DCLM Daily Manna 2024: DCLM Daily Manna 23 December 2024: Forget Him Not
Text: Hosea 8:1-14 (KJV)
1 Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.
2 Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee.
3 Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.
4 They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.
5 Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?
6 For from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.
7 For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.
8 Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.
9 For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.
10 Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.
11 Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin.
12 I have written to him the great things* of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.
13 They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the LORD accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.
14 For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.
KEY VERSE: Hosea 8:14
“For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.”
A recurrent cycle in Israel’s relationship with God is the tendency to seek Him when they face difficulties, only to forget Him after He delivered them. In today’s text, Prophet Hosea denounced Israel’s idolatry and predicted the imminence of divine judgment. They had sown the wind of iniquity and would reap the whirlwind of destruction in the hands of the Assyrians.
The story of the Israelites is often repeated in the lives of many Christians. We tend to forget God after receiving our needed help from Him. Though we may continue the outward rituals of attending church activities, observing appropriate Christian dressing, prayer, and giving offerings, engaging in singing, and holding vigils, our hearts may be set on the idols of materialism and pleasure-seeking.
Like Israel of old, many people today consider the demands of God’s law as strange and do not bother to seek His counsel. The standard of God’s word on marriage, absolute surrender, separation from the world, holiness and preparation for heaven is outdated and unacceptable in this age. They would instead follow the standards set by their society and follow their own will.
Nonetheless, rejecting God has grave consequences both now and in eternity. Those who do so risk forfeiting divine protection and presence, and becoming vulnerable to the enemy. Also, God is displeased with them and unless they repent, they will face eternal damnation.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Grave consequences await all who forget God.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Ezekiel 22-24
Daily Manna 23 December 2024
Comments 1