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"There is swearing,
deception, murder, stealing, and adultery.
They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows
bloodshed. Therefore the land mourns, and every
one who lives in it
languishes."
(Hosea
4:2-3a, NASB)
We
Languish
Languish. Synonyms
abound for this rich English word: droop, fade,
grow indifferent, listless, weak, and feeble. It's
exactly what Hosea wanted to say. The people of
Israel had grown complacent about life, each
other, and sin. Nothing really mattered: not their
word, not their neighbors, not marriages, not
civility.
As Hosea sought to describe the pitiful state of
his day, he chose a Hebrew word that translates well
with "languish." And the message he
delivered
2750 years ago, still strikes with
considerable force.
The very offences Hosea
identified in Israel have become the stuff of our
entertainment. Swearing, deception, murder,
stealing, adultery, and violence form the
sub-plots to our movies and the grist for our
daily news.
And we
languish.
It's not
that we approve these things. Rather, they intrigue
us and draw us like moths to a flame. The sin
of our culture has ceased to horrify us
and now titillates us. Gradually, perhaps imperceptibly, we
grow insensitive to "righteousness, justice, love,
and compassion" (Hosea 2:19-20). But
the vices we tolerate, innoculate us from abundant
life.
And we
languish.
Sin undermines our intimacy with
Christ. Always has; always will. Our denial of
it, indifference to it, or tolerance of it limits
the depths to which we can know Him. When cursing
and lies become the norm, when life is cheap
and marriage is meaningless, when violence thrills
us rather than grieves us, our hearts stiffen and
our spirits wilt.
We
languish.
Tragically, Israel
never heeded Hosea's warning. They stumbled about in
a spiritual daze, blinded by the toxic effect of
their collective and private sin. They refused to
repent and the outcome was devastating - a
ruined land; a listless people.
Sin
still seduces
us, until what we call "life" is but a pale
reflection of what the Father
intended.
In our pursuit of
godliness, prosperity, and abundance, may we rise
above the indifference of ancient Israel. In our
own lives, may our search for God also include
ruthless surgery on our sin. "I will go away and
return to My place, until they acknowledge their
guilt and seek My face." (Hosea 5:15)
And we'll
live!
In HOPE -
David |
