Lesson 5: Ignorance

I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      In the previous lessons, we have considered some of the factors that led to the downfall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel as revealed by the prophet Hosea.

                                                             1.      Idolatry was rampant among God’s chosen people as they embraced the gods of the heathen nations around them.  Rather than offering worship to please God, the people chose idol worship because it pleased them and appealed to their carnal minds.

                                                             2.      Materialism turned the eyes of the people from the Provider of all blessings to the blessings themselves.  They loved the blessings rather than the God who blessed them.

B.      In this lesson, we will consider the factor that is more directly blamed for the destruction of Israel than any other.  That factor is ignorance.

                                                             1.      God said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.  Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest.  Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hos. 4:6).

                                                             2.      This verse places the blame for their destruction squarely upon the people.  Their ignorance was their own fault, and their destruction was self inflicted.

C.      As with the other factors in Israel’s ruin, we find a parallel situation in our own nation regarding ignorance.

                                                             1.      Just as Israel claimed to know God and did not, so also many in our nation claim to know Him without any real knowledge.

                                                             2.      Therefore, if Israel was destroyed for lack of knowledge, what must become of our nation if we remain in ignorance of the God of heaven?

II.      “MY GOD, WE OF ISRAEL KNOW THEE!”

A.      A common attitude of the children of Israel throughout their history was their denial of their sins.

                                                             1.      God sent prophet after prophet to His people to expose the truth of their sins and give them the opportunity to repent and make corrections.

                                                             2.      Instead, the people most often rejected and persecuted the prophets, refusing to believe that Israel could be wrong.  Their pride prevented them from accepting correction.

B.      In the time of Hosea, the people denied the accusation that they were ignorant of God.

                                                             1.      They cried out to God, “We of Israel know Thee!” (Hos. 8:2).

                                                             2.      They may have known of God, but their behavior betrayed their claim.  If they had truly known God, then they would have changed their ways.

C.      God exposed the evidence of the people’s ignorance, which was their transgressions, rebellion, and rejection of what was good.

                                                             1.      Consider Hosea 8:1-8.  The abundance of evidence shows that the people’s claim to know God was lip service only.  They had no regard for His covenant or His law.

                                                             2.      Consider Hosea 4:1-2.  The “case against the inhabitants of the land” was built upon the evidence of the people’s conduct.  A people mindful of God would not have transgressed against Him as Israel did.

D.      Likewise in our nation, claims of the knowledge of God are made empty by the conduct of the people.

                                                             1.      According to the Barna Research Group, a majority of Americans claim to believe in God.

a.       Only 9% of the U.S. population is atheist or agnostic, and only 12% identify with a religion other than Christianity.  That leaves 79% of the population that acknowledges the God of Christianity.

b.       69% believe that God is the all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect Creator of the universe who rules the world today.

                                                             2.      However, like Israel, Americans betray their claims to know God by their failure to understand His word.

a.       Again according to Barna, only 45% of all adult Americans agree strongly that the Bible is totally accurate in all of its teachings, and only 45% read the Bible during a typical week.

b.       Moreover, even among those who read the Bible, understanding of God’s word is often shallow and/or tainted with the doctrines of men.

                                                             3.      The evidence of Americans’ ignorance of God is seen in false teachings, false worship, and all manners of sinful behaviors.

a.       Among those who claim to be Christians, denominationalism has replaced the “one body” (Eph. 4:4) as the mode for the church, and the unity of man through doctrines of men has replaced the “unity of the Spirit” (Eph. 4:3) through the doctrine of Christ.

b.       Throughout our culture, we see the decline of morality and godly behavior and the acceptance of behaviors that were once universally recognized as sinful (sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, pornography, gambling, etc.).

III.   “TEN THOUSAND PRECEPTS OF MY LAW”

A.      God had not withheld knowledge or information from Israel, but they had chosen to be ignorant by refusing to learn, accept, and believe the word of God.

                                                             1.      Certainly, it was not for a lack of opportunity to learn of God that Israel had become ignorant, for God had poured out His word upon them in abundance.  God said, “Though I wrote for him ten thousand precepts of My law, they are regarded as a strange thing” (Hos. 8:12).

                                                             2.      Israel regarded the word of God as a strange thing because it was foreign to them.  The people knew nothing of His covenant or Law even though they were the foundation of the nation.  They “rejected knowledge” (Hos. 4:6) and were willfully ignorant.

B.      Rather than choosing the knowledge of God, Israel had foolishly chosen idolatry and its sinful excesses.

                                                             1.      Consider Hosea 4:11-12.  For guidance, Israel consulted their idols rather than the all-knowing God.  The more the people indulged themselves in idolatry, the farther they fell away from God.

                                                             2.      This is the same course that the Gentiles followed according to Romans 1:18-32.  When the Gentiles became fools and exchanged God for idols, He gave them over to “impurity,” “degrading passions,” and “a depraved mind.”  Likewise, when Israel chose to depart from God, He allowed them to suffer the penalty of their own foolish choice.

C.      This same course is being repeated again in our nation today as men choose self-indulgent lifestyles and religions over the knowledge of God.

                                                             1.      There is no shortage of Bibles available for those who would have them.  God has provided the word in abundance and preserved it through the years.

                                                             2.      However, the word of God is a strange thing to most Americans.

a.       Many know almost nothing about the Bible, even if they claim to be Christians.

b.       Many consider the Bible to be outdated, old fashioned, and irrelevant, even if they claim to be Christians.

c.        Many have determined that they can know God through some means other than the Bible.  The wisdom of men is exalted above the wisdom of God.

d.       Many are offended at the mere mention of Scripture, and our government strives to keep it out of public places.

e.        Even within the Lord’s church, too many lack fundamental knowledge and understanding of God’s word.

                                                             3.      The more God’s word becomes strange to our nation, the more familiar we become with false religion and the excesses of sin.

a.       Someone has said of the Bible, “Either this book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book.”  The truth of this saying is evident throughout history and in our nation now.

b.       The trend toward self-indulgent religion and godlessness always correlates to a decreased knowledge of God’s word.

i.         The reason is that as our knowledge of God’s word decreases, our knowledge of God decreases also.  When we don’t know God, we cannot be like Him, and we cannot please Him.

ii.        “Without faith it is impossible to please Him,” (Heb. 11:6), and, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).  A person without the knowledge of the word of Christ is without faith, and a person without faith cannot please God.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      Let it be understood that religiousness is not necessarily godliness.  God said, “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hos. 6:6).

B.      Therefore, let us be knowledgeable and loyal to our God that He might be pleased and we might be saved.