Scripture Text: Hosea 8:8-14
Were I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands, they would be regarded as a strange thing.
Hosea 8:12
As a child, John Webber played with a toy worth a million dollars. As an adult, he visited a London antique shop with an old cup that had been his childhood toy and learned it was an ancient Persian relic (probably crafted not long after the days of Hosea). The golden cup, appraised at nearly $1 million, may have once been used by royalty, but little John Webber had used it as a target for his air rifle.
Like a priceless treasure that had become nothing more than a child’s plaything, God’s chosen people had been cast aside like a worthless piece of pottery (v. 8). Today’s reading illustrates the many ways that this prized nation had depreciated beyond belief.
Israel was like a donkey without a master, a lover who had prostituted herself. They had gone from being a prosperous, mighty nation to becoming a weak people who crawled at the feet of other kingdoms. They no longer demonstrated the glorious supremacy of God. They were a cautionary tale of the depths of human weakness.
Israel’s worship had lost all value as well. Their altars were desecrated, and their sacrifices were devoid of meaning. They had collapsed as a nation in every way. Their agriculture, economy, government, military, and spiritual health had all been—or would soon be—devastated.
How could this be the nation that represented God to the world?
The reason behind their collapse was simple: they had rejected the Word of God (v. 12). Israel looked at God’s law as if it were completely alien to them when it should have defined their way of life!
The nation of God had put their trust in city walls and strong fortresses and abandoned any connection to the Lord who gave them everything they had. They had lost their value as a nation because they had devalued the Word—God’s law was essentially their national constitution, and they didn’t even recognize it. Because of their ignorance, everything they had come to depend on for security was taken and destroyed.
When the Word of God loses its importance in the eyes of His people, His people become ineffective.
Reflect
1. How much value do we give to the Word of God?
2. Is the Word of God the basis of our plans, dreams, desires, ambitions, vocations, and decisions?
Remember
It should come as no surprise when the world looks at the Bible with disdain, but what’s even more grievous is when God’s people treat His Word with ambivalence.
Today’s passage and the entire book of Hosea show ample evidence of the critical connection between the Word of God and a relationship with God. It is impossible to follow God without following His Word.
Resist the temptation to make choices based on what is popular. Make the Word of God the deciding factor in your decisions, and you will never regret it.
Read
Deuteronomy 4:6-8; Psalm 119:98-100; 2 Timothy 3:15-17
Pray
Our Lord, thank You for Your Word that through it, You the all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present God, share Your plan and give me wisdom. Teach me and remind me that it is impossible for me to follow You without following Your Word. Make my heart love so greatly Your Word that it is the deciding factor in my every decision. For by it I will have no regrets. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.
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