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he hath withdrawn himself from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 Beth-aven, 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.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: JEREMIAH
3:6-4:31 AND ACTS 13:48-14:18.
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 (1
John 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.
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