Seek But Not Find (Hosea 2:7)

 


Tuesday, July 30, 2024


Psalm 72

Hosea 2:1-13

Romans 4:13-25


Observance: William Wilberforce, social reformer (d. 1833)


Seek But Not Find (Hosea 2:7)


Have you ever been asked what the difference is between religion and a cult? If someone asked you that now, what would your answer be?


Fortunately for us in this digital age, there is plenty of material online provided by faithful Christians who can point out exactly what those differences are. One of the biggest differences is that, in a cult, you never reach the end.


Pick any belief other than Christianity – spiritual or material – and you will see that this holds true. In every thought system there is a lofty goal held ever before us, and we always just one step behind reaching it. You just need to speak to another guru, or read another book, or work a little bit harder, and then you’ll get there – but you never do.


This is why we love the Lord Jesus. Seek and you will find, he said to us. Keep on seeking and you will keep on finding, if you want to get more accurate with the translation. The other week when we were in Amos, we heard the Lord say the same thing: seek me, and live. Today in Hosea we see the flipside to that promise from God: “She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them.”


Our Lord is here with us, and has promised to be with us as long as we seek his face. Mixing our belief systems with anything other than what the Bible teaches is spiritual prostitution; a vain attempt to get something that will, ultimately, always be out of reach. Our Lord is also forgiving and kind; do you read echoes of the parable of the Prodigal Son in this prophecy: “Then she shall say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better with me then than now’”?


To rescue the soul of our community from calamity, and to build a solid foundation of the new kingdom on earth – to do the work of the sword and the trowel – we need to be faithful and true. What has mixed into your belief system that needs to return to the faithfulness of biblical teaching?


Father, I have wandered from the way set before me by your Son. Reassure me of your love for me, and send your Holy Spirit so that I may remain faithful all my days.

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