#DailyDevotion Do We Live As People Who Know The LORD?
Hos. 4 Israelites, listen to what the LORD says. “The LORD has a quarrel with the people living in the land because no one in the land is faithful and kind or knows God. 2There’s swearing and lying, murder, stealing, and adultery. People break the law, and one bloody crime follows another. 3That is why the country mourns and everyone in it languishes, along with the animals in the fields and the birds in the sky. Even the fish in the sea are taken away.
The prophet leaves off his prophetic action and moves into what one might call regular prophecy. He is straight speaking the word of the LORD. The rest of Hosea will be related to the prophetic action of the prophet Hosea. It is somewhat interesting the first list of accusations: they are not faithful, kind or know God.
Now the LORD has a quarrel with the people living in the land. His problem as He describes it, they lack faithfulness, kindness and knowledge of God. This is interesting because the first two are qualities of the LORD Himself, as He reveals it in Ex. 34:6 when He reveals His name to Moses. The LORD is faithful and kind. If he weren’t, the Israelites would have been toast a long time ago. Knowledge of this would cause the Israelites to live like this. As Dietrich says in his commentary, “for the knowledge of God is not merely “an acquaintance with His nature and will” (Hitzig), but knowledge of the love, faithfulness, and compassion of God, resting upon the experience of the heart. Such knowledge not only produces fear of God, but also love and truthfulness towards brethren.” So the king in the parable of the unjust servant expected the servant that owed him money would be merciful towards his fellow servants. (Matt. 18:23ff)
Having no knowledge of God the other sins follow: swearing, lying, murder, stealing and adultery. We see the people are lawless and bloody. Such is the fate of a people who abandon the mercy and kindness of the LORD. The Israelites became like the people who the LORD removed from the land because of their sinfulness. What a description of how the land and the people are connected. It has become cursed because of their sins. It mourns and its people languish. Even the animals of the land are affected.
We should take note! While America is not the New Jerusalem or the people of Israel, we once had knowledge of the Almighty. We once had a large majority of the people of the land who knew the LORD Jesus Christ and His kindness and mercy towards us. That mercy and kindness resulted in those believing it to act in kind towards the people around us. Of course, this waxes and wanes at times. We’ve never had a perfect society. It does seem, at least to me, our love towards one another has waxed cold. It does seem violence, strife, the assumption of criminal activity being accepted on every level of society, and the approval of evil and the rejection of the good has only increased during my lifetime. We are engaged in war after war because God is calling us to repentance. Inflation, disease, natural disasters are all manifestations of the LORD calling us to repentance. Will we recognize this and repent of our wickedness?
I certainly have a duty to know the LORD, i.e. believe in the faithfulness and kindness He has shown me in Christ Jesus my LORD. He calls us Christians to love those who hate us. Be merciful to those who show us no mercy. He calls us to care for the downtrodden and oppressed. Will we follow and mirror our LORD in His character and actions toward us?
Kind and faithful Father, give us Your Holy Spirit that we may know You, repent of our sins and live according to Your life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.