Scary

This morning I was reading in Hosea, the last four chapters. I came across this verse:

        Ephraim provoked Him to anger most bitterly;
        Therefore his LORD will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him,
        And return his reproach upon him.

(emphasis mine) What a terrifying statement. "His LORD will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him."

I struggle as I write this because I'm not sure what I'm trying to get at, I know I'm forgiven because of the grace and mercy of our LORD Jesus Christ because of His dying on the cross and taking my place. Yet I need to see God wholly, for Who He is.

Israel had been chosen by God to be His special people. BUT Israel had chosen to turn away from Him and worship false gods. As I look closer at the verse, I notice the first part now. God was provoked to anger. Why? Because He had been replaced with a golden calf. Jeroboam decided to have it built because he didn't want the people who were following him to go back to Jerusalem to worship because then they might follow Rehoboam.

God had promised Jeroboam that if he followed God, God would bless him - God would be with him, and He would build him a sure house (they would be kings from then on) and God would give him Israel! But Jeroboam couldn't risk it. Even after seeing all the ways that God had blessed Solomon, he couldn't trust Him. So he built his own god and the people he led, followed after him.

When we choose to take the Real God out of our lives, the choices we make reflect it. So do the consequences. Israel wanted to do their own "thing." It led them to do everything that was against God.  God let them; but they would suffer for it. Their consequence: For God to leave the guilt upon them... wow!

Guilt is a thing that can kill. It torments and eats at us. We cannot run away from it because it comes from within. There's ways of trying to mask it, but it is still always there.

"Confession is good for the soul." AMEN!!! It surely is! To get right with God and confess that whatever I did that was against God was wrong and to ask His forgiveness through the LORD Jesus, is the only way to be rid of the sin and that guilt.

I am thankful that God has forgiven me through the blood of Jesus Christ. But I am reminded this morning that I serve a Holy God. It cost Him a great deal for my forgiveness. And even though I am forgiven, sometimes the guilt of what I've done takes longer to go away. Thankfully, He does take it away because of His Son and not because of anything I do. I am so thankful He has not left the guilt on me.