The Lord Hath a Controversy with the Inhabitants

Hosea 4:1, “Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.”

The word “controversy” means dispute or a conflict between two or more parties. God had a conflict with the people of the land for three reasons: there was no truth, no mercy, and knowledge of God. That sounds exactly like our world today. Very few people, including churches, are proclaiming the truth of God’s Word. Even if they do, they get mocked by the world.

The Hebrew word for mercy in this verse has the definition of loyal love, unfailing kindness, and devotion. How we could use much more of that today. Too many people are unloyal in their love toward one another. They have conditional love toward others, but the money they feel they were hurt, betrayed, etc. is the moment that their love ends.

Lastly, God had a controversy with the land because there was no knowledge of God. I do not understand how people can look at the beauty of this world, and deny the existence of God. They are fools as Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” With how orderly this universe is, it is evident that there is an all-powerful God behind it.

Since God IS all powerful, I do not want Him to have a conflict with me. Therefore, when God looks at me, I want Him to see truth inside my heart and life. I want Him to see mercy, and I want Him to see a knowledge of God. Let’s do our part, so God can bless our land instead of having a conflict with it. Psalm 33:12 states, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.”