Priorities!

Priorities!

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6 KJV

Context:

God used Hosea to teach the land of Israel and Judah about the danger of idolatry and forsaking God. This is a prophet told by God to marry a harlot, and he paid a price for her as one pays for the redemption of a person who had sinned. Is that not just like what Jesus did for us, when he paid the price for our redemption from sin? The life and marriage of Hosea became a message from God about his law, mercy and demand on every life that will seek to honour God. If I know what his demand for my life is, then I cannot turn around and blame God for how my life turns out if I choose not to obey God. 

Message and Response:

In establishing the mode of worship in the Old Testament for the land of Israel, God laid out many sacrifices and festivals. These were to be reminders of their walk with God, so that through their lives, other nations will come to know and follow God. We see men of old whose lives continue to speak to us, even though they are dead now. We read of the life of Abraman, Isaac and Jacob. We see the life of David and Solomon, and we can see clearly that what set these men apart was not the number of sacrifices they offered to God, but the quality of their lives of devotion to God. 

We get caught up in the drama around service and public life. Men see what we do and they sometimes applaud or mock what we do. We set our lives by other people's opinions, forgetting that just like the triumphant entry of Jesus unto Jerusalem and his crucifixion on the cross, a week is a long time when it comes to human approval. Why set up my life on the basis of such ephemeral and temporary things? Even though sacrifices and burnt offerings were commanded by God, and offered a way of atonement for sin, they were NEVER substitutes for a personal walk with God. 

Today's extract makes that very clear: don't offer me sacrifices when the heart of the person offering them is not right with me. Don't bring me burnt offerings when your hands are not free of sin. Solomon's life is a good example here: offered thousands of animals at the dedication of the temple he built; God heard his prayer but warned: if you do not obey me, this temple, as beautiful as it is, will become ruins and a byword among people. And as we know, today, that temple no longer exists. Solomon himself abandoned God and pursued after strange gods and possessions. As I check my own life today, what are my present pursuits and priorities? 

I need to audit my life today in the light of God's Word. His standards are made clear, and nothing I do, outside of his standard, will make up for that error. God is not a man who can be bribed by sacrifices or offerings, no matter how many. He makes his will clear: I desire mercy. That is my nature, and all who will see me work in their lives must walk in that same path. I cannot walk in sin and expect God's mercy to abound. I cannot choose a path that goes against all that God desires and expect a pat on the back. God desires that I know him; man's greatest discovery will be the knowledge of God. 

When I know God, I have found the greatest treasure. If I don't know Him, it will not matter who or what else I know. Now that I know what God wants, my utmost desire must be to pursue diligently and ensure I take hold of him. I must not focus on the tokens at the expense of the knowledge of God. I must not be distracted by the words of men or their views and opinions. I must not be moved by the love or the hatred of men. None of these things is important; that which is eternal is that which God wants, and my life's greatest achievement will be a discovery, pursuit and possession of that which is of God. His time of favour is here.