deep feelings of emotion and compassion, much like the love a father would have for his child. This word is used several times in the Old Testament to show us God’s heart toward Israel. One example is Ps. 103:13: “As a father shows compassion (rāḥam) to his children, so the Lord shows rāḥam to those who fear him.”

But what about the “Lo” part of Lo-Ruhama? It basically means “Not.” Lo-Ruhama. Not loved. Not Pitied. The tender compassion God had shown toward Israel has been revoked.

What about the “Lo” part of Lo-Ruhama? It basically means “Not.” Lo-Ruhama. Not loved. Not Pitied. The tender compassion God had shown toward Israel has been revoked.

Eventually, the Assyrians would take the Northern Kingdom of Israel into captivity. They would never be restored. That is the hard part. But fear not, there’s a big “But” coming.

Even though Hosea was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom, God turns his attention to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

This is important because In Hosea 3:5, Hosea directly links Israel’s salvation to the House of David, who came through the line of Judah. (Just remember—David/Judah = Southern Kingdom.)

He says, “But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen. This prophecy was fulfilled in 2 Kings 19:35: “And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.” Yep…no bows or arrows necessary.

Why do I need to know about all this Israel split into two kingdoms thing? I'm glad you asked. One reason we'll talk about next time. But for now:

Old Testament prophecies tell us:

The Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah. (Gen. 49:10)
The throne of David would be forever. (1 Chron. 17:11-14)

The New Testament reveals:

Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5)
Jesus descended from David and would be given David’s throne. (Luke 1:32)

Jesus, our Messiah would come through the line of Judah! God keeps his promises.

Jesus, our Messiah would come through the line of Judah! God keeps his promises. And hold tight because all is not lost for Israel in the north. Next in line, “Not My People.”

God: Name Your Kid "Jezreel." (Hosea Study #2)

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:05:58 GMT

(To read these posts in order from the beginning, start here.)

Read Hosea 1:1-5

God: “Name your kid Jezreel.”

I promised it was about to get good! In the last post, we learned that God commanded Hosea to marry an immoral woman (most likely a prediction that she would be unfaithful to Hosea in the future, not an indication she was already a prostitute or sex slave), God was very specific that there would be three children, each with a very significant name.

First up: Jezreel.

Why did God choose this name? “For in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.” (1:4-5)

What’s this all about?

Jezreel was the site of many bloody battles. It’s where Jehu ruthlessly massacred the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9-10), and where other battles were fought. Jezreel is where Deborah and Gideon fought as well. Eventually, it would be the site where God would end Israel’s dependence on their military power, or as Hosea prophesied in verse 5, “I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

God commanded Hosea to marry an immoral woman (most likely a prediction that she would be unfaithful to Hosea in the future, not an indication she was already a prostitute or sex slave.

One commenter noted that for an ancient Jew, Jezreel may have conjured up images of bloodshed much like saying the word “Chernobyl” would make a modern person think of nuclear war and devastation.

But get this.

God actually commanded Jehu through the prophet Elisha to strike down the house of Ahab that he “might avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord.” Elisha went on, “And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.” (2 Kings 9:10) In fact, God himself spoke directly to Jehu and commended him for following through with it! (2 Kings 10:30)
So, the question is…..if God commanded Jehu to strike down the house of Ahab (which would be bloody), why is he judging the house of Jehu for “the blood of Jezreel”?

Good question!

Okay, so here is where it gets interesting.

Turns out, Jehu DID obey the Lord in striking down the house of Ahab, BUT he went a wee bit further than that, took matters into his own hands, and actually killed Ahaziah, a Davidic king (2 Kings 9:27-28), along with 42 members of his family (2 Kgs 10:12–14). He killed a bunch of other people too. Basically, he had a thirst for blood. As G.H. Livingston, put it: “Jehu became king and continued to brutally destroy anyone he did not like.” Overall, we learn from 2 Kings 10:31 that “Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord the God of Israel with all his heart.” In other words, he was not a good king.

The consequence for Israel’s sin will be on the level of all the bloodshed that took place in the Valley of Jezreel. This is how God feels about Israel’s spiritual adultery.

So, when God promises to “punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel,” one commenter noted that because of how it reads in Hebrew, a possible translation is: “And I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu.” In other words, the consequence for Israel’s sin will be on the level of all the bloodshed that took place in the Valley of Jezreel.

This is how God feels about Israel’s spiritual adultery.

In fact, the word Jezreel is a bit ambiguous, but can mean “God will scatter”(like someone might scatter chaff to be thrown out or destroyed) BUT it can also mean “God will scatter” (like a farmer scatters seed to be planted and restored.) D.A. Hubbard wrote, “It is a figure descriptive of the whole nation, ripe for judgment, yet to be restored to a covenant-relationship when the judgment has done its necessary work.”

The good news is coming! But first we have to meet Jezreel’s siblings, No Mercy and Not my People. Click here to read the next post...

Here's Everything You Need to Know About the Evangelical Deconstruction Project, with Neil Shenvi—The Alisa Childers Podcast #137

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 16:46:34 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

What do books like "Jesus and John Wayne, The Making of Biblical Womanhood, The Color of Compromise, After Evangelicalism, and White too Long have in common? Neil Shenvi breaks down how the goal of these books is to deconstruct common evangelical understandings of Christianity and the gospel.

Click here to read Neil's notes on our interview.

Watch on YouTube:

Did Hosea Love Her? (Hosea Study #1)

Sun, 30 Jan 2022 03:58:13 GMT

Did Hosea love her?

Well with all the Redeeming Love hullabaloo, I’m momentarily stepping out of 1 John and into Hosea. (If you are unaware of what I’m talking about, I’ll link my short video about it in the comments)

Something I didn’t articulate in the video is a point I think it’s vital we don’t miss. First of all, the book of Hosea in the Bible is not a love story. I repeat…. It is not a love story. In fact—and here’s the point I don’t want us to miss—the Bible is silent on Hosea’s feelings about the whole marrying an immoral woman situation.

In other words, God didn’t command Hosea to “take to yourself a wife of whoredom” (Gomer) and then magically make Hosea’s heart fall deeply in love with her. (If that DID happen, the text does not communicate that).

The book of Hosea is not a love story...the Bible is silent on Hosea’s feelings about the whole marrying an immoral woman situation.

The more I ponder this, the more I realize how critical this is to understanding the larger theme of Hosea. Hosea was simply stone-cold obedient. He obeyed. It’s debated among scholars whether or not she was a prostitute when Hosea married her. The MAIN point is that when God commanded Hosea to marry her, she would cheat on him over and over. According to the Bible, Gomer’s unfaithfulness to Hosea was example of Israel’s continual unrepentant rebellion against God.

In chapter 3, God does command Hosea to "love her" after she had committed adultery and had fallen into destitution. Of course, love is not a feeling of infatuation. Initially, when God commanded the marriage, Hosea obeyed. There is no indication he was in love with her in the romantic sense at the time. Whether or not those feelings developed, the text doesn't say...which, in my view, speaks volumes about the unconditional love of God. Hosea was commanded to love her despite how he may have felt about it. We'll explore this more as we get deeper into the book.

Gomer’s unfaithfulness to Hosea was example of Israel’s continual unrepentant rebellion against God

I fear the “love story” angle could lead people to think that we are somehow like the victimized pretty girl that God sees something beautiful in, and chooses to redeem. NO. God does not love us because we are beautiful or because we are victims or because we are the prettiest girl in the brothel. :)

God loves us because He IS love. There is nothing we did to deserve his love. By nature, we are “children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3). There is absolutely nothing we’ve done to deserve his love, yet he lavishes it on us anyway.

The story of Hosea is not a love story about a victim of sex-trafficking who is loved out of a toxic system into a marriage with amazing sex and sudden fertility. In fact, in the next couple of posts, we’re gonna talk about those kids they had… .

Their names were:

“Jezreel” (“For I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel”)
“No Mercy” (“For I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel.”
“Not my People” (…for you are not my people, and I am not your God)

Hoo boy it’s about to get good.

Click here to read the next post....

Here's Why I Will NOT See Redeeming Love (Hosea study...START HERE!)

Sat, 29 Jan 2022 06:00:00 GMT

[...]

How Christians Can Stand in the Storm of a Culture of Fear, with John Cooper—The Alisa Childers Podcast #136

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 06:00:00 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

John Cooper joins me to talk about how Christians can stand strong in a culture of fear, intimidation, and deceit.

Watch on YouTube:

Is Genesis Compatible with Evolution? with J.R. Miller—The Alisa Childers Podcast #135

Sun, 16 Jan 2022 06:00:00 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

Can a historical Adam and Eve be reconciled with Theistic Evolution? Are the first 11 chapters of Genesis a type of "mytho-history?" A new book by William Lane Craig is igniting debate among Evangelicals as to the nature and relevance of this biblical couple. My friend and Adam and Eve expert, J.R. Miller joins me to share his review along with some questions and concerns he has about this controversial book.

Watch on YouTube:

Want to understand what the Bible says about hell? Read about heaven! with Lee Strobel—The Alisa Childers Podcast #134

Sun, 09 Jan 2022 06:00:00 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

Lee Strobel joins me on the first podcast of the year to talk about how understanding heaven will help us make sense of hell. What are some misconceptions we have about hell? Is there evidence for the supernatural realm? Can near death experiences confirm the existence of the soul?

Watch on YouTube:

Debunking Christmas Myths + Q&A— The Alisa Childers Podcast #133

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 06:00:00 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

Listen to my last livestream of 2021 as I debunked Christmas myths and answered all your burning questions! I covered questions like: What is my position on end-times? Can you lose your salvation? Do we go to heaven when we die or simply stay in a state of unconsciousness until Jesus returns? What's my opinion of N.T. Wright? Am I a Calvinist? I answered all these and more. Merry Christmas!

Watch on YouTube:

Here's Why You Should Read Old Dead Guys Right Now! With Ethan Nicolle—The Alisa Childers Podcast #132

Sun, 05 Dec 2021 16:17:44 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

Ethan Nicolle, creative director for the Babylon Bee joins me to share his love of all things G.K. Chesterton. He shares why old dead guys like Chesterton are so relevant for our culture today, and gives us a special inside look at the Babylon Bee.

Watch on YouTube:

She Was Saved out of the Occult—Ask Her Anything! With Jac Marino — The Alisa Childers Podcast #131

Sun, 21 Nov 2021 06:00:00 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

One of my most popular podcast episodes tells the story of Jac Marino being saved out of the occult. Many of you have written in with questions for Jac, so we recorded a livestream in which she answered questions live. If you are a concerned Christian parent wanting advice on how to protect your kids from the New Age and Occult, or simply want to know more about Jac's story, tune in for this special Q&A episode!

Watch on YouTube:

What are Red Flags for Spiritual Abuse in Your Church? with Teasi Cannon—The Alisa Childers Podcast #130

Sun, 14 Nov 2021 06:00:00 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

In this video, I continue my conversation with Teasi Cannon about the nature of spiritual abuse, and what danger signs to be looking out for in your own church.

Watch on YouTube:

Spiritual Abuse and the Church: Why Should We Listen? with Teasi Cannon—The Alisa Childers Podcast #129

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 19:39:20 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

My friend Teasi Cannon and I have walked through a lot together. We decided to give my viewers a bird's eye view of what our conversations have looked like as we've processed the spiritual abuse we walked through together. We pray it will edify and encourage the body of Christ and possibly be a vehicle of recognition and healing.

Recommended resources from Teasi

Watch on YouTube:

From Violence, Chaos, and Confusion to Christ-follower, with Greg Stier—The Alisa Childers Podcast #128

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

Greg Stier was raised in a family of bodybuilding, tobacco-chewing, fist-fighting thugs. He never knew his biological father because his mom had met his dad at a party; she got pregnant, and he left town. Though his mom almost aborted him, in a last-minute twist, Greg’s life was spared for so much more. Greg joins Alisa to share his radical story of redemption and helps timid Christians to get over their fear of evangelism.

Watch on YouTube:

Responding to the Transgender Moment: How to Speak Truth into Culture, with Ryan T. Anderson—The Alisa Childers Podcast #127

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

Can a boy be 'trapped' in a girl's body? Can modern medicine 'reassign' sex? Is our sex 'assigned' to us in the first place? What is the most loving response to a person experiencing a conflicted sense of gender? How has the scientific evidence surrounding sex and gender become politicized?

Ryan T. Anderson, author of the book, "When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment" joins me to discuss these topics and answer your questions!

Watch on YouTube:

What Would we Know About Jesus if Every Bible Suddenly Vanished? With J. Warner Wallace—The Alisa Childers Podcast #126

Sun, 17 Oct 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

J. Warner Wallace joins me to celebrate the release of his new book, Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible. We'll talk about this much-anticipated release, take your questions live, and hear from a couple of surprise guests.

Watch on YouTube:

Biblical Sexuality, CCM Artists, and Our Public Witness, with Becket Cook—The Alisa Childers Podcast #125

Sun, 10 Oct 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

Contemporary Christian Music has grown into a multi-million dollar industry in which the waters have become murky on what individual CCM artists believe. Public stories of deconstruction, and several CCM artists speaking out in favor of redefining the historic Christian ethic on sexuality and gender have left many CCM fans confused.

In this livestream, Becket Cook will join me to share his story of being a gay man with a successful career as a set designer in Hollywood. By all appearances, he was living the dream. He was designing photo shoots for supermodels and hanging out with celebrities. But after experiencing the emptiness of that life, he surrendered to Jesus and trusted him for salvation. He will share what it has been like to trade that old life for a new life in Christ.

Together, we will speak to issues surrounding biblical sexuality, and comment on the confusion we are seeing in the CCM industry.

Watch on YouTube:

New Insights into the Character of Jesus? with Tom Gilson—The Alisa Childers Podcast #124

Sun, 03 Oct 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

Tom Gilson joins me to talk about his book, "Too Good to Be False: How Jesus' Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality." We talk about some insights into the character of Christ and what that can mean for our worship of and obedience to him.

watch on YouTube:

Here's Why Our Culture is Confused about Gender, Sexuality, and Abortion, with Nancy Pearcey—The Alisa Childers Podcast #123

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

Somehow we have arrived at a cultural moment where people are shouting their abortions and changing their pronouns. But how did we get here? And why does our culture think this is rational? We will talk to Nancy Pearcey (author, Love Thy Body) about how to think about our physical bodies in a biblical way. Alisa Childers co-hosts with Krista Bontrager.

Watch on YouTube: