My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Hosea 4:6
This morning I read the Old Testament book of the prophet Hosea. We know most of the big ones – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel. But Hosea has cause for a bit of fame too.
The book of Hosea comes right after Daniel in the Bible. He’s probably best known for obeying God’s command to marry an unfaithful woman – literally, a whore – and to have children with her. The act itself serves as a picture of Israel’s faithlessness to the God who had given them their very lives. And while I’m always quite careful not to apply to us today the things that were clearly meant for the people of Israel at that time, it’s easy to see God’s character reflected in this book. Mainly his love for a people who consistently turn away from him and who only come back when he reminds them. Isn’t this the way it always is with us? Even those who don’t believe in God appeal to him when the going gets tough.
I read an article today about a couple of celebrities. Somebody may have done something bad to somebody else a long time ago, and now they’re getting called out for it by social media mobs. It reminded me of how happy I am to have dumped my Facebook and Twitter, but it also made me sad because so many people still stake their lives on the shallowness of those sites. They wake up wondering what their idols are up to now, and the platforms they use make them feel they have a voice. They’re invested.
But they’re not, really. There’s so much more depth to life, but it seems so many people would rather make it all revolve around what other people are doing or saying. “My people are destroyed by lack of knowledge” was a devastating indictment of Israel in Hosea’s time, and it seems to hold incredible sway today. A people so completely caught up in meaninglessness, when the knowledge is right there for them if they’d only take the time to put down the smartphone and pick up a book or actually engage with others thoughtfully. Making oneself a better human being should be the goal of everyone, and yet we must ask, how does the latest celebrity gossip do that for us?
I’ve long suspected that the biggest mission field for the American church is right there in their backyards. A Christianity of substance – not based solely on emotional appeal – is what we need in the United States more than anything. Truth. Purpose. Meaning. Knowledge of God and his creation. Of his love and what that truly means. How can these be bad things, especially in a world that so desperately needs him?
And yet, here we still are – rejecting knowledge of him and living happily in the comfort of our shallow lives. If only we could stand being a bit uncomfortable when it mattered so much.