"The harlotrous spirit had led the people into a false and idolatrous religion. Like the other great prophets, Hosea knew that religion was not necessarily a good thing, for it could be a way of betraying God, a manifestation of sin. In Hosea's time, popular religion, corrupted by the fertility cult of Canaan provided a means of obtaining good thing of nature and tethering God to human interests. People thronged to the temples, not to acknowledge gratefully their utter dependence upon God who had brought them out of Egypt, but to 'get something out of religion' - harmony, security, prosperity, and peace. The priests and the prophets, exploiting the upsurge of religious interest, actually contributed to Israel's harlotry. Priests were 'feeding on the sin' of Yahweh's people (Hosea 4:7-10)" - from the book Understanding the Old Testament by Bernhard Anderson, 1966.
This quote could come from a book today addressing the status of worship in the post/modern church. This quote resonates with my experience as a pastor. Often, though not in every case, people come to worship on Sunday seeking something for themselves. They judge the "success" or "fulfillment" of worship for themselves based on the feeling they get, the peace they receive, or even a feeling of security. The Biblical picture of worship is one that puts the focus not on what we are or what we need, but on the character and nature of God. In the former worship focus, God becomes tied to humanity, serving humanity's needs: God serving man. In the latter worship focus, God is central focus of the energy and effort. Worship is about lifting up and acknowledging God faithfulness to us - a recollection and reflection on God's continual leading us out of the wilderness.
Pastors (myself included and many that I know), either directly or indirectly contribute to this problem. The pressure to quantitatively grow individual church has led pastors to affirm the expectations of the "worshipers." The desire (or pressure) to grow has led pastors to move away from their prophetic roles. Models for these prophetic roles can be see in the Old Testament prophets such as Amos and Hosea. These prophets call Israel back to Yahweh. This call back to Yahweh was not a call back to a partnership or a friendship, but a call to remembrance and repentance. The remembrance element is a recalling of the works of Yahweh in the history of Israel: the exodus from Egypt, His provision in the wilderness, and ultimately His provision of the Promised Land. When these are recalled by worshipers, they are led back to dependence on Yahweh. The repentance element is the acknowledgement that Israel has "cheated" on Yahweh with other gods and have broken the covenant with Him. Any transgression between God and man is the responsibility of man. Both elements, remembrance and repentance are a part of our worship of God.
The prophetic role of the pastor is do lead worshipers to both remember God's great works and repent of our actions that break our covenant with God. Have pastors abandoned their prophetic roles?
This quote could come from a book today addressing the status of worship in the post/modern church. This quote resonates with my experience as a pastor. Often, though not in every case, people come to worship on Sunday seeking something for themselves. They judge the "success" or "fulfillment" of worship for themselves based on the feeling they get, the peace they receive, or even a feeling of security. The Biblical picture of worship is one that puts the focus not on what we are or what we need, but on the character and nature of God. In the former worship focus, God becomes tied to humanity, serving humanity's needs: God serving man. In the latter worship focus, God is central focus of the energy and effort. Worship is about lifting up and acknowledging God faithfulness to us - a recollection and reflection on God's continual leading us out of the wilderness.
Pastors (myself included and many that I know), either directly or indirectly contribute to this problem. The pressure to quantitatively grow individual church has led pastors to affirm the expectations of the "worshipers." The desire (or pressure) to grow has led pastors to move away from their prophetic roles. Models for these prophetic roles can be see in the Old Testament prophets such as Amos and Hosea. These prophets call Israel back to Yahweh. This call back to Yahweh was not a call back to a partnership or a friendship, but a call to remembrance and repentance. The remembrance element is a recalling of the works of Yahweh in the history of Israel: the exodus from Egypt, His provision in the wilderness, and ultimately His provision of the Promised Land. When these are recalled by worshipers, they are led back to dependence on Yahweh. The repentance element is the acknowledgement that Israel has "cheated" on Yahweh with other gods and have broken the covenant with Him. Any transgression between God and man is the responsibility of man. Both elements, remembrance and repentance are a part of our worship of God.
The prophetic role of the pastor is do lead worshipers to both remember God's great works and repent of our actions that break our covenant with God. Have pastors abandoned their prophetic roles?
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