Tuesday, June 19

To download an audio version of this, click here.

Hosea 4:1, 12; 8:14
Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land:

“There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgement of God in the land…”

(v.12) They consult a wooden idol and are answered by a stick of wood. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God.”

(8:14) Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; Judah has fortified many towns. But I will send fire upon their cities that will consume their fortresses.

A couple of weeks ago the air conditioning went out at our house. A friend who knows something about this kind of thing came over to try to identify the problem. In the process of looking at our air conditioner, he noticed that our hot water heater was leaking onto the basement floor (we were having a bad week as home-owners!). Upon further examination he told us that the hot water tanks were in bad shape and were nearing the point of “catastrophic failure” – meaning they could potentially rupture and spill 40 gallons of water each into our basement.

Our friend was essentially playing the role of a prophet with regard to our hot water heaters. He wasn’t so much predicting the future as he was telling us the truth about the condition of our tanks. In the same way, God’s prophets are simply called to deliver the word of God, the truth of God to his people.

Throughout the “minor prophets” these prophesies often come in the form of “if…then…” That is, “if you continue to rebel against me, then judgment will come upon you…” usually in the form of a hostile invading army.

Hosea 4:1
Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land:

“There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgement of God in the land…”

(4:12) They consult a wooden idol and are answered by a stick of wood. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God.”

(8:14) Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; Judah has fortified many towns. But I will send fire upon their cities that will consume their fortresses.

Through the prophet Hosea God is essentially saying, “Your water heaters are cracked and if you do not do something soon they will fail in a catastrophic manner.” What is sometimes difficult to see is that, while it sounds rather harsh, this is actually a message of love!

Think of it this way: if that friend who noticed that our hot water heaters were leaking – and understood what it meant – had chosen not to share that information with us, would he have acted in a loving manner? Of course not! He would have been guilty of withholding truth from us in a manner that would have exposed us to certain disaster.

God loves us too much to withhold his truth from us. So he sent Hosea to the people of Israel and he sends his word, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to us.

Does God have a word of warning for you today? Is there any way in which you are like the water heaters in our basement? Are there cracks in your heart and life that are invisible to others but known to God? Are secret sins threatening disaster? He loves you too much to withhold truth from you. He loves us too much NOT to confront our sinful attitudes or behavior – no matter how hidden or subtle.

Ask him to speak his truth to your heart today; and be willing to respond to that truth!

Pastor Brian Coffey