when it gets this bad

Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel,

for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.

There is no faithfulness or steadfast love,

and no knowledge of God in the land;

there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery;

they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Hosea 4:1-2

This is God’s warning of His judgment falling upon the Jews in Israel, announced by His prophet Hosea, because things had gotten to their worst. When it gets really bad, God is not absent. He will bring judgment on sinners who disobey and turn from Him. God’s controversy with Israel would be settled in His disciplining judgment. But look at how bad it had become! First... what there was not:

1) no faithfulness to following God’s wisdom or commands,

2) no grace (steadfast love) to be found among the people,

3) no knowledge of God — a direct and willful ignorance of God’s Word was embraced as part of everyday life.

Look at what came pouring into Israel’s society to fill the vacuum when these three things were abandoned:

1) swearing — not just course speech, but false oaths... promises routinely broken.

2) lying — no truth was leading them anymore. Lies proliferated to the point where nothing could be believed.

3) murder — no grace meant no value to human life.

4) stealing — every person took what they wanted, disregarding the impact.

5) adultery — sexual desire was given full sway and cultural dominance.

6) anarchy — “they break all bounds”. Nothing was out of bounds anymore.

7) bloodshed — violence was an everyday occurrence.

None of that is a pretty picture or even close to a civil society. It is what happens when God is abandoned by a human culture.

When it gets this bad, we must circle back in repentance and faith to those first three foundational commitments.

1) It starts with a foundation of the knowledge of God by knowing, believing, and trusting His revealed Word. That begins and sticks to the gospel: Jesus died for our sin so that we could live in Him!

2) We then throw ourselves on the grace of God. His steadfast love is fully known in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

3) We commit to Jesus as Lord, faithfully following and obeying Him. These things we must do when it is this bad right now!