A spurned God is promising vengeance in the lives of His once beloved people, with a special dose of retribution for the leaders who lead the way. The Scriptures lead me to the conclusion that the rulers of Israel willfully spurned the principals that had been taught them as children. They whole heartedly pursued wickedness.
How did they arrive at that destination? I doubt that they started out willfully ignoring His commandments. As a boulder rolling down a hill, the path of disobedience most often begins with the little things. The boulder needs only a little suggestion of movement, a little energy imparted to it, and it begins its descent. As it descends, it gathers energy and momentum and crushes everything in its way.
Our flesh is the same way. Mark 7 21-23 says "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person." We do not need much of a push to begin our descent.
Our nature is craven. We have to purposefully wage a war, daily, against our flesh. We as men, priests and leaders of our homes but develop the disciplines that will cultivate our spirit and suppress our flesh. Each day must be lived with a purpose, a focus on God and His values, otherwise we, too, will begin to drift. We must make deliberate decisions about how we lead our families. We must constantly self-assess our lives. Are we striding forward in the Kingdom or have we allowed our selves to get distracted. Are we purposefully leading or are we drifting casually?
Let it not be said that we have dealt treacherously with the Lord and have raised strange children.
Keith G. Mathews
Friday
Hosea 5
