BYM ONLINE DESK Blessing English May 2017 | Page 9

The Lord's Charge Against The
People
E.L.Ephraim
“The Lord has a charge to bring against you
who live in the land” (Hosea 4:1).
Here we find the Lord pressing charges against His
people.
Hosea 9:7 - “The days of punishment have come; the
days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The
prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad, because of
your great iniquity and great hatred” (KJV).
snare, causing others to be trapped and caught? In the sports
events, we often notice competitors tripping the opponent.
Are we the cause of heart burn and bitterness in the church?
Is our career, financial dealings and other activities stained ?
Is our personal life holy ? Is there a hint of homosexuality,
that plagued Sodom? Are unnatural sexual thoughts and
activities found in the deeper chamber of our hearts ?
This is the time to introspect and humble ourselves
before the Lord. Craze for wealth, lust, power, praise and the
pulpit have made us maniacs. This is a wake up call for all of
us.
2.Hypocrisy
It is fashionable to lead a double life. On the outside
we are very good, but the inside stinks. Isn't it to the religious
folk that the Lord said, “Your sins are so many”? He that
sins knowingly shall be beaten with many blows (Luk
12:47). Of all God's creation, man alone has the nature to
conceal himself and indulge in pretense. Our Lord Jesus
Christ hated hypocrisy. His strongest words were reserved
for the hypocrites.
“Woe to you hypocrites” ( Mt 23: 13-15, 23,25,27,29)
was our gentle Lord's stern message to those who wore
masks. This is a warning to religious people who live lik e
whitewashed sepulchres. Let us lead a clean and transparent
life.
I was shocked when I read those words. The Lord's
emphatic words, “the prophet is a fool, the man of spirit is
mad” made me to ponder. We consider prophets and
inspired persons as the anointed ones! Would the Lord be so
angry with them? Let us consider various reasons why the
Lord was so angry. I want to bring out six charges that the
Lord brings against the people of Israel. It speaks for today's
Christendom as well.
1.Madness
How shocking! Is this the state of todays'
Christianity? Yes, we are at a point in time when we need to
give serious thought to this. We need to respond to the Lord
who makes these charges against us. “Come now, let us
reason together, says the Lord” (Is 1:18). Do we know how
many people are in trouble because of the folly of our lives?
How many people stumble due to our insanity? Are we a
3.Hostility
The next charge of the Lord is 'the hostility that is so
great.' Groupism in the church, ill-feeling among ministers
and missionaries, turf war among missions and churches,
confusion in families, lack of love among the believers….
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