In His Face

“When I would heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim is uncovered, and the evil deeds of Samaria, for they deal falsely; the thief enters in, bandits raid outside, and they do not consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness.  Now their deeds are all around them; they are before My face” (Hosea 7:1-2).

It seemed like the harder God worked to reach out to His wayward people, the deeper they went into sin.  Throughout the first six chapters of Hosea, God revealed the depths of their depravity.  Iniquity was widespread.  Indoors or outdoors, it didn’t matter -- dealing falsely was the order of the day.  How could things get so bad?  When it says, “...they do not consider in their hearts,” it means that they are not thinking.  In this case, the citizens of the northern kingdom of Israel had forgotten that God sees their wickedness.  Whether done in secret or openly, God’s people had somehow convinced themselves that God didn’t see or care about their sins.  But, in reality, they were “in His face.”

It’s a grave mistake to think that we can “pull the wool” over God’s eyes when it comes to our sin.  The Bible is crystal clear that God sees and knows.  God through Jeremiah said: “For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes (Jeremiah 16.17).  In the context of a discussion about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, Jesus reminds his listeners that “...there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (Luke 12:2).  The writer of Hebrews states it plainly: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).

Since we can’t hide our sins from God, it’s best to confess them and seek His forgiveness.  Those who do have nothing to fear from a God Who see all.

 

God loves you!

Mike