Hosea 8:1-14 From Bad to Worse
Israel has gone from bad to worse. She started off with erecting the two golden calves to replace God. Now she turns to another for protection.
God is disgusted with Israel’s path. He KNEW the path they would take from the beginning, but it is another thing to actually watch it play out in front of you. God watches as Israel slides farther and farther into sin and away from Him.
The Northern Kingdom of Israel’s first acts were to replace God with two golden calves. “Here are your gods that brought you out of Egypt” Jeroboam says to the people. SO WRONG! But the people accept the substitute and begin offering these objects their love and worship. They begin adding in the worship of gods of the other nations to their list of sins. And when dangerous times were unfolding, they ran to other nations for help. When they did turn to God for help, it was half-hearted and insincere. God doesn’t accept that kind of plea. One foot in the world and one foot near the altar.
God was going to use the very people Israel turned to be their downfall. Israel turned to Assyria for assistance and wound up being conquered by their ‘allies’. Satan is like that too. He makes people think that they are finding help or relief when they ‘sign on the dotted line’ when what they are really doing is getting themselves tangled up instead. Israel had not repented because they were STILL doing the same things and they were NOT relying on God for their deliverance.
I have some conflicts I’m walking through. It is not always easy to leave it ALL in God’s hands. I don’t know how much God allows me to ‘fix’ and how much I’m supposed to let sit until HE is ready to reveal the answer. I keep asking for His wisdom and favor in all that I’m dealing with but wonder if me reaching out to the different agencies that might help is me turning to others instead of Him. I don’t think so, but I don’t have a definite answer either. I need guidance and prayer please!
Father God, thank You that You are not immune to our struggles. You won’t let me get away with sin while also reaching out for help. SOMETIMES You walk me out of those places through a process while other times You expect me to fully lay something down before taking my hand and leading me out of the mess. THANK YOU for BOTH those circumstances. And, THANK YOU for KNOWING when one needs to be used over the other. The most important part of BOTH situations is my TRULY relying on You for the answer.
With the two issues I’m embroiled in now Father, PLEASE protect me from making it worse. Please resolve them in my favor. I do know that I’m in the right on both of them so that makes this part of my prayer easier. Protect my heart though. Don’t let me become bitter over the process or vindictive. Protect me from retaliation from others in ALL forms that it might come. Keep my heart clean in all this. PLEASE don’t let me have made my situations go from bad to worse!!!
