“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23)
We are shown over and over in Scripture that the heart is the wellspring of life; it is the source of our thoughts, speech, decisions, and actions. On the flip side, this means that whatever is coming out of your life can ultimately be traced back to what’s in your heart. It is safe to say then, that it’s extremely important to guard our hearts, protect what goes in our minds, and check our hearts daily with the Lord. You see, it’s only in Him and His Word that we can be fully transformed and made new. David understood this when he wrote:
“I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:10-11)
So what does it mean to seek the Lord with all of our heart? What does it look like to hide His Word deep in the well of our hearts? We’ll see today from the book of Hosea, that a difference exists between seeking God and sacrificing for God. Like many of us, the Israelites had confused seeking the Lord and the attitude of their hearts with their works for the Lord.
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Hosea 5 paints an interesting picture of God’s judgment on the people. In this chapter, not only does Hosea recap all that the people have done, but he tells them what’s really in their hearts. He tells them the things about themselves and their motives that they probably thought only they knew. Have you ever been there?…I know I have. In the midst of all of this however, God instructs Hosea to say something that I find extremely interesting…
“Israel’s arrogance testifies against them; the Isarelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin; Judah also stumbles with them. When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD, they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them.” (Hosea 5:5-6)
- What testifies against them?
- What is the result of them “seeking the Lord?”
- What has God done?
When I first read this I thought, “Wait…that’s not fair.” If they are seeking the Lord, then shouldn’t He allow them to find Him? Shouldn’t He forgive them? Jeremiah 29:13 says:
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Why are the people allowed to seek and find Him in one part of Scripture but not in the other? I’m going to suggest to you that perhaps the difference lies in the attitude of the heart. You see the Israelites were seeking the Lord, but for their own gain. One moment they would go up and sacrifice to God, and in the next fall on their knees to worship the gods of gold and silver. In one breath they would recite the law and perform their required sacrifices, and in the next praise their own good works and ability to sustain themselves. They brought their flocks and herds to the Lord, rather than their hearts and lives.
If we are not careful, we can fall into the exact same trap. We can begin to sacrifice to the Lord and serve Him out of habit rather than out of the heart. We can begin to think that our good works are more important than the posture and purity of our heart. We are reminded in Joel 2:13 to “rend [our] heart and not [our] garments.” Yes God desires for our lives to be full of fruit, but only fruit that comes from a heart fully surrendered and bowed to the creator. God reminds us later in the book of Hosea:
“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” -Hosea 6:6
So go and seek the Lord! Seek Him first and above all things. Seek Him with your whole heart. Take your heart, desires, will, and life and lay it down on the altar of God, knowing that when you truly seek Him, you will find Him.