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Hosea 5
“Listen to this, priests! Attention, people of Israel! Royal family—all ears! You’re in charge of justice around here. But what have you done? Exploited people at Mizpah, ripped them off on Tabor, Victimized them at Shittim. I’m going to punish the lot of you. “I know you, Ephraim, inside and out. Yes, Israel, I see right through you! Ephraim, you’ve played your sex-and-religion games long enough. All Israel is thoroughly polluted. They couldn’t turn to God if they wanted to. Their evil life is a bad habit. Every breath they take is a whore’s breath. They wouldn’t recognize God if they saw me. “Bloated by arrogance, big as a house, they’re a public disgrace, The lot of them—Israel, Ephraim, Judah— lurching and weaving down their guilty streets. When they decide to get their lives together and go off looking for God once again, They’ll find it’s too late. I, God, will be long gone. They’ve played fast and loose with me for too long, filling the country with their bastard offspring. A plague of locusts will devastate their violated land.”
Hosea 5:1-7 MSG
Pretty harsh.
Pretty difficult to read too.
As I walked the grounds of the fallen soldiers I had a reoccurring thought.
These are those that paid a big price for our flag and freedom. A freedom that is squandered and befuddled by those who aren't aware of the value. Do I know it?
The blood of our ancestors was shed to fight for that “American dream”. That all would have those same freedoms to build a better life.
The American dream is dead. Instead our freedoms, birth rights, and lands are exploited and being sold to the highest bidder and foreign nations. We are the prize pig being stuffed with gluttony, greed, laziness, and negligence - crowning it with words like equality and justice.
There is no justice or equality in the blood that was shed.
Land of the free and home of the brave.
I'm not brave. I'm not free. I've sat afraid to share an opinion contrary to others for fear of their rebuke or admonishing. Fear of loss.
There is too much at stake to lose, to worry about if someone will dislike me for my opinion.
I love this country. As messy as it is.
I love this lands people. As different as they all are.
I love our freedom and believe it still worth fighting for.
I’ve long been negligent in crying out and interceeding the way I should for our nation. I've kept my voice quiet and not pointed out these injustices that are killing the legacy for our children.
The judgement of God is holy and righteous. Our values as a nation aren't aligned with His- love and honoring life, the dream, the citizen, the blood, and godly living.
If you've been negligent in covering our nation in prayer- I encourage you- return.
“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord, They would have none of my counsel And despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them; But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.”
Proverbs 1:28-33 NKJV
I agree wholeheartedly. The Wall that Heals, a replica of the Vietnam wall is at Nixon Park in Hartland this weekend. As I walked the wall and looked at the over 58000 names written there the thought that kept coming to my mind is freedom is not free. Am I honoring the men and women who died? Am I honoring the men and women who have and are volunteering to die for my freedom? Having a son serving as an active duty Marine over seas brings this a little closer to home for me.