Memorise:
The LORD maketh
poor, and maketh rich: he bringth low, and lifeth up.
1 Samuel 2:7
Read: Hosea 5:3-9
3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for
now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.
4 They will not frame their doings to
turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms
is in the midst of
them, and they have not known the LORD.
5 And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face:
therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall
fall with them.
6 They shall go with their flocks and
with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find
him; he hath
withdrawn himself from them.
7 They have dealt treacherously against
the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour
them with their portions.
8 Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah,
and
the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud
at Bethaven, after thee, O Benjamin.
9 Ephraim shall be desolate in the day
of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely
be.
Message
At the beginning of
Ephraim’s history, Ephraim was God’s favourite and a symbol of blessing. In
Genesis 48:20, Jacob pronounced these blessings of Ephraim:
“… In thee shall
Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set
Ephraim before Manasseh.”
David also spoke
about the blessings of Ephraim in Psalm 108:8. Without any doubt, Ephraim was
indeed a beneficiary of divine blessings. But at some point in history, Ephraim
became an object of ridicule (Jeremiah 7:15). How did Ephraim come to this
state? The answer is in Hosea 4:17:
“Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.”
What is idolatry?
Idolatry is the act of reverencing anything other than the Almighty God. It can
take the form of esteeming your culture, race, idea, achievement, etc. over and
above the Almighty and His Word. Idolatry can also be an insatiable craving for
the material things of this world (1John 2:15-17). When you
esteem your children, your cars or your educational qualifications so highly
that you make them “no go areas” for the One who gave them to you in the first
place, then you are guilt of idolatry. This was the undoing of King
Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:30-33).
Idolatry is one of
the archenemies of divine blessings. The Almighty God warned His people against
idolatry in Exodus 20:3 saying:
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
When the children
of Israel become comfortable in the Promised Land, they joined themselves with
the natives to worship their gods. For this reason, they suffered series of
servitude under neighbouring kingdoms. At some point, they were even carried
away into captivity by the Assyrians and Babylonians. A nation that had
hitherto enjoyed divine blessings in the land flowing with milk and honey
became slaves all over again because of their sin of idolatry. This was exactly
what turned Ephraim’s divine blessings into a curse.
The word of the
Lord is coming to you today to beware of idolatry. Put God first in all you
think, say or do, and you will not be a victim of the sin of idolatry.
Prayer Point
Father, today, I put
down every strange altar I have consciously or unconsciously erected to compete
with you in my life, home, business or ministry, in Jesus Name.
BIBLE
IN A YEAR: Jeremiah 3:6-4:31, Acts
13:48-14:18
AUTHOR:
Pastor E.A. Adeboye
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