"O Israel, you are destroyed, but your help is from Me." (Hosea 13:9)
From what I can understand of the Hebrew, this is one of those difficult passages to translate. The KJV says, "O Israel, thou has destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help." The NASB says, "It is your destruction, O Israel, that you are against Me, against your help." A consideration of history will reveal that when a people group is, "against Me, against your help," they, "destroyed thyself." It was not God at all. America is in grave danger.
A lot of people blame God for their lives. But our text says there is another possibility; " thyself." One of the most common complaints against God is, "Why didn't you stop me?" or, "You could have prevented that." It's sort of like Cosby's take on Noah when God tells Noah, "You gotta take one of those hippos out and bring in another one." Noah says, "What for?" To which God replies, "Cause you got two males down there and you need to bring in a female." Noah responds, "I'm not bringin' nothing in; you change one of em." God replies, "Come on, you know I don't work like that." That is what so many of us need to hear daily, "....You know I don't work like that."
The only way I can know how God "works" is in the Bible. Reasoning any other way just leads to either hating God and rejecting God and/or creating a false religion which both deceives and sets people up for further disillusionment. But notice, even though Israel's destruction was self imposed, God's response is, ".... but your help is from Me," or better, "in Me is thine help." This is mercy: I blew it; God fixes it. We destroy ourselves, and Father says, "Come to Me in Jesus and you will find in Me, 'thine help.'" Now there will be "scars," there will be "fallout," but there will also be, "and you shall find rest for your souls."
Only a fool would confess to a life without mistakes, void of self destruction. I am sure you are not a fool. If you and I have experienced "destruction" in our lives, the call of Jesus is, " in Me is thine help....Come to Me." This is where, "thine help," originates, coming to Jesus Christ. I still see areas of my life in which I need help. Yet maybe because they are so common to so many, or just through the quick sand of well-it-happens-to-most, I don't "take it to the Lord in prayer." Do so today. That destruction which we brought on ourselves need not defeat us today. Please do not be as those whom I have heard say, "I'm mad at God." No one ever arises victorious in that mentality. Can you not hear the voice of Jesus saying to you today, "But in me is thine help"?
Father, in Jesus' Name, indeed, I have found, "in Me is thine help." What splendid mercy and grace. Amen.
From what I can understand of the Hebrew, this is one of those difficult passages to translate. The KJV says, "O Israel, thou has destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help." The NASB says, "It is your destruction, O Israel, that you are against Me, against your help." A consideration of history will reveal that when a people group is, "against Me, against your help," they, "destroyed thyself." It was not God at all. America is in grave danger.
A lot of people blame God for their lives. But our text says there is another possibility; " thyself." One of the most common complaints against God is, "Why didn't you stop me?" or, "You could have prevented that." It's sort of like Cosby's take on Noah when God tells Noah, "You gotta take one of those hippos out and bring in another one." Noah says, "What for?" To which God replies, "Cause you got two males down there and you need to bring in a female." Noah responds, "I'm not bringin' nothing in; you change one of em." God replies, "Come on, you know I don't work like that." That is what so many of us need to hear daily, "....You know I don't work like that."
The only way I can know how God "works" is in the Bible. Reasoning any other way just leads to either hating God and rejecting God and/or creating a false religion which both deceives and sets people up for further disillusionment. But notice, even though Israel's destruction was self imposed, God's response is, ".... but your help is from Me," or better, "in Me is thine help." This is mercy: I blew it; God fixes it. We destroy ourselves, and Father says, "Come to Me in Jesus and you will find in Me, 'thine help.'" Now there will be "scars," there will be "fallout," but there will also be, "and you shall find rest for your souls."
Only a fool would confess to a life without mistakes, void of self destruction. I am sure you are not a fool. If you and I have experienced "destruction" in our lives, the call of Jesus is, " in Me is thine help....Come to Me." This is where, "thine help," originates, coming to Jesus Christ. I still see areas of my life in which I need help. Yet maybe because they are so common to so many, or just through the quick sand of well-it-happens-to-most, I don't "take it to the Lord in prayer." Do so today. That destruction which we brought on ourselves need not defeat us today. Please do not be as those whom I have heard say, "I'm mad at God." No one ever arises victorious in that mentality. Can you not hear the voice of Jesus saying to you today, "But in me is thine help"?
Father, in Jesus' Name, indeed, I have found, "in Me is thine help." What splendid mercy and grace. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
