7 August | EVERYONE
"Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth." Hosea 6: 3
The prophet Hosea went through a painful experience. God commanded him to seek as his wife a woman with a troubled past. This is not a simple allegory. The Lord often allows His servants to go through the fire of trial to embody His message and speak from the depths of their souls and experience.
At that time, the Israelites were contaminated by the religion and culture of the Canaanites. The productive fields of the foreign country and the fertility of their flocks were attributed to the blessing of the pagan gods and goddesses of fertility. And imperceptibly, they were captivated by the culture of the environment around them, so that many children of God's people came to practice licentious and immoral rites, while offering sacrifices to Jehovah. They had sunk completely into the idolatry of their neighbors. They had betrayed the Lord.
Israel's moral and spiritual problem is described in Hosea 4:6, where the Lord declares, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” The prophet then begins a crusade back to God and His principles. He expects the people to recognize their rebelliousness and turn to the Lord. “Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.”
Knowing God is everything. It is not theoretical knowledge but authentic experience. It is the fruit of daily coexistence with our Father through the study of His Word centered on Jesus and a life of prayer and witnessing. Let us also remember that it is a self-reproducing knowledge: "Unless you accept in your own life the principle of self-sacrificing love, […] you cannot know God" (Ellen G. White, Maranatha, p. 88).
Take Action
Do you know Jesus? While He was on Earth, He said that eternal life was to know Him (see John 17:3). Do you want to have with Him an experience of permanent love, union, and friendship? Sing "Let Us Know the Lord!" (if possible, with your family).