WHEN BAALI BECOMES ISHI

"And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali." (Hosea 2:16)

Devotion 4 of 13 INSIGHT, NOT FEAR

During the dispensation of Law, men served God out of a sense of fear. Only a few of our race rose above this, serving the Lord because they loved Him--and they did it by faith, not Law. Referring to motivation by fear, Scripture states, "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Heb 2:14-15). As powerful as fear is, it is not an effective means to spiritual life and growth!

The Godly Approach

When Paul exercised his care for all the churches, He did so by seeking their enlightenment. He knew that if they did not see the glorious realities of life in Christ, they would not extend themselves to obtain God's blessing. His prayers accentuate the value of spiritual insight and understanding. " . . . giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might" (Eph 1:16-19, NASB). And again "that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God" (Eph 3:16-19), RSV).

The Necessity of Spiritual Insight

Spiritual insight is the prelude to every spiritual benefit. The Law-principle, or law of compulsion, cannot produce insight! Paul labored to "make all men see," not to get all men to keep a code (Eph 3:9). In this regard, the hallmark of the new covenant is this: "No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more" (Heb 8:11-12). That is the NATURE of the new covenant, not its goal! Those who are fundamentally ignorant of the Lord simply are not in the covenant. It is just that simple. And, if you think this is too harsh, the Spirit witnesses that the knowledge of God is so integral to the new covenant that exhortations to "know the Lord" become obsolete. Now, there is the standard by which churches ought to be measured! What is even more, NOT knowing the Lord will mean condemnation to those so characterized. As it is written, "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess 1:8).

THE BACKGROUND OF THE TEXT The Dilemma - Other Lovers

Although God had been good to Israel, they did not return His goodness. Faithfully, the Lord sent prophets to His people, to recover them from their sin. However, they did not respond to them. How tragic is God's word concerning this provision. "And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, RISING UP EARLY and speaking, but ye heard not; and I CALLED YOU, but ye answered not . . . from the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, DAILY RISING UP EARLY and sending them . . . my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both RISING UP EARLY, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened . . . Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, RISING UP EARLY and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD . . . And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, RISING UP EARLY and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction . . . I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, RISING UP EARLY and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me" (Jer 7:13,25; 26:5,19; 32:33; 35:15). The situation was simply this, their hearts were knit to other gods! Elaborate explanations for their waywardness might be presented. However, after we have heard them, let us get back to the Word of the living God. Those who do not walk with the Lord simply have other priorities. They worship other gods, and have given their allegiance to someone or something other than the Living God. Our text states their condition this way: "And then I will uncover her lewdness In the sight of her lovers, And no one will rescue her out of My hand. And I will destroy her vines and fig trees, Of which she said, 'These are my wages Which my lovers have given me.' And I will make them a forest, And the beasts of the field will devour them. And I will punish her for the days of the Baals When she used to offer sacrifices to them And adorn herself with her earrings and jewelry, And follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me, declares the LORD" (Hosea 2:10,12,13, NASB). What the Israelites considered an advantage and enjoyable, God called "lewdness." It reminds us of the words of our loving Lord: "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15). It was a pathetic sight! Here was the living God faithfully calling to His people. Yet, they preferred those that were neither faithful nor strong. Why did this condition exist? What was the reason for them turning from the Lord. It certainly was not because they had not heard from Him, or because He had not given them distinct advantages! It was because of their hard hearts--"uncircumcised hearts" (Lev 26:41; Jer 9:26). PRAYER POINT: Father, Give me grace to hear you WHEN You call--to respond WHEN Your Word is brought to me by your messengers. Help me to learn from this account of Israel that you are eager to receive me. Search my heart, and see if there is any wicked way in me! Alert me to things that dull my hearing.

-- TOMORROW: THE REMEDY: ATTRACT THEM --