God formed an agreement with the people of Israel, telling them they were His treasured possession. They were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
“Now, therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine,
“But you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation” (Exodus 19.5-6).
Later, the Bible ascribes the role of being priests to God to followers of Jesus, whether Gentile or Jew.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2.9).
It is a mistake to ascribe to the United States, or any other country, the role that God had for Israel.
However, we can apply His special word to followers of Jesus. We are His priests, His holy nation and we are to proclaim the excellencies of how He called us from darkness into His light.
A Pure Calling Perverted
As Christians, we should take the words of Hosea seriously as a warning and make sure that our relationship with the Lord is not corrupted.
Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel,
do not let Judah become guilty.
Do not enter into Gilgal
or go up to Beth-aven,
and do not swear, “As the Lord lives.” (Hosea 4.15)
Gilgal and Bethel were the major locations in the Northern Kingdom where followers of Jehovah worshipped.
The worship of Jehovah had become so blended with Baalism that the Lord called Bethel (the house of God) Beth-aven (the house of trouble).
They violated the third commandment by serving Baal, while supposedly praying to Jehovah.
“You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name” (Exodus 20:7).
Israel’s problem can easily become our own. When we prioritize fulfilling our needs over relating to God, we can quickly start using God, or the world’s gods, to serve our purposes.
Henry Blackaby’s advice is perfect at this point. We should find out what God is doing in our world and join Him.
We serve Him as His priests in a world that needs to know what God is up to.
Don’t Forget
The kind of forgetting that takes place in the Bible is not some absent-minded professor sort of thing. Rather, it is an intentional neglect of God.
The Lord tells us not to forget our relationship with Him, as doing so can cost us greatly.
So be careful, lest you forget the covenant that the Lord your God made with you and make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you.
For the Lord your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4.23-24).
Insisting on our stubborn wants and desires can cause us to forget our connection with God. This might turn Him into an idol, or lead us to become attached to a substitue for God within the world’s system.
Like a stubborn heifer,
Israel is stubborn;
can the Lord now feed them
like a lamb in a broad pasture?
Ephraim is joined to idols—
let him alone. (Hosea 4.16-17)
The last thing humans need is to be left alone by God because we have refused His covenant and lived by our stubborn willfulness. Isaiah has an interesting perspective on that.
But all of you are kindlers of fire,
lighters of firebrands.
Walk in the flame of your fire
and among the brands that you have kindled! (Isaiah 50.11)
Isaiah’s message is that when we build the fire of self-will, God will require us to walk in the light of the fire that we have kindled absent from His presence.
Like What We Serve
Here’s a truth: We resemble the gods we serve. If your god is power, you’ll believe that the ends justify the means. If your god is money, you’ll do whatever it takes to acquire it.
In Hosea’s time, Baal worship included drinking and ritual sex.
When their drinking is ended, they indulge in sexual orgies;
they love lewdness more than their glory.
A wind has wrapped them in its wings,
and they shall be ashamed because of their altars. (Hosea 4.18-19)
Many people have told me they used drugs against their own will. It was as if a force was pushing them toward the drug of their choice.
This is similar to what Hosea said when he remarked, “A wind has wrapped him in its wings.”
Here’s a personal story you might relate to.
During a sleepless night, while I was praying, I realized that my thoughts were solely about myself. I admitted to the Lord that I prioritize myself above everything else.
Just as Baal worship influenced the people in Hosea’s time, the wind of my self-interest drives me. I find myself wrapped in self-focused thoughts, propelling me forward.
This is something I need to change. How about you?
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 