TRUE WISDOM is to UNDERSTAND the WAYS OF GOD!
September
19 Bible Reading: Hosea Chapters 13-14
TRUE WISDOM is to UNDERSTAND the WAYS OF GOD!
"Who is wise? Let him understand these
things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right;
the righteous walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them." (Hosea
14:9)
Hosea closes
his prophecy by emphasizing that wisdom and prudence lie in obedience to the
ways of the Lord. This verse constitutes an epilogue to the entire prophecy.
Those who are wise and prudent (who are
in right relationship and fellowship with God) will understand the things
written in this prophecy. Those who are transgressors (who are out of fellowship with God) will not understand them and
will fall in them.
God’s ways,
His demands and principles, are completely true. Those who are right with God will
choose to obey them, but those who are not right with will ignore them and
consequently stumble into judgment. Those who were wise would realize the
truth of his words and the rightness of the path established by God. The
righteous will follow God’s path, but the “rebellious”
will “stumble” because of their
disobedience.
Thus the key is to know God and His
ways, to follow Him and so find righteousness, and to avoid paths that lead to
destruction. This
epilogue challenges every generation to consider carefully the ways of the Lord
that are presented in the Bible (Psalms 1; 18:21; Prov. 10:29). The choices
that Israel faced are also set before us: wisdom or folly; discipleship or
rebellion; life or death. The wise will “choose life” always! (Deut. 30:19, 20)
"Let us hear the conclusion of
the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all.
For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing,
whether good or evil." (Eccl 12:13-14)
Like the wise man in Ecclesiastes, Hosea invites us to hear the conclusion of the whole matter: “the ways of the Lord are right.”
