Hosea 4:16- “The Israelites are stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. How then can the Lord pasture them like lambs in a meadow?”
You can learn a lot about life when you are waiting your turn in the waiting room at the dental office.
In the midst of reading a magazine article a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a toddler scurry down from his mother’s lap and almost into the parking lot before she tackled him.
Back inside, she opened a container of Goldfish crackers and gave him a toy to play with. That worked for a few minutes, but before I’d even finished reading, she was calling out to the little boy who had once more wriggled out of her grasp.
Mom had met her match. The chase continued several more times before my name was finally called. And, by that time, the child’s mother was using a sterner voice and threatening stiffer “punishment.”
The children of Israel were guilty of the same type of behavior. And, so are we. We keep doing the very things we know we shouldn’t.
We often ignore God’s warnings because we want to do it our way. We want to be in charge.
Just like the little boy in the dental office, we do know better. Hosea 4 tells us that God wants to treat us like obedient lambs. Psalm 23 adds that He wants to give us rest, healing, guidance. His desire is to protect us, give us support and comfort. He wants to bless us with all good things, just as the mother in the dental office probably wanted for her little boy.
But, he was stubborn, so she had to treat him like a heifer. It won’t be until he becomes a loyal and obedient lamb, that he can enjoy all that she wants for him.
Jesus set the example as the “Lamb of God.” He was obedient and his father exalted him above every other.
I used to read the scripture about the Lamb of God, thinking that meant Jesus was the sacrifice for our sins—which is very true. But, as God’s lamb, he is also a perfect picture of obedience.
And, obedience leads to a beautiful parent/child relationship in which God blesses those who keep His commandments.
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