They do not realize that I remember all their evil deeds.

They do not realize that I remember all their evil deeds.

Scripture:- the sins of Ephraim are exposed and the crimes of Samaria revealed. They practice deceit, thieves break into houses, bandits rob in the streets; but they do not realize that I remember all their evil deeds. Their sins engulf them; they are always before me Hosea 7:1-2

Observation:- Ephraim and Samaria sinned before the Lord. Two sins mentioned in this passage are deceit (lying and falsehood) and theft. Actually, three of the ten commandments are broken here. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor” speaks against lying and deceit. “You shall not steal” is clear enough. “You shall not covet” is broken because the thief must have coveted the things they went to steal. When Jesus came, He gave an even higher expectation of the law. If we even look lustfully at a woman, we have already committed adultery with her in our hearts. If we are angry with our brother, we are already as good as killing him. Many of us do not have a strong conviction of sin. Though we call ourselves Christians, many of us treat sin flippantly. Why be so worried with an extra sin or two if it will be forgiven anyway? When we think like that, it shows our attitude to sin.

We feel we are saved when we repent of our sins and believe in Jesus to save us. However, do we really know what it means to repent of our sins? To repent means to change our mind, to turn around 180 degrees, to turn away from sinful ways. Without true repentance, there is no true meaning in our Christian lives. It is hypocrisy, and we know it. Being saved and sinning all we want? It doesn’t make sense. Those who are truly saved hate sin. In Romans 12:9, Paul says “hate what is evil, cling to what is good”. Remember how Jesus warned at judgment day, there will be those who come to him saying “Lord, Lord” and He will say to them “I never knew you. Away from me, you evil-doers”. If we say we are Christians but still live in sin, do we not fear that we will be counted among the goats and rejected by Jesus? Galatians 5:19-21 says “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” This is Paul talking to Christians. Revelation 21:8 is even more terrifying. “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Are we liars? Do we continue to practice deceit without any guilt? Beware the fiery lake! God has made a way for us to escape, but we must get on the boat and do our best to stay there. Flirting with sin is like putting a hand or a leg in the water. Who knows when we might fall in and fail to find our boat again?  

Now as long as we are in this world, we are still not yet perfect, and in our weakness, we do fall, we do sin. However, this is not an excuse. The genuine converts in the early church, and even those today experience a radical change in their lives. Tax collectors paid back those they had cheated. Those who smoke and get drunk, do so no longer. Those who are prone to fits of rage become gentle. No one is perfect, but those in Christ we are getting better and better, moving on from glory to glory. The point is that we must never become desensitized to sin. A sinner trapped in an addiction may fall in again and again out of human weakness, but he hates the sin, he wants to get out, as he perseveres and calls on Jesus, he will be set free finally but he must not give up. The Pharisees thought they were well saved but lived in greed, pride and covetousness. Pride prevents us from repenting. We need to be humble and stay close to Jesus, to be open to Him and let the Holy Spirit work in us to make us more and more like Jesus.

Application: Search ourselves to see if there is any sin in us that we are still clinging on to. Surrender it to Jesus, ask for His help to cure us, and make us new. Be open to God, and desire to be more and more like Jesus. Constantly, we need to make an effort to turn away from the things of the world, and look towards Jesus and seek God’s face.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times when I have made sin so flippant, and not giving full reverence to Your precious death for me. Let sin never be desensitized in my heart. Let Your Holy Spirit convict me, and lead me to Your paths of righteousness. Open my eyes where I am deceived. Give me a new heart that I might seek You. Let Your presence be so real in my life I pray, O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.