It's What is under the hood that counts!
1 Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day and multiplies lies and violence. He makes a treaty with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.
6 But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.
7 The merchant uses dishonest scales; he loves to defraud.
8 Ephraim boasts, "I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin." (NIV)
Hosea, Joshua and Jesus are all derived from the same Hebrew word meaning salvation. The names of Joshua and Jesus have an additional meaning that "Yahweh Is Salvation".
Hosea's purpose as a prophet was to "salvage" the nation of Israel for God's sake. A nation that once stood in the power of His might had fallen into moral corruption and spiritual adultery. Hosea was trying to get Israel to "see" them selves as God was "looking" on them.
7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. I Samuel 16:7 (KJV)
From the time I started driving until my mid-forties, I drove RFD cars/trucks. That does not stand for "Rural Fire Department" but "Reclaimed From Dump". Although the family drove nicer vehicles, mine were "salvaged" vehicles. Once a new, valuable vehicle but now had been cast aside as useless, I would repair/replace parts on the vehicle to make it useful again.
Being media director for the school as well as teacher there were a lot of errands that needed to be run around town. I had many high-school boys volunteering to run errand with my "salvaged" truck. The 1946 Chevy pickup looked like an old farm truck but under the hood sat a Chrysler hemi that had the power to deliver the mail – and in a hurry!
Men, it is not the front that we put on around friends, peers or even our families but it's "what is under the hood" that makes the difference. God looks at who we really are. There are three ways to look at a life: 1) How I see it. 2) How others see it. 3) How God sees it.
Just as Hosea was trying to "salvage" a nation, let us as men allow the ministry, the Word, prayer and worship mold us into the men that God wants us to be. Many of us were "salvaged" from "passed hope" to enjoying the blessings of a Holy Ghost filled life!
Jesus, Our Salvation, is coming soon! Keep that which is "under the hood" finely tuned.
Bob Gogler
