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Day 4 Hosea 4 Hosea 4:1 Hear the word of Yahweh, you children of Israel; For Yahweh has a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “Indeed there is no truth, Nor goodness, Nor knowledge of God in the land. 2 There is cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; They break boundaries, and bloodshed causes bloodshed. 3 Therefore the land will mourn, And everyone who dwells therein will waste away. All living things in her, Even the animals of the field and the birds of the sky; Yes, the fish of the sea also die. 4 “Yet let no man bring a charge, neither let any man accuse; For your people are like those who bring charges against a priest. 5 You will stumble in the day, And the prophet will also stumble with you in the night; And I will destroy your mother. 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, That you may be no priest to me. Because you have your God’s law, I will also forget your children. 7 As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me. I will change their glory into shame. 8 They feed on the sin of my people, And set their heart on their iniquity. 9 It will be, like people, like priest; And I will punish them for their ways, And will repay them for their deeds. 10 They will eat, and not have enough. They will play the prostitute, and will not increase; Because they have abandoned giving to Yahweh. 11 Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding. 12 My people consult with their wooded idol, And answer to a stick of wood. Indeed the spirit of prostitution has led them astray, And they have been unfaithful to their God. 13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, And burn incense on the hills, under oaks and poplars and terebinths, Because its shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the prostitute, And your brides commit adultery. 14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute, Nor your brides when they commit adultery; Because the men consort with prostitutes, And they sacrifice with the shrine prostitutes; And the people that does not understand will come to ruin. 15 “Though you, Israel, play the prostitute, Yet don’t let Judah offend; And don’t come to Gilgal, Neither go up to Beth Aven, Nor swear, ‘As Yahweh lives.’ 16 For Israel has behaved extremely stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer. Then how will Yahweh feed them like a lamb in a meadow. 17 Ephraim is joined to idols. Leave him alone! 18 Their drink has become sour. They play the prostitute continually. Her rulers dearly love their shameful way. 19 The wind has wrapped her up in its wings; And they shall be disappointed because of their sacrifices. (WEB) Some words in the King James Version are not always accepted in various sites. Therefore, I have used the World English Bible (WEB) for this chapter. Like the King James Version, it too is public domain. When you consider the countries of the world today, you see there isn’t much difference between then and now. God told Hosea the people preferred seeking other gods, bowing down and worshiping them, without mention of God on their lips. God told Hosea that as his people rejected him, he would reject them. When you open your newspaper, read your news from various sites, or watch it on television, you can easily see the world is in the same place now as it was when God gave this prophecy to Hosea. In coming a long way in every sense of economy and industry, we have taken a backwards step regarding God and taking him out of our society. We are no better than the people of Israel before God sent them into captivity. Solomon in his wisdom said there wasn’t anything new under the sun. Everything was vanity and a vexation of spirit. Ecclesiastes 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. 10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. 11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. (KJV) Ecclesiastes 2:11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. (KJV) In six thousand years, man hasn’t changed. As he was the day he sinned in the Garden of Eden, so he is today. It took a merciful loving God to change the heart of man, to show him how much he loved him by providing the only sacrifice he would accept for man’s sin and waywardness – the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus. God loves you unconditionally, and he did what was necessary to prove his love for you. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (KJV) Instead of loving God, those in authority have done everything they can to expunge God from every way of life, so that we have a society who does not recognize God, but claims everything they achieved was done on their own, without help from any other source. As Christians, you took up the mantle of salvation, accepting what Jesus did on the cross for you. Yet, you also know how hard it is to live in a society who rejects God, and refuses to acknowledge his existence. You must be careful in your work places, public places, even your homes not to tread on the thoughts and opinions of those who don’t believe, because you could find yourself without a job, and ostracized from people who used to be your friends. However, there are those bold enough to stand up for God and their faith, no matter what the cost. They are not afraid to tread on the thoughts and opinions of those who reject God, hoping that just one person would see the love of God, and accept him as their Savior and Lord. God told Hosea there would come a day when Israel would acknowledge God as their God. They would throw down their idol worship, and once again give their worship to God. We are coming to a time when everyone will have Jesus’ name on their lips, if not their hearts, even those who reject him. Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (KJV) God loves every person in the world. He doesn’t want to see anyone go to hell, but for every person to be saved. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (KJV) Yet, there will always be those who will reject God. Those who will serve themselves, worshiping their idols of self-glory, fame, and fortune, not realizing that in doing so, they seal their eternal destination. God loves you. He doesn’t want you to go to hell, but wants to receive you in heaven, to give you the rewards of a life in service to him. However, your actions determine whether you will go to heaven or hell. It’s your decision. Just as Israel had turned away from God to feed their own lusts, so God rejected Israel, and soon sent them into captivity until they understood and accepted God as their God. What will it take for you to understand God’s love for you? What will it take for you to accept God’s Son, Jesus, as your Savior and Lord? Let’s pray: Father, thank you for loving me. Help me stand as a witness for you and your love. Give me a boldness to declare your love everywhere I go. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 18 February 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay