Holier than thou?

S: Hosea 11:12 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit; and Judah is still wandering with God and is faithful to the Holy One.

2 verses later, Hosea 12:2 Yahweh has a quarrel with Judah and will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.

O: At the end of Chapter 11, Judah was looking good compared to Ephraim (Israel). But was Judah really good? 2 verses later, the situation is revealed when Yahweh declares that He has a quarrel with Judah and will punish Jacob (all of Israel – both north and south). Judah may not have reached Ephraim’s depth of rebellion, but Judah too stands accountable before God.

A: Sometimes we look good when we compare ourselves with people who have done things that are more visibly evil than us. But as Jesus said, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18). We cannot think we are good because we’re better than someone else, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  He “does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9) so we instead of trying to condemn evil people, we need to follow God in seeking their repentance.

This is not to say that there should not be laws and government action to punish crimes, but I’m speaking at an interpersonal level. We should be seeking to draw all to repentance and to follow God, rather than revenge.

P: Father, when people upset me, it’s hard to keep in mind Your desire for their repentance rather than their death. Remind me to see other people through Your compassionate eyes that do not tolerate injustice yet extends grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.