Can You Take It? No More Warning

Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest. Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Hosea 4:4-6

What a conundrum!  Israel is ever nearer to the destruction that is about to be brought on them by the Assyrians.  Yet, they cannot see that this judgment is from the LORD for their sin.  Rather than hear, they argue about whether it is sinful in the first place--sound familiar?  They will not hear the message that they are erring from God, so they are destroyed for lack of knowledge.  God would love for them to have the knowledge of truth that leads to repentance, but rather than heed the word, they argue and fuss with those sent to warn them.  This is the message of the verses above.  Israel will not understand their undone condition before God.  The LORD commands that they are no longer challenged to repent because they will only debate with those who are sent (v.4).  Then we are told that this lack of knowledge, willfully ignored knowledge of what it will take to have a right relationship with GOD, leads to their destruction.  Hosea was the last prophet sent to Israel.  Soon their rejection of truth and inability to take a rebuke led to their demise.  Yes, what a conundrum!

The Spirit of the LORD will not always strive with man (see Genesis 6:3).  His word is clear enough on what is right and wrong, but when sin reigns and God is rejected in a society, out come the "experts" who wish to philosophize over what God's word "really says".  Just the other day I was reading a news article about a church that was using some fairly worldly means to draw numbers into the church.  The word was clear--their actions were an affront to God's holiness and a mockery of the sacrifice of Christ.  One person dared say that the actions of this congregation were wrong.  Out came the experts.  There were comments like, "It doesn't ever take too long for the Pharisees to show up."  "You are not our judge--God is!" "Take your old-fashioned ideas elsewhere."  This is exactly the message that is shared above.  When people will not hear the truth of the word and those anointed to share it, GOD quits warning and allows them to go along in their delusion.  He has to because they willfully reject His counsel. That is a scary place to be.

Let me say again that we need to understand what sin is so that we can take it to the cross and seek forgiveness and cleansing.  Think of the message of this verse. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8)."  Or what about this verse?  "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us ( 1 John 1:10)."   Sandwiched in between is the often quoted verse 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  Just reason with me a minute.  How can you confess if you argue with God about his valid claim that it is wrong?  You can't!

Hosea warned!  He was their last chance.  Hear God as He is shouting to turn to Him before it is too late.  Hear those who lovingly rebuke, reprove, and exhort even as they are commanded by scripture.  Hear Jesus as He calmly knocks on the door of your heart awaiting the permission to enter.  Don't delay when He corrects.  After all, He is Soon2Come!

I highly suggest this page:  Easy-Believism: Another False Gospel | Amos 3:7