Standing at the thresh hole of the Abyss

Hosea 9:1-6

Folks, we are standing at the thresh hole of the abyss, as was Israel at the time of the prophet Hosea.  Hosea’s assignment was to marry a whore and to have children by her, and to be faithful to her even as she left for other lovers, and to buy her out of slavery and she would return as his wife.  All for one main reason, to be a sign to Israel of the Love God has for them, and they were acting like Gomer the wife of Hosea.  And yet many who go by the title Christian are into the same whoredom as was Israel in the time of Hosea, but many pastors and priests are not sounding the alarm to their concentric circle of influence.

Could the problem be that many in speaking the message from God they are so caught up with being thought well of that they no longer hear, and they no longer seek the face of God?  Jan and I are blessed to have a pastor who hears from God, a pastor who I’m not sure what his political stance is, but this I know he loves those who call Oakwood their place of worship too much to not share with us the foolishness of our sin, and the victory we can have in obeying Jesus Christ.
  

Do you recall the prophet Isaiah, who God allowed to see not only His throne but to see God on His throne and how He was worshipped?  “Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."   When a man has an encounter with God as Isaiah and they paid attention to His voice, then they will do what is in chapter 6:8, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Isaiah volunteered, he did not ask where, or how much it paid, and that is what the world needs pastors and priests who will be willing to tell us what we do not want to hear, as did Isaiah and Hosea. 

Chapter 9 is titled “The coming Exile” and God’s mouthpiece Hosea is no longer saying turn or burn, for they are experiencing a downturn in their economy so the blessing or the hand of God was being removed and they were seeking other nations and not God.  Now they are going to have little in the way of harvest, not even enough to have food for their family, much less to bring an offering to God.  The dead all around them made the food defiled by their association with the dead and it could not be offered to God.  So Israel seeks refuge in Egypt, only to die there outside of their land.  Note: The symbolisms for Egypt in scripture are numerous, but at the center is mankind trying to get their needs met outside of Christ.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice