WHAT IS WRONG WITH BEING SMART?
Hosea 3:6b My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
God’s calling was not easy for a lot of his servants by any means. One of the strangest might have been when he told Hosea that he was to marry an unfaithful, adulterous wife. Some say that she was a prostitute before they were married, and some say that she would just be an unfaithful wife. In some ways it had to be hard for Hosea to know that the woman that he would be marrying would betray his covenant of love with her. Before he ever started looking for a wife, he knew that his heart would be broken and his love mocked by his wife. Of course God had him do this to shock the Jews into realizing what it must be like for him to see the very people he had chosen to reveal himself to the world, reject his love for them and turn to love and worship an idol made of stone or metal that could not walk, talk, let alone love them in return.
For years and years Jews from the Northern Kingdom had rejected the Lord that lead them out of slavery in Egypt to a land of their own just to see them worship two golden cows. Now even the Jews of the Southern Kingdom were turning to idol worship. The very people that he had covenanted with as a husband would his bride, now acted in an adulterous way. The very ones that God loved so very much were mocking his love for them and trampling it under their feet. Now the Jews of Hosea’s day would see first hand how God saw them in light of Gomer’s unfaithfulness to such a holy man.
How was it that God said that the Jews were being destroyed for lack of knowledge? The very ones that the people depended on to keep them right with God had no longer stayed true to the Lord. Whether it was pressure by others to be like the nations that surrounded them, or simply no longer reminding the people of the covenant and laws of God, the priests failed in helping the people to stay true to the Lord.
Infact I am sure that they took more offence at Gomer’s unfaithfulness to Hosea than they did their own unfaithfulness to the Lord! Their lack of knowledge had put them into a situation that they would have to experience God’s great wrath. Because they would not acknowledge the Lord as their God, the Lord said he would leave them until they would admit their guilt and return to him. This was no little thing! No longer could they count on the Lord to protect them spiritually from Satan and the powers of darkness or physically from the evil of this world and even themselves. God would respect their free will. If they didn’t want God, he would not force himself on them. But with this they couldn’t expect his blessings of any kind. Now they would have to depend on idols of wood, stone and metal for all they would want and need.
Today Jews all over the world still are under a curse that their ancestors and themselves have put themselves under. And they will never get out from under it until they seek forgiveness of their sins and become reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. God can not bless what they want no part of! And God can not bless anyone that rejects his Son Jesus Christ. Sad to say for many Jews, Muslims and other religions as well as people all over the world are being destroyed because of lack of knowledge! For many just like for their ancestors, their spiritual leaders have failed to educate them regarding the truth concerning Jesus and his atonement for them. Keeping their people in darkness is keeping them from the great blessings that God wants to provide for them.
Another tragedy is within our own Christian faith. Many pastors keep their parishioners in the dark because they are afraid they will lose control over them. Even in the United Methodist Church, there were many that didn’t want me to be a pastor, because they said they would have a difficult time following me. They felt uncomfortable setting people free of demonic possession and oppression, laying hands and anointing people with oil for healing, and even saying that the Bible has to be the final authority for our beliefs. They didn’t want me preaching in the United Methodist Church. If God hadn’t used a few pastors that believed the Bible was true and the final authority I would have never been ordained. Even after I had been ordained an Elder in the denomination many didn’t want anything to do with me! For years I felt as though I never should have become a United Methodist pastor, but the Lord spoke to me one day, and told me that the people were being destroyed for lack of knowledge. After all how can we even become a Christian and love Jesus if we have never even heard about Jesus, let alone his desire to deliver us, heal us, empower us with his gifts of the Holy Spirit, set us free of our carnal nature, become more like him and certainly not reconcile us to God the Father,the Holy Spirit by atoning for our sins?
James 4:2 tells us, “We have not because we ask not.” But how are we going to know what to ask for if we don’t even know God’s will. We can not sit around and hope some pastor will have the courage and knowledge to tell us what we need to know. If we do we will be sorry and pitiful as the Jews of Hosea’s day. The Bible is written so an eighth grader can understand it. The only excuse for most people is that they are too lazy! This is not much of an excuse for not experiencing God’s blessing or even going to heaven. Because of our free will, we stand accountable in our pursuit of the Lord! The question is will we let lack of want to stand in the way of our pursuit of knowledge that God has freely given us. With today’s technology and computer access, almost everyone has the potential to a Bible and helps in understanding it. Because of satellite communication Christian Broadcasting can be seen in much of the world. The problem for most people even here in the United States is simply want to!
I assume that because you are reading this devotional you probably are already a Christian. If not you are sure putting up with a lot of Jesus talk from me! Ha! My question for you today is are you continuing to gain more knowledge of the Lord and are you applying it to your life? If not, why not? You don't have to fear that knowing what the Bible says will destroy your faith. Quite the opposite is true! The more you know what the Bible says the greater the faith and hope you will have. Every year I try to read the Bible through in a year. I’ve done this for over thirty years now, and I hope to do it as long as I am able. I would sooner forget my name than to forget Jesus and what the Bible has to say about him! How about you?
Prayer: Holy Spirit, please help us to always hunger to know and understand your word even more. Please give us the wisdom, knowledge and insight into it, so that Jesus our Living Word will be glorified in our lives. Thank you Holy Spirit. We ask this in Jesus’ name.
