I wrote this on Black Friday 2023. We have finished our Thanksgiving meal and family events. Now, we are entering the next phase of the holiday season, which involves buying presents and gifts on Black Friday.
We enjoyed a fun time with our family and spent a few minutes on Amazon today choosing gifts for our grandchildren.
Eighth-century Israel didn’t have Black Friday or Thanksgiving, but they did have a harvest festival that they immensely enjoyed.
God was not pleased with their harvest festival. His response to them can offer insights into how we can better align our lives with His will and purposes.
Do not rejoice, O Israel!
Do not exult as other nations do,
for you have prostituted yourself, departing from your God.
You have loved a prostitute’s pay
on all threshing floors.
Threshing floor and wine vat shall not feed them,
and the new wine shall fail them.
They shall not remain in the land of the Lord,
but Ephraim shall return to Egypt,
and in Assyria they shall eat unclean food. (Hosea 9.1-3)
The threshing floor, like a modern shopping center or gathering place, was a location where people celebrated the festival.
Their celebration was supposed to be about God, but instead, they celebrated substitutes that were less than God.
While the Israelites blended the worship of Jehovah with Baal, we blend our worship of Jesus with American culture, traditions, and materialism.
Someone might say, “What’s the big deal?” That’s possibly what was said during Hosea’s day.
The answer is, it’s a big deal if God thinks it’s a big deal. We need to take the time to find out what God thinks and align ourselves with Him.
Defeat and Exile Predicted
Prophets separate themselves from the noise of the crowd to hear the voice of God. When they discover God’s will, they prophesy it to the people.
The message from God through Hosea stated that the nation would face defeat and exile, not prosperity.
They shall not pour drink offerings of wine to the Lord,
and their sacrifices shall not please him.
Such sacrifices shall be like mourners’ bread;
all who eat of it shall be defiled,
for their bread shall be for their hunger only;
it shall not come to the house of the Lord. (Hosea 9.4)
Some are looking at American culture today and saying we will not remain what we’ve been in the past if we continue on our current path.
What can be done?
To address the blending of God’s true religion with the world’s system and the impending judgment on America, we can take several actions.
First, we can align our lives with God, ensuring that we live according to His will.
Second, we can speak graciously to our friends and family, helping them align with God’s will as well.
Third, we can pray for our country, not for American greatness, for us to be God’s people living in harmony with Him.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 