You have nothing more precious
than the love of God, if you perform it:
you will not regret
adoring the King of clouds.
- Oengus mac Oengobann, Féilire Oengusso, Irish, 9th century[1]
There is no truth or mercy
Or knowledge of God in the land...
My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.
- Hosea 4.1, 6
A 1958 pop song repeated the refrain, “To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him.” Celtic Christians like Oengus would have seen in that conviction a glimmer of the common grace of God. One who comes to know the Lord truly will love Him wholeheartedly.
But sadly, not loving God while claiming to know Him has often been the case among those who profess faith in God, as we see in Hosea 4.
I can imagine the people of Israel were perplexed by Hosea’s charge: “What does he mean, ‘no knowledge of God’?”
They knew God, they insisted. They were a very religious people, so religious, in fact, that, in their minds, they outstripped their sister state, Judah, in their approach to worshiping God. Whereas the poor, benighted people of Judah only had one center for worship, Israel had set up two. It was much more convenient not to have to travel so far, and, by making worship more convenient, the religious leaders of Israel attracted more worshipers than those rigid Puritans in Judah.
Plus, in Israel anybody could aspire to the priesthood, from any of the tribes who lived there, not just those from one privileged tribe, as in Judah (how narrow-minded!).
And besides, hadn’t the Israelites made room in their worship of God for the “best practices” and cultural peculiarities of many of the “seeking” folk from the surrounding nations? Oh, so what if they referred to God as “Baal” (Hosea 2.16, 17)? Everybody knew what they meant. Show a little tolerance, would you? If we adopt a few of their liturgical forms, it will help to draw them to the true God. Lighten up.
Yes, indeed, the people of Israel in Hosea’s day were very religious. For all intents and purposes, they seemed to be fairly dripping with knowledge of God.
So they must have been puzzled, if not shocked, even outraged, by Hosea’s accusation. It didn’t occur to them that Hosea was writing about loving God, and not merely knowing about Him.
Hosea’s word was precisely to this point: To know God is to love Him, and if we would love God, it must be as He makes Himself known to us, on His terms, not ours. Love for God is not merely something to profess. Nor is it merely something to feel. Love for God must be performed. That is, it is proved in obedience to God’s Word, not our own best ideas.
Israel was rejected by God because they did not perform or fulfill love for Him as His Word taught. God had told His people what He desired of them; they chose to follow their own ideas, however, rather than His. They still “worshiped” God, but in their own way, on their own terms, and with a view to accommodating their own convenience and the sensitivities of their pagan neighbors.
God, however, would have no part of such liturgical freestyling.
Like the people of ancient Israel, we will forfeit our covenant relationship with God if we insist that we can improve on what He has prescribed concerning how we must know, honor, and love Him.
To know God truly is to love Him completely, and to hang on His every Word—to love Him obediently. There is nothing more precious than to love God, and to love Him as He prescribes.
No amount of good intentions, clever innovations, sincere feelings, or culturally-sensitive adaptations will substitute for loving God by knowing Him and keeping His Word (Matt. 22.34-40; Jn. 14.15). If we know God, know Him in all His majesty and glory and goodness and love, we will love and obey Him in all things.
We will not regret knowing God in this way, and we will not truly love Him at all if we insist on doing so on our terms, rather than His.
For Reflection
1. How would you counsel a new believer to practice love for God?
2. Who will you encourage today to join you in growing in love for the Lord?
Psalm 116.1-3, 10-14 (Mit Freuden Zart: All Praise to God Who Reigns Above)
I love the LORD because He hears my cries and pleas for mercy.
Because He bends to me His ear, my prayers shall ever thus be.
The snares of death encompassed me; hell’s grip could not unloosened be;
distress and anguish pressed me.
Afflicted, I believed His Word, though lying lips would undo me.
What shall I render to the LORD for all His blessings to me?
Salvation’s cup I lift above and call upon the God of love,
And pay my vows most truly.
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Sing the Psalms!
In The Ailbe Psalter all 150 psalms are set to familiar hymn tunes (like the excerpt from Ps. 116 above). Singing and praising God is a sure way to show the Lord you love Him. You can order your copy of The Ailbe Psalter by clicking here for the book or here for a free PDF, which you can put on your e-reader.
Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. May I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe? It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
T. M. Moore, Principal
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All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[1] Carey, p. 190.
