Hosea 9:7-9–The days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad, because of your great iniquity and great hatred. The prophet is the watchman of Ephraim with my God; yet a fowler’s snare is on all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God. They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah: he will remember their iniquity; he will punish their sins.
There will be those times that when we are sharing the Gosple, some will turn their back on the message. During those times, we should not be surprised or be offended if they start calling us names. The Children of Iseral were trapped in sin and those who spoke because they were inspired by God to speak, were considered to be crazy fools. To put it in God’s perspective, those who spoke about the judgment coming to the Children of Iseral, were the watchmen that God called to speak. The divine emissaries were heard, but rejected, the people were without excuses. The warning from Hosea, “the days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come…” (verse 7).
Paul faced a similar charge when he shared his conversion story before the governor of Caesarea: Acts 26:24-25–And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. There should not be surprised in today’s world, as we share the message of the Gospel, that some will refuse and call you names. Take time to pray, and seek guidance from God. He will give you strength to carry His message to the world.
Blessings–
Pastor Christopher
- Is there persecution in carrying the Message of God?
- How can God help you stand up against the persecution?
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