“We know You,…. Lord, it’s me……….”

“Set the trumpet to your lips! [The enemy] comes as a [great] vulture against the house of the Lord, because they have broken My covenant and transgressed against My law.

Then they will cry to Me, My God, we [of Israel] know You!”   Hosea 8:1-2 AMP

 

Hosea gives us another illustration in the eighth chapter in the first two verses. Hosea's people were just about at the bottom historically.

Israel had really hit the skids and by the time you get to Hosea's prophecy he is ranting and raving about their lack of knowledge.  He says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."  

He likens them to the early morning dew that evaporates. They don't have any substance to them. They have neglected God. They have forsaken God. They don't even go near the house of God.

By the time we come to chapter 8: 1- 2 we have a very interesting statement. Hosea paints the picture of a vulture. It has the warning of a vulture swooping over the house of God.  And it symbolizes the fact that with all of the religious activity in Israel, with all of the things that were going on by way of performance; the real truth was that the place was dead and it's evident because of the vulture that's swooping over it. There was nothing but dead carcass.

Israel forsook God's temple as a scene of a relationship to God and the scene became a tragedy, a picture of a flying vulture speaking of the fact that judgment was coming and then Hosea goes on to prophesy that Israel because of her neglect of God will be crushed.

Israel was still religious.

Israel still had religious feelings.

The Israelites still went through some of the motions but they were dead.  There was not a reality to their religion only a formality.   And then in Hosea 8:2, you know what they said?   When the judgment call comes from Hosea they said this, "My God, we know You."  

Just like Matthew 7, "Lord, Lord, it's us."  What do You mean judging us, the Jews said in Hosea 8, “we know You, it's us.”   “My God,” they cry out, “it's us.”

What a tragedy.

At that point, that particular generation of people had set aside their relationship with God by their own desire.

Well, we can see that it's not those who wish to enter the Kingdom who get in necessarily.  It's not even those who ask to enter that get in necessarily.

It's not enough to ask, it's not enough to wish; what does it take to enter the Kingdom of God?    Obedience.

God has set certain rules for entrance to the Kingdom, they must be obeyed or there is no entrance.  You may want to enter but unless you come by the way of Jesus Christ you cannot enter, all your religious operation and all the formality that you go through is meaningless.

Peter said in that great sermon in Acts 4, "Neither is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved."  There is no other name than Jesus Christ.

It is only through a personal relationship with Jesus that you or I or anyone else will ever know the Kingdom of God.   It is not through our religious emotion.   It is not through our sanctified feelings.   It is through the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Lip service is no good, there must be obedience.   In the statement, "Lord, Lord," you get the idea of some kind of surprise, don't you?  Like they're shocked!  "You mean we're not even getting in?"  But listen to Jesus in Luke 6:46, you remember what He said; "Why do you call Me Lord, Lord and do not do the things I say?"

God has set in order the requirement for entrance to the Kingdom of heaven.  It has nothing to do with a building it has to do with having a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Calling Christ Lord or anything else is not enough it is doing the will of God.