Running to the Healer

"When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sores, then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and sent to the great king for help. But he is not able to cure you, not able to heal your sores.” – Hosea 5:13

How many times do we bandage spiritual wounds with physical Band-Aids? In this chapter, God is depicted as a moth, as a rot, as a tearing lion. Each image conjures the concept of God as judge. God is acting in faithfulness to His covenant in Deuteronomy. God’s people have prostituted themselves out to false gods the surrounding nations. God, in His righteousness, is disciplining them for their sin.

We must never forget that while God ought to be the ultimate object of our love, He must also the ultimate object of our fear. Jesus told us, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt 10:28). How many times, I plunge into sin without the slightest fear of God’s discipline?

For Israel, God’s discipline involved letting foreign nations overrun their borders and cause havoc among the people. But in response to God’s judgment, what did they do? They ran to another pagan king for help. They pay off a nearby superpower to fight for them against their oppressors. It’s an exercise in missing the point. It is God who is fighting against them, yet they don’t turn to God for healing.

Let’s bring this home a bit. How often do we try to solve our own sins by turning to our own solutions. To solve our finance problems, we would rather try to supplement our income or cheat on our taxes than confront our greed. To solve our marriage problems, we would rather make an “if only” list (“if only my spouse would do this…if only my spouse would realize that…, etc”) than confront our own selfishness. How many times do we crack open a magazine (or do a web search) for help rather than the Bible.

True humility and brokenness sees our sin for the corruption of our soul that it is. It comes to God for help to fix it. Yes, God’s process is often painful. God always tells us the truth. God doesn’t let us coddle our sin, He demands we forsake it. Arriving at this point is never easy because sin makes us natural control freaks. However, when we realize that we have made a mess of our lives and the only Jesus can heal us, we have reached the point where God’s grace can make its move. Instead of running to substitutes, remember to run to the One who can actually make a difference. In the end, you will find that God’s ways are much betterr than doing things our way. Why? Because He’s just that smart.