Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Judgment on the Wicked -

Read: Hosea 10:1-14:9; Jude 1:1-25; Psalm 127:1-5; Proverbs 29:15-17 The wealthier Israel became, the more money they spent on their idols. God would break down the altars and pillars they had erected. They lied, making justice obsolete. The people of Samaria, the capital of Israel worshipped a golden calf in Bethel. Bethel means “house of God”, but God called it Beth-Aven meaning “house of nothingness” or “house of idols”. This idols would be carted away to Assyria as a gift to the king. the peeled would mourn its absence. The people would be so oppressed they would want to die. Years ago in Gibeah, a man came to town with his concubine (Judges 19,20). He ended up giving his concubine to the men of the town to save his own life. They abused his concubine until she finally died at the door of the house he was staying. This man led a revolt against the whole town and all the men of the town were killed. The man had asked all the tribes to come and fight the Gibeon’s and all came except men from the tribe of Benjamin. They turned against Benjamin and it almost led to the extinction of the tribe of Benjamin. Hosea references this incident stating that since then Israel has digressed further and further into sin. God had told them that if they planted seeds of love they would reap a haves of love. They planted seeds of wickedness and harvested sin. Hosea pled with them to plow up the ground of their hard hearts and let God shower righteousness upon them. God had poured blessings upon them, delivered them from their enemies and loved them. In return he had gotten rebellion from them. Yet, God refused to give up on them. He would not completely destroy Israel. One day, he knew that they would follow him. God reminded the people of Judah their history. Jacob had started out as a deceiver and supplanter of his brother, but when he met God face to face, he repented. Judah’s people had turned from their God also. He would make them live in tents again like they did during the Feast of Tabernacles. During that feast they would make temporary tents to live him with their families for a week so it would remind them that their lives on earth is temporary. They are just passing through. God brought them through their history explaining his role and their response. They had heaped up sin that would have to be accounted for. Assyria would not be able to save them. Only by returning to the Lord would they be saved. God looked forward to the day they would return and he would be able to bless them once again. Jude is one of the one interesting books of the Bible. Jude had wanted to write his letter about the wonderful salvation they shared but instead he needed to warn them of the false teaching that had slipped into the church. It said that they could live in immoral lives and Gods grace would cover them. Jude gave a list of people that God judged because of their sin. God killed the ones who Moses led out of Egypt in the wilderness because they worshipped the idols they brought from Egypt. God also punished the angels who left heaven and came to earth and had sex with the woman of the earth. These angels are in chains in hell waiting their judgment. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah kept sinning until they were destroyed for their wickedness. In the same way, these false prophets would meet their doom. These people of unrighteousness have been around since Adam and live to create division among the true believers. But, we must build each other up in the power of the Holy Spirit. We are to show mercy to those who are wavering in their faith but with caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives. Lord, help us to walk uprightly with a heart of righteousness and love.