For it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.

Love the person, hate the sin. Know the Lord loves each person. 

Know that each person sins and whole peoples go off the deep end at times. But the Lord loves them. 

I woke up with the name Voltaire on the brain. I don’t know why, I don’t know his writing in the 1700s, but a quick Wikipedia search tells me his writings stirred up controversy. I’m not going to dig too deep, just knew he was commenting on his time… There were corruptions in the monarchy and the close connection between government and church was fraught with abuse of power…

Yes, life history tells us that’s a theme… 2000 years earlier, Israel and Judah and corruption are the forefront of Hosea’s writing. Clearly the Lord calls out the corruption and of course the false worship. The Lord’s warning to Samuel, prophet, early on, was that kings will divert attention from worshiping the Lord.  As Saul was corruptable, so was the long line of kings… Even as the lineage of Jesus was brought forth from the appointed David, after the Lord tapped him to lead, corruption marred the moments that could have been lived better by listening to the Lord. 

Hosea wrote:

Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones. Then they will say, “We have no king because we did not revere the Lord. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?” They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.

CORRUPTION… a continuous issue… The Lord who raised His people (then and now) saw and sees corruption: “My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High, I will by no means exalt them.” 

Love the people, hate the sin. 

Jesus spoke in John 3:19-20: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

We know history,  we know sin, we know evil at a certain level. The Lord knows that the cure is His righteousness. He will bring forth His people and corruption will put on incorruptible Jesus as our Light and Leader to replace all earthly kings.

Thank You Lord for the Light!

Amen 

—

1 Corinthians 15:53-55 KJV

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

—-

Hosea 10-11 NIV

Israel was a spreading vine;

    he brought forth fruit for himself.

As his fruit increased,

    he built more altars;

as his land prospered,

    he adorned his sacred stones.

Their heart is deceitful,

    and now they must bear their guilt.

The Lord will demolish their altars

    and destroy their sacred stones.

Then they will say, “We have no king

    because we did not revere the Lord.

But even if we had a king,

    what could he do for us?”

They make many promises,

    take false oaths

    and make agreements;

therefore lawsuits spring up

    like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.

The people who live in Samaria fear

    for the calf-idol of Beth Aven.

Its people will mourn over it,

    and so will its idolatrous priests,

those who had rejoiced over its splendor,

    because it is taken from them into exile.

It will be carried to Assyria

    as tribute for the great king.

Ephraim will be disgraced;

    Israel will be ashamed of its foreign alliances.

Samaria’s king will be destroyed,

    swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.

The high places of wickedness will be destroyed—

    it is the sin of Israel.

Thorns and thistles will grow up

    and cover their altars.

Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”

    and to the hills, “Fall on us!”

“Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, Israel,

    and there you have remained.

Will not war again overtake

    the evildoers in Gibeah?

When I please, I will punish them;

    nations will be gathered against them

    to put them in bonds for their double sin.

Ephraim is a trained heifer

    that loves to thresh;

so I will put a yoke

    on her fair neck.

I will drive Ephraim,

    Judah must plow,

    and Jacob must break up the ground.

Sow righteousness for yourselves,

    reap the fruit of unfailing love,

and break up your unplowed ground;

    for it is time to seek the Lord,

until he comes

    and showers his righteousness on you.

But you have planted wickedness,

    you have reaped evil,

    you have eaten the fruit of deception.

Because you have depended on your own strength

    and on your many warriors,

the roar of battle will rise against your people,

    so that all your fortresses will be devastated—

as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle,

    when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.

So will it happen to you, Bethel,

    because your wickedness is great.

When that day dawns,

    the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.

God’s Love for Israel

“When Israel was a child, I loved him,

    and out of Egypt I called my son.

But the more they were called,

    the more they went away from me.

They sacrificed to the Baals

    and they burned incense to images.

It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,

    taking them by the arms;

but they did not realize

    it was I who healed them.

I led them with cords of human kindness,

    with ties of love.

To them I was like one who lifts

    a little child to the cheek,

    and I bent down to feed them.

“Will they not return to Egypt

    and will not Assyria rule over them

    because they refuse to repent?

A sword will flash in their cities;

    it will devour their false prophets

    and put an end to their plans.

My people are determined to turn from me.

    Even though they call me God Most High,

    I will by no means exalt them.

“How can I give you up, Ephraim?

    How can I hand you over, Israel?

How can I treat you like Admah?

    How can I make you like Zeboyim?

My heart is changed within me;

    all my compassion is aroused.

I will not carry out my fierce anger,

    nor will I devastate Ephraim again.

For I am God, and not a man—

    the Holy One among you.

    I will not come against their cities.

They will follow the Lord;

    he will roar like a lion.

When he roars,

    his children will come trembling from the west.

They will come from Egypt,

    trembling like sparrows,

    from Assyria, fluttering like doves.

I will settle them in their homes,”

    declares the Lord.

Israel’s Sin

Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,

    Israel with deceit.

And Judah is unruly against God,

    even against the faithful Holy One.