Hosea 8 – The Life of Blindness 何西阿书 8 – 蒙蔽的生命
Tuesday, 9th May 2023
Section One V1-6 丟棄良善製造偶像
The people of Israel did not know that they were living in darkness, they didn’t think that they needed the help of God. When they were being attacked by the enemy, they sought the help of Syria and Egypt, they didn’t seek God and therefore, God spoke to them through prophet Hosea. The people had broken the covenant they had with God, they ignored the laws of God, and whatever they did they did not honour God. Instead, they built their own idols, they took advantage of other people, they were self-centred, and they did the things displease God.
They thought they knew God, but they did not know God, they rejected God and they rejected God’s Goodness. They did not want God to rule over them, they rejected the authorities and leaders God anointed for them, instead, they found their own leaders, their own kings, and they thought they were protected. We are often like this, we use our own covering, our own shields, trying to protect us and keep ourselves, but we were exposed to the enemies of this world and would be soon perished.
Section Two V7-13 無神的生命日漸衰萎
The Israelites rejected God’s help in their lives, they sought their own ways, their sought their own allies, and they thought they could rely on the strong nations around them to help solving their problems. Hosea was warning them that God’s judgement would came, and everything in this world that they thought could help them will eventually harm them. They would slowly fade away. Who are we following right now? The people and things of the world or God? When we follow God and His appointed authority, we will be prosperous, we will be blessed, we will be protected; on the other hand, when we follow the worldly things and establish our own leaders, then we will eventually fail.
Furthermore, the altars we built for ourselves and for this world would lead us into temptations, and we would sin against God. We must listen to God’s teaching today, do not stay in blindness, do not be rebellious, but examine ourselves, be alert, and turn away from relying on ourselves and this world. Do not think we have a good relationship with God, do not think that our prayers are heard, if we don’t deal with our sins today, then there will always be a gap between ourselves and God. We are blinded, we are proud, we are rebellious, and we are stiff-necked.
We complain to God about our current lives, we try to do a lot of things to change our environment, and we are not satisfied with what God gives to us. When God’s judgment comes, how are we going to face it? We must fast, pray, and cry out to God. We must not return to Egypt, we must not look back at our previous life, but face God today. Let God come back to our lives, get rid of every obstacle that stops us from building a relationship with God and with God’s appointed authority.
Section Three V14 神必追討一切皆空
In the life of blindness, we try hard, we work hard, we want to perform our best, and we strive to seek happiness. But when we forgot about God, like how the Israelites built their own temples and how Judah built their own stronghold, then God will burn away everything we build for ourselves and for this world. God does not want us to live in the protections we build for ourselves, when we hide behind the walls, then we will forget about God, when we use our own strength to build our own world, then we will forget about our Creator. We will no longer stay under the fragrance of the Tree of Life, and we will continue to stay in blindness. May God help us, to open our eyes, through praying and fasting, let the Holy Spirit’s teaching come into us, so we can return to Tree of Life and to God, our Creator.