Through Hosea the Lord revealed the root cause of the pitiful spiritual condition of His own people. "My people have become like those without knowledge...because you thrusted full knowledge away from yourself." This holds serious implication for all believers - because -"God desires all men to be saved and to come to THE FULL KNOWLEDGE of the truth." What will God do to His people today if we become like those in Hosea's day? He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever so we should be able to foresee what God will do if we are apathetic about coming to the full knowledge of the truth. Paul saw it clearly and explained exactly what God will do - "and just as they did not approve to have God in FULL KNOWLEDGE, He gave them over to a disapproved mind to do the things not fitting." This is the way God treats people who willfully refuse to receive His help to come to a full knowledge of Himself and His ways. To His people who refused to walk in the good ways of the ancient paths, and who refused to take heed to the trumpet's warning of the dire consequences, He declared through Jeremiah -"Hearken O earth, I will bring evil upon this people, the fruit of their turning away." What evil did the Lord bring? - the same evil that befalls every man who rejects God's truth and chooses to walk by his own thoughts. "Evil men shall seek me and not find me; for they detested wisdom and they did not choose to fear the Lord. They did not will to take heed to my counsels, but sneered at my reproofs. Accordingly they shall eat the fruit of their own ways and be filled with their own ungodliness." It will be true for us as it was true for anyone who has rejected God's attempt to bring His people to a FULL KNOWLEDGE of Himself. He will send a strong delusion so that we will believe the lie of our own thoughts. This will be the judgment for everyone who receives not the love of the truth...but takes pleasure in unrighteousness. Jesus made it clear, this is the judgment - "light has come into the world but men loved darkness (of our own understanding) rather than the light.
_________________Alan and Dina Martin
