The Divided Heart
“The people of Israel mingle with godless foreigners, making themselves as worthless as a half-baked cake! Worshiping foreign gods has sapped their strength, but they don’t even know it. Their hair is gray, but they don’t realize they’re old and weak. Their arrogance testifies against them, yet they don’t return to the LORD their God or even try to find him. “The people of Israel have become like silly, witless doves, first calling to Egypt, then flying to Assyria for help. But as they fly about, I will throw my net over them and bring them down like a bird from the sky. I will punish them for all the evil they do. Hosea 7:8-12
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WORDS OF MINISTRY
The Israelites of Hosea’s day were trying to worship both pagan idols and the one true and living God. So the prophet Hosea used three colorful figures of speech to describe their divided hearts.
First, they were like a half-baked cake—palatable neither to God nor the pagans (7:8).
Second, they were like a proud man who can’t see the signs of his aging—they were unaware of their spiritual decline (vv.9-10).
Third, they were like a senseless dove—flying from one pagan nation to another in a vain quest for help (v.11).
Today, we as Christians are often afflicted with the same divided-heart syndrome. We believe on Jesus but are reluctant to commit every area of our lives to Him. We go to church but don’t want to live out our faith each day if it deprives us of worldly success or pleasure. A divided heart, though, results in some serious consequences.
First, we don’t please God or attract nonbelievers to Christ.
Second, it may take a crisis to show us our true spiritual decline.
Third, we live unfulfilled lives, even though we flit from one worldly pleasure to another.
Let’s pray each day, “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name” Psalm 86:11
A divided heart multiplies our problems.
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