What you don’t know can hurt you

“My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” Hosea 3:6

I remember a video I once saw of a man dumping gasoline on a giant pile of wood and garbage. He was standing on top of the pile, which must have been over 8 feet high, emptying a whole jerry can of gas on to it. The man lit a piece of cardboard and tossed it onto the pile. What happens next is utter chaos. As the flaming box hit the pile there was a tremendous explosion. Wood and debris flew everywhere, and you briefly see the man flung backward with wood hitting him.

When I see a video like that, or hear a similar story, I’m reminded by this verse from Hosea. If the man had known that gasoline (both the liquid and the vapours) is explosive, not just flammable, he would have known better than to douse the wood with gas. When the flame hit the wood, all of the vapours that had settled down into the pile exploded. He had created a bomb, and it went off.  A lack of knowledge almost cost him his life.

In Hosea’s time, the people of Israel had forgotten about God and what He had instructed them to do. Instead of seeking and following Him they were trying to do things their own way. Sometimes it seemed as if things were working, and for a time they were prosperous and safe, but that would only last a short time. All too soon they were overrun and destroyed.

The same can be said for our time and generation. Many people don’t know who Jesus is. They follow their own heart, and chase after the gods of this age. They decide to put themselves first before anything else. But just like the man dumping gasoline on a pile of wood discovered, what you don’t know can hurt you.

This Sunday we’ll be looking at Hosea 3-4 at our weekly gathering. We meet on Sunday at 4pm at Bethel church (70 William St. S). Hope to see you there.

Blessings, Pastor Mike