However in Hosea 4:6
he gives us some insight as to why. Hosea writes: "My people are destroyed for lack
of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee,
that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy
God, I will also forget thy children." (KJV) Another translation
puts it this way, "Destruction has overtaken my people because
they have no knowledge; because you have given up knowledge, I will give you
up, so that you will be no priest to me, because you have not kept in mind the
law of your God, I will not keep your children in my memory."
(BBE) Another rendition, not a translation, but an attempt to help us
understand the meaning says, "My people are ruined because they don't know
what's right or true. Because you've turned your back on knowledge, I've turned
my back on you."
The book of Hosea has so very many teachings that can be
compared to our modern world, but this one stands out as a beacon on a hill to
me. It is so easy to compare our present world to the world of Hosea. It is a
world in which many of the "priests" or religious leader
have stopped following the Word of God and are telling people what they want to
hear so they can have bigger crowds in attendance. We live in a world where
people believe it is more important to entertain people and be politically
correct than to speak for God. Yet in 1
Peter 4:11 we read, "If anyone speaks, they should do
so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so
with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised
through Jesus Christ."
The accusation is laid at the feet of the priest, (preachers
or teachers) in Hosea of failing to hold to God's Word. However the people are
also the ones who are cut off because they forgotten what God really wants. All
of this is to say that each and every one of us is responsible for our own
souls when it comes to understanding The Word of God. We will not be able to
face God in judgment and say, "But my priest, preacher or teacher said,"
or "My parents raised me this way." Each of us have a responsibility
to "search the scripture" to read it and know what God expects of us
in belief and actions.
So, once again I am urging you, pleading with you, to read
your bible. You should know the passage from Acts 17:11 already, where it is recorded, "Now
the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for
they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures
every day to see if what Paul said was true." The question is
then, "Do you do the same or will we be destroyed because of a lack of
knowledge?"
