Chapter 14 contains a message of hope for the future. The Lord has been warning the people that if they do not repent of idolatry and turn away from it, their nation will be conquered and their people scattered. We know from our study of the kings that they did not heed these warnings and that the nation of Assyria conquered them and deported all but the poorest of citizens to other territories. But we also know that the nation of Israel is in existence today and that in ancient times many from the northern kingdom of Israel returned from where they had been dispersed and that many from the southern kingdom of Judah returned from their captivity in Babylon. Many more have returned in the centuries since then. The Lord foretells a coming defeat but He also foretells a coming victory. Some of the beautiful promises concerning Israel have already been fulfilled, at least in part, and some will find their full fulfillment when the Lord comes to reign over the earth.
As we finish our study of the book of Hosea we find the Lord reminding the people that He alone is their provider and protector. No idol has ever done anything for them. Idols have done nothing but harm them. That is all an idol can do: harm us. That is its intention because, although no god but the Lord exists, there is a Satanic influence behind the practice of idolatry. This is why the Apostle Paul warned believers not to eat or drink at a feast where a portion of the food and drink had been offered to an idol. Although the gods represented by the idols are not real, there is a force behind idolatry that is very much real, and it is evil. Paul said, "Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons." (1 Corinthians 10:19-20) The pagans who made offerings to idols thought they were making offerings to gods and not to demons but there is a demonic force behind idolatry, for Satan wants to be worshiped in place of God and if he cannot be worshiped as himself then he wants to entice people to worship a substitute for God.
The Lord says to the people of the northern kingdom of Israel, "Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols?" (Hosea 14:8a) In other words, what fellowship does the Lord have with idols? None, and the people should have no fellowship with idols either. Or as the Apostle Paul phrased it, "What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?" (2 Corinthians 6:14b-16a) It is the Lord to whom Israel must look---and only to Him. He says, "I will answer him and care for him. I am like a flourishing juniper; your fruitfulness comes from Me. Who is wise? Let him realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them." (Hosea 14:8b-9)
I would like to close our study of the book of Hosea on a personal note because during this study the Lord revealed to me that I had an idol in my own life. We have a tendency to think of an idol as something enjoyable, as something that provides us with a rewarding experience even though it's a sinful experience. Examples of that might be a sexual affair, or an addiction to pornography, or an obsession with a relationship that's bad for us, or putting ambitions ahead of God, or being greedy and focusing on money all the time. Another thing we have a tendency to consider as an idol might be an addiction or bad habit, such as drinking too much or doing drugs. I had never realized that something that gives us unpleasant experiences could become an idol in our lives but the Lord revealed to me that I had made an idol of something that causes me quite a bit of distress.
I have made worry/fear/anxiety into an idol. In my family there is a genetic component to it (OCD and panic/anxiety disorders run in my family and I first had to see a doctor due to OCD and panic attacks when I was only twelve years old), but in my case there's a huge habitual component to it as well. The Lord pointed out to me that I spend far more time obsessing over my cares and concerns than I do in thinking about Him, meditating on His trustworthy words, or praying. He's right! He's right and I've had to acknowledge this thought pattern as an idol in my life, repent of it, and ask Him to help me tear down this sinful altar. I have spent untold hours of my life bowing at the altar of worry when I should have been bowing at the feet of my Lord. I could have had so much more peace if only I'd been consistent in taking every thought captive to Christ, as we are commanded to do in 2 Corinthians 10:5. I could have enjoyed my life so much more if I'd obeyed these words: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6)
Instead of turning a problem over and over in my mind, which makes it seem larger and larger, I need to go to the Lord with it. I need to thank Him for all the problems He's solved for me in the past, for such thoughts strengthen my faith and confidence in Him, and I need to lay my current problems at His feet and turn my worried thoughts over to Him. Would He have told us to take our thoughts captive to Christ if He isn't going to give us the power to do so? No. We can go to Him and thank Him for His power and protection on our behalf, tell Him we are turning these troubles over to Him because we can't solve these problems ourselves anyway, and trust Him to do what is best and right about our troubles.
I've served at the altar of fear long enough. This idol has not benefited me. It can't! It has only harmed me. The Lord never intended us to bear such burdens, which is why the Bible says, "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens." (Psalm 68:19) These burdens are meant for His shoulders alone and we must hand them over to Him. He will bear for us each day what needs to be borne, which is why the Lord Jesus Christ said, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow." (Matthew 6:34a) The Lord will bear our burdens today. When we arrive at tomorrow, He will bear those burdens too. He will bear every burden of every day of our lives if we will let Him.
I'm not saying that I've already overcome the habit of obsessing over problems and making myself anxious. I will be fifty-four years old in a couple of months and that means there are many years of conditioning to undo. But I believe that with the Lord's help my thoughts can be retrained to follow more positive patterns. And speaking of positive patterns, we will close with the Apostle Paul's pattern for positive thinking. Instead of obsessing about our cares and concerns, we are to fix our thoughts on what is true (and the only certain truth is the word of God) and on things capable of uplifting our hearts. "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy---think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)
No comments:
Post a Comment