Blog

Matthew Henry’s Commentary – “Those that rebel against the light can expect no other than to perish in the dark!”

There is a Scripture (Hosea 4:6) that has become quite popular both within and outside of the church’s walls in recent times. It has been flung around by many to strengthen and convict the whims and fancies of their opinions across the globe. As believers, we must be cautious of our tendency to cherry-pick Scripture to condemn and judge others for we too are prone to stumbling and must give account to God. 1 Corinthians 10:12 reads “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

Many people are apt to recite the first 8 words of the passage found in Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” and they move swiftly along into voicing an interpretation that is not only out of context, but which lends itself solely to our intellect. The word “knowledge” comes from the Hebrew root word “yada” which means to know by experience or to be acquainted with. When God speaks about “knowledge”, He is not referring to a surplus of information as it relates to science, art, philosophy or education. Knowledge by God’s standards has nothing to do with how intellectually informed we perceive ourselves to be. Knowledge does not equate to opinion, rather, it is related to our acknowledgement of God and dutiful obedience to his Word. Knowing God indicates having an interpersonal experience because in the absence of the guidance of His light, people will lose their way and perish.

We place a lot of emphasis on getting to know our spouses and partners in order to establish and build relationship with them. We enter into covenant with them and hold them accountable for the many promises of faithfulness, love and honesty made. Why then do we believe that God would want us to have a half-hearted relationship with Him? Relationship takes effort and commitment and there will always be consequences for persons who rebel against the covenants set by God. We know all too well of the chaos that can be created when a child rebels against a parent in his home. Why then do we act surprised when we rebel against the stipulations of our Creator and our blessings are stripped in return?

There is a major difference between knowing God and knowing about Him. Luckily for us, God tells us about Himself in Scripture and reveals Himself to us through the Holy Spirit. In Hosea, Israel was to be a nation of priests to the world, but their sins prohibited them. The people were blatantly sinful, and the priests failed to teach God’s Word to them. Further to this, the priests themselves were not walking wholly in the ways of the Lord. In summary, both priests and people rejected being acquainted with God and did not submit to His ways. They had access to God but shuttered their eyes against His light. They had no desire to keep the law of God nor to teach it throughout generations and as such God disowned them and left them to their own peril. If we choose to disown God, why do we feel entitled to God owning us?

 As believers we are responsible as guardians of God’s word to equip ourselves with the whole armour of God and share his teachings and directives for living. God Himself gets to know us by experiencing our character and our alignment or misalignment to Him. We live in a time where information is widespread and access to it is unlimited due to the prominence of the Internet. Do you know that God’s knowledge is also easily accessible, always available and free to all? It is all a matter of our choosing. Whose knowledge are you subscribed to today? Is it the knowledge of man or the knowledge of God?

Scripture: Hosea 4:6

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”