She conceived and gave birth to a son.  And the Lord said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God.”  Hosea 1:9

Another child was born to Hosea and Gomer, and, once again, God gave a name with a stigma.  It bore this message.  “You are not my people and I am not your God.”   The people of Israel proved that they didn’t want to be the people of God.  They turned their backs on Him to worship the gods of the Canaanites.  God never plays games.  We can’t pretend to be His child nor can we expect Him to pretend to be our Father.  Some are able to deceive people but no one can deceive God. Either we are His sons and daughters, or we aren’t. 

 As for those who move among us, pretending to be in the family of God, one day Jesus will say to each one of them, “I never knew you!”  Whom He rejects may surprise us because, for now, they’ve perfected the art of pretension.  God is never fooled, not for a minute.  And, if we stay under the shepherd’s crook and listen to His voice, we will grow to discern others as they truly are.  That takes time, doesn’t it?

I will confess that I have been confused, even deceived, by a few who turned out to be wolves in sheep’s clothing.  Yet, looking back, I clearly remember moments when I was highly uncomfortable and wondered why.  As I’ve matured and gained wisdom, I’ve come to realize that the telltale sign was whether or not I felt comfortable praying with them.  In each case, I remember dreading those moments.  That should have been a red flag, a clear warning. 

In spite of Israel’s prodigal heart, God would eventually embrace them again.  They would come home and repent.  We can not miss the broken heart of God in the story of Hosea.  He, as a parent, knows how it feels to be spurned by children but He also knows the joy of a wayward son or daughter returning to the fold.  Pretention, trickery, repentance and fidelity, all are themes in this story which promises to teach us so much.

Grow me up to be wise, humble enough to hear You and see people as You see them.  In Jesus’ name, Amen