Are We Provoking God?

My Bible reading schedule has me going through 2 Kings about the same time that I’m in Hosea. I think I mentioned this before, but I decided to slow down in the minor prophets so that I could spend more time thinking about the lessons to be learned there. Hosea evidently was written before the events of 2 Kings 17 where the fall of Israel is described. I think chapters 17 through about 19 or 20 would be worthwhile reading for us anytime.

These chapters describe the fall of Israel to the Assyrians and the reasons for it. To summarize the problem: Israel had sinned, feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations who the Lord had sent Israel to drive out. They set up for themselves places for false worship. They practiced the very abominations that were the cause of God’s judgment on the nations. God had warned Israel “by every prophet and every seer, saying, ‘Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes.’”

But they would not listen, but were stubborn as their fathers had been. God says that they went after false idols and became false. (vs 15) In almost every line of this chapter it says that they did something which God had explicitly told them not to do.

God addresses this in the New Testament for our benefit as well. In Ephesians 5:4ff we read,, “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not associate with them.”

Let’s make sure we are not provoking God by doing the very things He has commanded us not to do like the people of Israel had done so long ago.