Fear

Hosea 13:1-9

Fear can destroy a person, family, or a nation, and yes it is very active in our world, it is on T.V., the Internet, your cell phone, at work, and at the family dinner table.  Did you see, did you hear, I heard this or that, and the end game of fear is to steal your hope and your peace.  Gandhi had this to say about fear: “The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but it is fear.”  Maybe we should pay a little attention to Plato, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”  Could this have been the problem in the time of Hosea as well as today?  Mankind is afraid of the light, we have been reminded of this by Jesus; “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” 

If one could get into a time machine and go back to the time of Hosea they would have said we love God, we pay homage on our special days, much like many do today at Christmas and Easter, but their heart is with the little gods they look to each day.  The people of Hosea’s time, as well as many people who go by the name Christian, had and have this attitude; “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”  These are the words of Jesus spoken to the church of today, but the people of Hosea’s time were in a culture much like ours.

Could the reason so many of the churches have no reverence, no awe of God, they been conned by the false priest and preacher, who have lulled them into believing that God is tolerant of sin?  I have news for you, He is not, and the church is getting ready to experience what the people of Israel did at the time of Hosea.  The people of Hosea’s time did not believe in a God of wrath, a God who was jealous of His people going after the world's little gods, but He was and still is.

When God gets out of the box we have Him in, and He comes like a lion, a leopard, or a bear to devour Israel who had no hope, and when it was too late they came to fear God for He had come to destroy the people who had continually turned their backs on Him.  Yes, the American church has run from the light, many a pastor and priest have said it is alright to do what the Scriptures are clear in saying this is wrong, do not go there, and if you do I will withdraw from you.  And in many of those churches, He has left and they do not know it because they have chosen darkness over the light.  But God has not changed and it is a dangerous thing to fall into the hands of an angry God, but it does not have to be, so repent, and come out of that apostate church and let the Holy Spirit lead you to the light.

From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice