The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Hosea 7:10,
"Israel's arrogance testifies against him, but despite all this he does not return to the Lord his God or search for him."
As the list of Israel's wayward actions are given, the Lord points out that Israel did not return to the Lord or even seek him. When confronted with their sins they didn't look to God for his forgiveness.
When David was confronted with his sin regarding Bathsheba, he recognized his transgressions and sought the Lord's forgiveness. Having been confronted by Nathan, the prophet, David sought the Lord and begged for forgiveness. In Psalm 51:1-5 we read, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." David goes on to ask the Lord to cleanse him from his sin.
David turned from his sin and sought God. Several hundred years later, during Hosea's time, when the nation became ensnared with sin, it failed to seek the Lord and look for his forgiveness. Seeking the Lord is important when we sin. The failure to do so places us squarely in the hand of God's judgment. In speaking of the sinfulness of mankind, Paul quotes Psalms and Ecclesiastes in Romans 3:10-12 , "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
The Lord told his followers to seek first the kingdom of God. Matthew 6:33. He said that if we seek him we will find him, Matthew 7:7. Paul tells us that God determined the times and places peoples would live so they might seek him, reach out for him, and find him, Acts 17:26-27. The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
How wonderful it is the Lord will respond to us when we seek him!
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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