Bible Reading: 2 Kings 15; Titus 1; Hosea 8; Psalm 123-125
Hosea 8:11-12 Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin. I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.
Hosea lived during a time of apostasy in the nation of Israel. The people of Israel were led away from the worship of Jehovah in Jerusalem by Jeroboam who set up golden calves at Dan and Bethel. Jeroboam did this for political reasons because he was afraid the people would go to Judah to worship and not be loyal to his reign in Israel. God called these altars he had set up altars to sin. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). God did not tell Israel to build these altars.
God did give Israel ‘the great things of [his] law’. Can you hear God speaking to Ephraim (another term for the Northern tribes of Israel) and rebuking them for neglecting the Word of God? The instructions for proper worship that God had prescribed and that he would accept were given through Moses. However, the people counted his law as a ‘strange thing’.
This reminds me of our day in some ways. Many so called churches have so departed from the Word of God in their practices that it is hard to tell they are a church. It is as if they sit around and dream up new ways to entertain people because they are afraid if they don’t keep church interesting and exciting the people will not come back. The sad tragedy is that in God’s Word are GREAT THINGS! The Bible is exciting! The Bible is interesting! If people depart when they hear the Word of God then they prove what Jesus said of the Pharisees in his day:
John 8:47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
Those who led Israel departed from the great things of God to altars of sin that came from their own ideas. In our day, if the leadership departs from the great things of God they too will set up altars of sin. We must not depart from the Word of God! We need to Preach the Word! (2 Timothy 4:2). Let me encourage you to get into the Word of God. There are great things in it that will change your life!
In Christ,
Rody
