Can you imagine a nation decaying slowly from the inside out, its leadership increasingly self-serving and its people increasingly immoral? Me too. God sent His prophet, Hosea, to warn ancient Israel of the dire consequences of knowing about God, but not actually knowing God. "There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land." (Hosea 4:1 NKJV) To know God is not merely an intellectual matter, nor a matter of religious practices. God desires a heart-devotion to Him that is akin to covenant love within a marriage. To identify as God's people without this covenant love offends God and invites His judgment. A pandemic of wickedness – and the eventual collapse of the nation – were the consequences of Israel's slow, steady rejection of the true knowledge of God. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…" (Hosea 4:6) Where can such true knowledge be found? I hope to see you here this Sunday as we continue our study of Hosea with "God's Loyal Love: Do You Know Him?"
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Steve Massey is the pastor of Hayden Bible Church of Hayden, Idaho. He also writes about matters of faith for The Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Wash., where he previously worked as an editor and reporter. He and his wife, Pam, have two grown children, Jake and Sarah.
