Flee the Morning Mist

The Minor Prophets Speak to Today 

Flee the Morning Mist 

Hosea 13:1-3 NLT

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they will disappear like the morning mist,
    like dew in the morning sun,
like chaff blown by the wind,
    like smoke from a chimney.
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Morning fog burns away with the rising of the sun. Dew too dries as the day heats up though it may last longer than the mist or fog. And no matter how high the plume of smoke may rise, no matter how many miles distant it is  visible, smoke to dissipates into the air leaving no evidence of it presence.

On the world stage, nations, especially powerful, world conquering nations also rise and dissipate often leaving little visible evidence.

Ephraim was the America, the Russian, the Isis of its day.

When Ephraim spoke, the people shook with fear because that tribe was important within Israel. They feared God and followed the holiness of Ephraim's father Joseph, the son of Jacob.

But, Ephraim matured and aged. Its people began to sin then began to pursue sin openly. The day came when the people turned away to worship gold and silver, wealth and power, sex and pleasure, prominence and nationalistic pride.

Does that sound familiar?

They still claimed to be God's special children, but their lives, their worship, and their governance became self controlled. They no longer walked with God but followed their own hearts which angered him and defamed his name.

Does that sound like people and nations you know? Perhaps your own nation.

Now they continue to sin by making silver idols,
    images shaped skillfully with human hands.
“Sacrifice to these,” they cry,
    “and kiss the calf idols!”
 Therefore, they will disappear like the morning mist,
    like dew in the morning sun,
like chaff blown by the wind,
    like smoke from a chimney.

They worshiped the things which they had accomplished, the things made by their own hands. Human skills became the most important pursuits. Then they created peer pressure for others to follow their worship of those pursuits.

I don't personally know about your country, but here in America the same has happened. We worship wealth and houses. We worship economically successful people no matter how much divine will was broken to get that wealth. We worship the entertainment stars no matter how evil their lives and we want to be like them. Right now human centric values are being pressed upon every person by societal pressure, media manipulation, and even law.

God's declaration is sounding in our ears.

You will disappear like the morning mist,
    like dew in the morning sun,
like chaff blown by the wind,
    like smoke from a chimney.

Will we listen?

Will we flee the morning mist?

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN YOUR NATION?

Photo Credits:

Barn and Crib on on Foggy Sunrise by Kenneth Spencer some rights reserved @flickr.com