Ignoring God
Hosea 8: I write out my revelation for them in detail and they pretend they can’t read it.
Hosea’s people have many reasons to trust in the Lord. Their story would have ended in Egypt centuries earlier had it not been for him. Countless nations have come and gone, yet they remain. And it isn’t as though the Lord has done all this in secret. Instead, he’s been very active, openly blessing them and speaking to them through prophets and priests and kings. Hosea’s people have every reason to know God and to worship him alone. Through Hosea the Lord says, “I write out my revelation for them in detail and they pretend they can’t read it.” Like a child who puts his hands over his ears and sings “La, la, la — I can’t hear you” these rebellious people have quite intentionally turned from God, ignoring his call to them. However, it isn’t going to work. It is one thing to be unintentionally ignorant; mixed up and confused. It’s another to know that the message is there but to refuse to hear it. I think there are many people in my country today who are honestly confused and that, to a great extent we Christians are responsible because we’ve failed to clearly reflect Christ to them. However, we aren’t so far from the reach of God that everyone’s in that situation. Many are covering their ears so they can’t hear what he’s saying. That, my friend, isn’t a smart thing to do.
Take Away: There may be a lot that we don’t know, but it’s vitally important that we listen to, and obey, what we do know.