13/04/2022 - CHARGE AGAINST JUDAH

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The LORD also brings a charge against Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; According to his deeds He will recompense him.  Hosea 12:2

When God saw what man had become because of sin, His heart was torn with grief. So, He soon devised the ransom to set mankind free from captivity; after all, His purpose is one of complete love. His plan is perfect and was designed with the goal of delivering us from eternal damnation and from the works of the devil, who came to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). The goal of the holy plan is our salvation!

Human nature has been contaminated by the evil seed, which has led man to think only about worldly matters and satisfying the flesh. Today, as in the days before the Flood, people only want to deal with material issues (Matthew 24:38,39). In general, no one seeks the Lord, thinking that life ends with physical death (Romans 3.10-18). However, it is impossible to destroy our spirit, for it is of the same essence as God´s (Ecclesiastes 12:5-7). We will live forever!

Before His plan was executed, the Creator had to destroy the inhabitants of the Earth, saving only Noah and his family, because evil had corrupted that entire generation (read Genesis, chapter 6). In the same way, He worked in Sodom and Gomorrah, when men played the harlot in the vilest way, burning with each other in their lusts (Romans 1:27). Then the Lord sent fire and brimstone to destroy those inhabitants (Genesis 13:13; 18:20; 19:1-29).

In the verse before the one we are studying now, God spoke against Samaria, the northern kingdom that had separated from the house of David, saying that Ephraim had been grazed by the wind, besides making other mistakes. So, Hosea exhorted the people, prophesying that the Lord would bring charge against Judah. Why do certain people slacken in their submission to the Most High? Judah went into captivity and stayed there for 70 years (Jeremiah 29:10)!

God’s Law commanded the Israelites to cultivate the land for six years, but on the seventh year they had to let it rest. However, their greed was so big that they didn’t stop a single year. They did this for 490 years. Each year of disobedience resulted in submission to the Babylonian whip (Leviticus 25:1-4). God’s people could have enjoyed the reward from on High, but it was seven lost decades!

The same principle of obedience applies to us, for we are also Jacob’s children by faith. Those who do not fear the commandments will realize that their work of disobedience was foolish. The saved need to be under the Lord´s command. That way, they will always triumph. However, those deceived by the enemy, who see no difference between serving God and serving the evil one, will live in tribulation here and in eternity!

On the other hand, those who practice the Scriptures will be filled with joy, peace and authority. The devil cannot defeat us, because we have our heavenly Father ahead of us. Guarded by Him, we will be inaccessible to evil. Never confess weakness (Joel 3:10). You only need one weapon – the name of Jesus!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares