Sunday, September 21, 2014

Shalom,

Look at Hosea 4:1-2:
Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy (a pleading contention) with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no faithfulness, love, pity and mercy, or knowledge of God [from personal experience with Him] in the land. There is nothing but [false] swearing and breaking faith and killing and stealing and committing adultery; they break out [into violence], one [deed of] bloodshed following close on another.

The word "controversy" here is the Hebrew word "riyb" which means: a strife; a quarrel; a dispute; a case at law. This means that God had just cause to be angry with His own people because they were not faithful to Him or His Word! I am sure that He could say this same thing about every generation of people since Adam and Eve left the Garden! I am sure that it has been at least marginally true of every one of us at some time or other! The reason that people, even God's own people, fall into this particular sin is found in verse 6a:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;

Knowledge here is the Hebrew word "da'ath", which is the noun form of the Hebrew word "yada'". Yada means: to learn to know; to perceive; to find out; to experience; to recognize; to be acquainted with; to be skillful in; to be wise. Hosea 6:3 tells us that we will "know" (yada) IF we follow on to know! We have to WANT TO! I encourage you to make it YOUR "determined purpose", as Paul says in Philippians 3:10 AMP, to really get to know HIM! When we do, we will be able to think like Him, speak like Him, and act like Him! The best part of doing those three things? HE gets all of the praise, the honor, and the glory for it! HALLELUJAH! Let's get to it! AMEN! Here is an older song by Hillsong called "To Know Your More":


Shalom in Him!