SCRIPTURE: Hosea 4
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother— my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. [Hosea 4:5-6]
We usually look to church leaders to steer us in the right direction, to be models of morality and integrity.
But if the religious leaders are corrupt, or insincere, or deceived, woe to the people that belong to that church.
This is the situation that Hosea describes; religious leaders who mislead the people.
The people have no knowledge because their teachers do not instruct them.
And the people suffer as a result.
Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.” [Luke 11:52]
Jesus’ accusation matches Hosea’s, rebuking the ‘experts in the law’ for taking away the key to knowledge, for keeping their followers in the dark.
Not only do they miss out on the blessing of knowing God, they hinder others as well.
What a serious accusation, and especially relevant to me as a church leader.
Am I guilty of withholding the key of knowledge, or hindering others from the truth?
Are people being destroyed from lack of knowledge?
It is a serious thing to be a teacher.
Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. [James 3:1]
Think about it, what we teach will either help or hinder people from finding God.
When Jesus speaks of the key to knowledge, is this also related to what He gives the disciples when He commissions them as His apostles: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” [Matthew 16:19]
Do I hold this key?
This is a scary thought, but instead of silencing me it ought to humble me as I teach.
I must speak, I must teach, but I must also stay humble and dependent on His help.
I do not want to be one of those leaders that Jesus and Hosea condemns, that holds the key to knowledge from others, that hinders them from entering His peace.
PRAYER:
Lord, it is a scary thing to speak for You, but You will help me and speak through me if I humbly depend on You. May I help and not hinder others from knowing You!
‘My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.’
Even the religious leaders have gone their own way. Yet their way does not satisfy. But they continue in their sin. The people have come to ruin because they do not understand. They do not understand because they are unfaithful to God. They created their own idols, gods and became self-seekers rather than God seekers.
It is You Lord who give the people understanding and knowledge as You did to Daniel and his friends. They walked in Your ways and set themselves apart from all others. They were SonSeekers, living daily in Your SonShine. They relied upon You for daily living.
Help me this day Lord to be a SonSeeker – Your will for my life. Help me to start and finish the day by placing You first in all things. May others see You in me. Help me daily to have the upward look for that is where my help comes from. My Helper is the Lord my God who leads and guides me along the way also today.
Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
[or Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer…]
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven,
Feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.