Is Your Bible Old Hat?
My people are destroyed for lack of kn
owledge: 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 4:6)
THE BOOK OF HOSEA SHOULD BE READ and devoured by everyone. One of the biggest dangers in living the Christian life is drifting away from our first love and a weakening down of the Word of God in our hearts.
THE APOSTLE JOHN INCLUDES THAT SUBJECT in the book of Revelation: Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (Revelation 2:4) If we drift away from our first love, we have lost our vital immunity against sin and it will be easier to sin against God.
ISAIAH COMPLAINED THAT ISRAEL HAD A HEART PROBLEM, an attitude problem: Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: (Isaiah 29:13)
THEY HAD AN ARTIFICIAL FEAR OF GOD. Their so-called “fear of God” was not an inward thing. Their “fear of God” was a set of words that talked about the fear of God. These words were taught to them by human teachers. Their condition was fake; a smokescreen.
McGEE COMMENTS: “If you had lived in Isaiah's day, you would have wondered what Isaiah really meant, because the people were going to the temple. It was crowded—anytime a sacrifice was offered you would find people there. There was a place for the men, a court for the women, and a court for the Gentiles. Why was God finding fault with these people?
“THEY WERE ALL COMING TO CHURCH, but they went through all of the ritual with their mouths. It was as if they could say the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed, but it did not mean anything to them. They did not believe what they were saying; they did not accept God's Word. God said that their hearts were far from Him. That is the reason He judged them, and that is the reason He is going to judge us today.”
JESUS TALKED ABOUT THE WORDS OF ISAIAH: Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:7-9)
"IN HOSEA'S DAY THERE A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORD OF GOD. My friend, if you are a Christian, the minute you get away from the Word of God, you are doomed to failure in the Christian life. Regardless of the number of conferences or seminars you attend that tell you how to be a success in your home, in your business, and in your social life, you will be a failure. This book makes it crystal-clear that we do not live the Christian life by these little gimmicks and methods, but by a personal knowledge of the Word of God. This is the reason I am concerned with teaching the Word of God—and the reason I teach even the Book of Hosea. People are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
"SEEING THOU HAST FORGOTTEN THE LAW OF THY GOD, I will also forget thy children." God says to the people of this nation, "I will forget you, because you have forgotten Me." Because they have gone through a long, sordid history of departing from the Lord, they have now come to the time of judgment. God has proved His case against these people; in the beginning of the chapter He enumerated their sins—they have broken the Ten Commandments. Therefore, He hands down His decision that He is going to judge them.” (McGee-Abbreviated).
THE VERSES AND COMMENTARY ABOVE are offensive to people who have pushed God away. I read this for the first time when I was about 19. Truth is, I skimmed through it because I was hurrying to get through with it…so I could close the Bible and do something else I wanted to do a lot more than I wanted to read the Bible. When the heart is cold, the Bible can be a dead book…even to a Christian. But, this verse in Hosea grabbed my back bumper and stopped me in my tracks!
TO ME, IT SEEMED UNFAIR THAT GOD WOULD ALLOW HIS PEOPLE to be destroyed just because they didn’t know some things. But after I read it several times, I saw that I had misread it. That’s the problem with half-hearted speed reading of the Word of God. You may not get it. It wasn’t that they simply didn’t know something, but that they were actively rejecting the word of God. They were about as deep as a saucer. They didn’t know. They didn’t want to know. They had no intention of knowing.
THEY WERE RESISTING AND REJECTING EVERY EFFORT GOD WAS MAKING to help them know they were going to be destroyed, and why. Some people have a Bible in the house and a pile magazines on top of it so something else will always be read first and the Bible will never be found under the stack…is that going on at your house? It’s dangerous to join up with the pack of rebels of Hosea 4:6 who were bored with the Word of God.
WHEN GOD SAYS SOMETHING WILL DESTROY YOU, IT MAKES GOOD SENSE to pay attention to it. A lot of people who call themselves Christian are playing a game with God in their house. They are broad-minded, progressive…and busy! Walking under the shadow of the Almighty is serious business and ought not to be neglected.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. (Psalm 91:1-2)
NO ONE LOVES YOU LIKE GOD. No one will ever love you like God loves you. He wants you to love Him enough to seek His face and walk with Him and obey Him…with all your heart. Ω
Read Through the Bible in a Year
June 17, 2019 – MONDAY
A.M. Ezra 6-8 P.M. John 21
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
Great Memory Verse:
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Psalm 119:11)
Songs for Today:
Thy Word Have I Hid - (Cedarmont Kids) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UuMu1tzzN4
Near to the heart of God (Mennonite choir) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UnFNHWJ0tA&list=RD2UnFNHWJ0tA
Wait a few seconds. You may have to wait for an ad.
My people are destroyed for lack of kn
owledge: 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 4:6)
THE BOOK OF HOSEA SHOULD BE READ and devoured by everyone. One of the biggest dangers in living the Christian life is drifting away from our first love and a weakening down of the Word of God in our hearts.
THE APOSTLE JOHN INCLUDES THAT SUBJECT in the book of Revelation: Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (Revelation 2:4) If we drift away from our first love, we have lost our vital immunity against sin and it will be easier to sin against God.
ISAIAH COMPLAINED THAT ISRAEL HAD A HEART PROBLEM, an attitude problem: Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: (Isaiah 29:13)
THEY HAD AN ARTIFICIAL FEAR OF GOD. Their so-called “fear of God” was not an inward thing. Their “fear of God” was a set of words that talked about the fear of God. These words were taught to them by human teachers. Their condition was fake; a smokescreen.
McGEE COMMENTS: “If you had lived in Isaiah's day, you would have wondered what Isaiah really meant, because the people were going to the temple. It was crowded—anytime a sacrifice was offered you would find people there. There was a place for the men, a court for the women, and a court for the Gentiles. Why was God finding fault with these people?
“THEY WERE ALL COMING TO CHURCH, but they went through all of the ritual with their mouths. It was as if they could say the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed, but it did not mean anything to them. They did not believe what they were saying; they did not accept God's Word. God said that their hearts were far from Him. That is the reason He judged them, and that is the reason He is going to judge us today.”
JESUS TALKED ABOUT THE WORDS OF ISAIAH: Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:7-9)
"IN HOSEA'S DAY THERE A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORD OF GOD. My friend, if you are a Christian, the minute you get away from the Word of God, you are doomed to failure in the Christian life. Regardless of the number of conferences or seminars you attend that tell you how to be a success in your home, in your business, and in your social life, you will be a failure. This book makes it crystal-clear that we do not live the Christian life by these little gimmicks and methods, but by a personal knowledge of the Word of God. This is the reason I am concerned with teaching the Word of God—and the reason I teach even the Book of Hosea. People are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
"SEEING THOU HAST FORGOTTEN THE LAW OF THY GOD, I will also forget thy children." God says to the people of this nation, "I will forget you, because you have forgotten Me." Because they have gone through a long, sordid history of departing from the Lord, they have now come to the time of judgment. God has proved His case against these people; in the beginning of the chapter He enumerated their sins—they have broken the Ten Commandments. Therefore, He hands down His decision that He is going to judge them.” (McGee-Abbreviated).
THE VERSES AND COMMENTARY ABOVE are offensive to people who have pushed God away. I read this for the first time when I was about 19. Truth is, I skimmed through it because I was hurrying to get through with it…so I could close the Bible and do something else I wanted to do a lot more than I wanted to read the Bible. When the heart is cold, the Bible can be a dead book…even to a Christian. But, this verse in Hosea grabbed my back bumper and stopped me in my tracks!
TO ME, IT SEEMED UNFAIR THAT GOD WOULD ALLOW HIS PEOPLE to be destroyed just because they didn’t know some things. But after I read it several times, I saw that I had misread it. That’s the problem with half-hearted speed reading of the Word of God. You may not get it. It wasn’t that they simply didn’t know something, but that they were actively rejecting the word of God. They were about as deep as a saucer. They didn’t know. They didn’t want to know. They had no intention of knowing.
THEY WERE RESISTING AND REJECTING EVERY EFFORT GOD WAS MAKING to help them know they were going to be destroyed, and why. Some people have a Bible in the house and a pile magazines on top of it so something else will always be read first and the Bible will never be found under the stack…is that going on at your house? It’s dangerous to join up with the pack of rebels of Hosea 4:6 who were bored with the Word of God.
WHEN GOD SAYS SOMETHING WILL DESTROY YOU, IT MAKES GOOD SENSE to pay attention to it. A lot of people who call themselves Christian are playing a game with God in their house. They are broad-minded, progressive…and busy! Walking under the shadow of the Almighty is serious business and ought not to be neglected.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. (Psalm 91:1-2)
NO ONE LOVES YOU LIKE GOD. No one will ever love you like God loves you. He wants you to love Him enough to seek His face and walk with Him and obey Him…with all your heart. Ω
Read Through the Bible in a Year
June 17, 2019 – MONDAY
A.M. Ezra 6-8 P.M. John 21
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
Great Memory Verse:
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Psalm 119:11)
Songs for Today:
Thy Word Have I Hid - (Cedarmont Kids) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UuMu1tzzN4
Near to the heart of God (Mennonite choir) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UnFNHWJ0tA&list=RD2UnFNHWJ0tA
Wait a few seconds. You may have to wait for an ad.
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