The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Hosea 13:9,
"You are destroyed, O Israel, because you are against me, against your helper."
The history of Israel places the condition of the human heart on display. As we read in Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" In the above verse Israel is accused of being against her "helper".
Such an astonishing thing to think of. People who have been brought to life, people whose very existence requires maintenance by God, the food they eat, the water they drink, the air they breathe, the environment that allows existence to continue, is all provided by the God they have turned their back on. It is not just Israel, it is all mankind!
How can such a state of affairs exist? How could those who have been created by God and are entirely dependant on him for continued existence, from moment to moment, turn against the him? Truly, the comment found in Jeremiah 17:9 is substantiated by this reality.
In spite of this rejection of our Creator, he reaches out to us! His patience is an amazing thing, driven by his love for us. Israel had found the limit of God's patience and reached the point of his corrective judgment. But for mankind as a whole, he remains patient, for now, till the time comes for his judgment of all mankind. I am reminded of 2 Peter 3:9, "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." Also, Romans 2:4, "Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?"
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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