A BIRD WITH A DECISION TO MAKE

So Ephraim has become like a silly dove, without sense; they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria. When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them in accordance with the proclamation to their assembly. Hosea 7:11-12

When Hosea writes, he is generous with word pictures. He suggests that God’s people have become frantic, like birds without direction. They fly here and there for the next thrill, the next counterfeit nest that will give them a sense of wellbeing. They actually believe that their wanderings can escape God’s notice. If they turn a blind eye to God, then God must turn a blind eye to them, right? God is clear about this falsehood. He is going to spread His net over them. He reminds them, through the mouth of Hosea, that according to all they have been taught, they will be disciplined proportionately.

Why is it that we are tempted to fly to Egypt? When we are without direction, you’d think that God would be the person we’d seek first. Yet, we go back to what we once knew. The ways of Egypt of are so ingrained in our fallen nature that we go there by default. It feels comfortable, even though our spirit warns us that we’re on the wrong road.

The greatest tragedy would be to keep this devotional so broad as to not make the point clear. So allow me to personalize it. When pressures come, I can feel frantic for relief. And since temptation always starts with a need, the enemy comes with suggestions for quick ways out of pain. He tempts me to think the way I used to think, indulge in activities that used to be narcotics in my old way of life. He would want to lead me away from God, toward swift fixes. The problem is, I know too much. I have a lot of Scripture in me; I’ve been well fed, and I know better.

Today, Egypt will glitter in the distance. When I feel the battle in my thought life, I will be tempted to visit a landscape I have no business entering. Disbelief, anger, revenge, hopelessness – all these can beckon to me. Let me be as a bird with clear direction and fly North. True North.

I fly to Thee, O Lord, for You wait to receive me. Egypt does not compare with the pleasures at Your right hand. You are worth all sacrifices I have to make to cultivate our relationship. Amen