"The Lord Judges Us. So What?"

The Minor Prophets Speak to Today 

Because 

Hosea 10:3-4 NLT

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

When God crushes our idols,

When he breaks down our altars,

The people make excuses:

"We have no leader because we didn't fear the Lord.

"Even if we had a leader, what could he do anyway?"

The people spout empty words.

The people make covenants they 

Don't intend to keep...

(Churches for whom God does not supply an immediate pastor when theirs is dismissed or leaves often do not see that the primary reason [aside from church bureaucracy] remains they did not fear the Lord. God provides the leadership. If he delays his provision or withholds it the truth most often is that the people in their confidence in themselves do not fear the Lord. This is a hard lesson.)

The result:

So injustice springs up among them

Like poisonous weeds in a field.

(This why the people with whom they break covenant often feel they are following the devil, especially pastors whose pastoral agreements are broken with new procedures substituted for the already signed documents and termination agreements created by the people without involvement of the injured party. After an agreement requires two parties. To call a one party directive dictating terms to the other party an agreement is to lie and practice injustice in the sight of God and man. And starting with sin breeds sin, both by and among the children of God and in the response of non-believers. When the community sees the church or its member or members are practicing injustice, they  become witnesses against us. Witnesses that we have broken covenant with God and sometimes one another.) 

I have sometimes ill advised people about covenants they have made with God. I pray that I have not done so regarding covenants they have made with other humans or their communities. 

How about you?

Photo credits:

SO WHAT by Paolo some rights reserved @ flickr.com

Shadowplaque by Grant Hutchinson some rights reserved @ flickr.com