Set Against God

The LORD has an indictment against Judah and will punish Jacob according to his ways; he will repay him according to his deeds. In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he strove with God. He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor. He met God at Bethel, and there God spoke with us—the LORD, the God of hosts, the LORD is his memorial name: “So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.” A merchant, in whose hands are false balances, he loves to oppress. Ephraim has said, “Ah, but I am rich; I have found wealth for myself; in all my labors they cannot find in me iniquity or sin.” I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; I will again make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the appointed feast. I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions, and through the prophets gave parables. If there is iniquity in Gilead, they shall surely come to nothing: in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls; their altars also are like stone heaps on the furrows of the field. Jacob fled to the land of Aram; there Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he guarded sheep. By a prophet the LORD brought Israel up from Egypt, and by a prophet he was guarded. Ephraim has given bitter provocation; so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him and will repay him for his disgraceful deeds.
Hosea 12:2–14
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Set Against God
The Bible gives us many examples of faithful men and women who strove after God’s own heart. They show us a picture of what faith can do in a person and how God uses ordinary people to do His extraordinary works. Yet even with all these people, we, in our sinful nature refuse to follow God and walk in the ways of our faithful forefathers. This was just the case here in these verses for Israel. Rather than follow the example of their forefather Jacob, who in faith strove with God and so received a blessing, the Israelites pitted themselves in a fight against God. This of course would inevitably lead them to a crushing defeat. This begs the question, “Do our spiritual struggles come out of faith or unbelief?” Unfortunately, there are times that our spirits knowingly fight against the Lord and His Word rather than battle against our true enemies of sin, death, the devil, and our own sinful flesh. It is in just such times as these that God’s promise in the Gospel calls to us, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). In these times we pray for discernment so that when we rebel in anger and despair, we don’t make God our enemy. Because Christ lived, died, and rose again for us, we know He is for us and we need not fear.
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