In this weeks chapter of Hosea, we find that no matter what God had done on their behalf, Israel would not repent. Instead, they tried to make treaty’s with nations like Assyria, and Egypt. Israel believed that the human might of those two nations would be enough to keep them safe. How foolish to think that any human might can equal the might of the God who created the universe.
Hosea continues by telling the story of Jacob, a man whose name meant “deceiver”, how Jacob was transformed by the Lord, how Jacob went from deceiver to humility before God. This is the story that Hosea wants his readers to remember. Humility before God is better than pride in wealth and human might. However, Israel and Judah just can’t seem to remember this.
I think that sometimes we need to hear this lesson. We are also a people who forget. We forget that it is better to be lowly of spirit than proud. The first three beatitudes read like this:M
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (4) “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (5) “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:3-5 ESV
It is easy to become proud without even knowing it. We can slip into pride when we do our jobs well consistently, and we become confident in our abilities. Confidence is good, misplaced pride is destructive. We can become proud when we accumulate wealth for ourselves. Wealth itself is not wrong, but pride in it is destructive. I use these two as an example, as this list could be much longer. While neither confidence nor wealth are inherently evil, they can replace God in our hearts. That is what happened to Israel, and it can happen to us today.
Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
1 Corinthians 10:11 ESV
Pastor Jonathan Welch
