The Heart of Abandonment

Daily Old Testament Reading: Hosea 5-8

Daily Focus Passage: Hosea 5

Hosea prophesied to a people that rejected the ways of the Lord. The people once served the Lord faithfully, but now the people held a heart of abandonment. A heart of abandonment occurs when one knows the Lord but chooses to reject the will and ways of the Lord. Like the people who heard the words of Hosea, we still battle the threat of a heart of abandonment.  

THE BOUNDARY CROSSED

Hosea noted that the people crossed a boundary set by the Lord. They allowed the freedom to become confinement. Freedom became a snare and a net that would capture them because of the influence of the flesh over the people. Israel had allowed their freedom to capture them like a snare and destroy them; as a result, they chose confinement over freedom.

The crossing of the boundary led to spiraling into sin. Once the people practiced disobedience, they could not stop the constant path of rebellion. They dove deeper and deeper into sin. The kings were constantly assassinated. The priest practiced corruption and not faithfulness. The people carried a thirst for blood and did not care for others.

The crossing of the boundary did not go unnoticed because the Lord knows. The Lord knew of the ways and sins of the people. He knew their devotion to idolatry and the refusal to repent. Thus, the Lord knew Israel as his wife, who chose other lovers instead of the Lord. This reality leads to the coming judgment of the Lord.  

JUDGMENT WILL COME

The disobedience of the people would bring judgment from the Lord. The Lord would not allow the unfaithfulness of the people to go unpunished. Judgment would come because the people lived in pride because they considered themselves more highly than they should. At the same time, the people refused to repent and continued to live a life demanding judgment.

The judgment of the Lord centered on Israel because they chose to chase after idols instead of pursuing the Lord. The people of Israel lived a life of broken morality. The society existed without respect for the morality set forth by the Lord. Instead, they attempted to set their moral code for life. Thus, social injustice plagued the people, and judgment from the Lord was necessary.

THE HEART OF ABANDONMENT AND TODAY

Today, we live with the same threat of crossing the boundary. We live influenced by the flesh and the ways of the world. We often tiptoe the moral code set forth by the Lord. We live with the threat of running to idols and abandoning the Lord. We may acknowledge the Lord with our lips, but the condition of our hearts is what matters. When you consider your heart, are you living in harmony or abandonment of the Lord?