The spiritual decline of God’s chosen people, as detailed in the Old Testament, includes some of the saddest passages in the Bible. God dearly loved the children of Israel, but they continually rejected Him and turned away.
God appointed King David to unite the nation and focus their worship on the One True God. David made plans for the construction of a temple and King Solomon built the temple a few years later. But toward the end of Solomon’s reign, “his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God” (1 Kings 11:4). The spiritual decline began with the leadership and then flowed quickly down to the people.
When Solomon died, the nation of Israel divided and the northern kingdom immediately began to pervert their worship; “The king made two golden calves {and said} ‘Here are your gods'” (1 Kings 12:28). Then, after almost 200 years of continual disobedience, the northern kingdom had hardened their hearts so that repentance was no longer even possible; “their deeds do not permit them to return to God” (Hosea 5:4). God is ready, willing, and able to forgive every sin, but continual disobedience removes the desire to draw near and seek His forgiveness. After so many years of false worship, the people would not return to God and would now experience His wrath.
Hosea 8:7
“They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.”
The people of Israel had planted evil seed into their lives for many years – now the time had come to harvest the destruction they had planted. Soon after Hosea spoke these words of God, the Assyrian army invaded and destroyed the northern kingdom.
God demonstrated His love for us long before we ever loved Him; “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). This love was unconditional since we did absolutely nothing to deserve His favor. But if we do not receive His love, through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus, and allow His Spirit to begin to transform us from within, we too will one day feel His wrath.
The wind of unbelief and lack of trust, false worship and a cold heart, will one day yield an eternal whirlwind which cannot be stopped. And the wind of open sin in the lives of spiritual leaders, or the spiritual compromise in the lives of parents, can lead many generations down a path of destruction.
Let’s plant and nourish seeds of truth and love which will thrive in His presence for all eternity. Let’s trust Him with a faith which walks into the unknown without fear because we know He is by our side. Let’s determine once and for all to live an uncompromising life which brings glory and honor to God; and on the great day of harvest, let’s joyfully enter His embrace without the fear of reaping the whirlwind.
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries
**** Reading Plan ****
Nov 19 Ezekiel 39:1-40:27; James 2:18-3:18; Psalm 118:1-18; Proverbs 28:2
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