For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces, and Judah has multiplied fortified cities; so I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour her strongholds.
Hosea 8:14 (ESV)
In verse 14, Hosea gives a final statement to summarize the state of Israel’s heart toward God. In their hypocrisy, they have worshipped idols of their own making. In their hardness of heart, they have neglected and spurned the goodness of God. Which has led the people to forget their Maker completely. Israel has chosen to move away from a life of dependence and trust in the sure promises of their loving Father toward a life of self-righteousness and self-reliance. This has become manifest in their building of palaces and fortified cities. These palaces and cities become their strongholds of protection and security. Places where they feel most safe and secure. Instead of trusting and relying on their heavenly Creator, they have placed all their hope and trust in their man-made contrivances. The Lord will awaken them from the misconceptions of their mind and the deceptions of their heart by destroying the very thing in which they have placed all their hope and trust.
This of course is exactly what I struggle with on a daily basis. The battle against hypocrisy in my life as I lean on false idols. The battle for my heart against unbelief and sin. These are undergirded by my desire for security and safety. Really, it is a battle against my desire for comfort and ease. A battle against the ever-present struggle of living my daily life as Paul speaks of in Romans 7. My heart wants and desires to do the good of following Christ wherever he leads me, but my flesh is weak. And in my weakness, my mind determines ways to make life easier and more comfortable.
One of these ways of comfort is to become apathetic about life in general. I find it far too easy to just give up the spiritual battle and become apathetic to everything around me. Instead of girding myself with the whole armor of God from Ephesians 6, I find myself more like Jonah by fleeing the presence of God in the complete opposite direction. It’s not good enough for me to just flee though. For in my sin and rebellion, I take comfort in sleep. Just like Jonah, I become so comfortable and at ease with my apathy that I desire to sleep and sleep some more. It becomes for me a way of escape from the rigors of a daily battle against the enemy.
This has become for me a stronghold in my life. A place I have contrived to place my trust and security. It’s an odd thing when I really think about it. I know that Jesus is all of this for me. He is my stronghold and place of refuge. He is my hedge of protection against the evil one. He has complete authority over every single atom and molecule in the universe. There is not one stray electron in the entirety of the universe. The enemy can only ever do what he has been given permission. I have a good Father who loves and cares for me completely.
Even knowing all of this, I still want to build my own strongholds of security. I still want to find comfort in places of my own making. I need the Lord to come and set fire to my cities. I need the Lord to come and devour my strongholds. I need the Lord to come and say to me, “What do you mean you sleeper… Arise.” I need the Lord to dispel this illusion and deception of self-reliance in my heart and cause me to only have Jesus as my source of protection. I need him to awaken me from my apathetic sleep and reveal his goodness and mercy to me. And seeing Jesus in all his glory and splendor, He will lead me to repentance and faith. Jesus will cover me with his grace and mercy. He will take me in his arms once again and whisper in my ear, “Of course you are safe little one. You are with me.” There I will find my rest again and again in the loving arms of my Savior.
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