Worship - it's about knowing God, not getting points
Idolatry is disloyalty, broken integrity in one's relationship with God
Hosea addressed the Idolatry of Israel
He saw things differently. He saw a big disconnect between the covenant that God had made with his people and the behavior of those around him.
He named names. He stood up and called it as he saw it. He spoke as a prophet.
Israel had gone astray. As illustrated by the metaphor of Hosea's wife, they had broken loyalty to God. The way of return is through repentance.
Knowing God
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."
This knowledge is something to be cultivated, searched after, savored, reflected upon, and finally followed. It is a long-term, day-to-day affair.
Daily prayer, silence, and reflection are essential. To appropriate the habits of worship and daily prayer is as important as committing ourselves to social justice.
€ How do our structures of worship, both corporate and private, define how we know God?
€ How does our worship bind our hearts to our first love, God?
€ Is there need for a voice like Hosea's today?