Hosea 4
LORD has a controversy with Israel verse 1- 3
Hear the word of the LORD – you children of Israel
for the LORD has a controversy
with the inhabitants of the land
BECAUSE there is NO truth – mercy
knowledge of God in the land
By swearing – lying – killing – stealing – committing adultery
they break out – and blood touches blood
THEREFORE shall the land mourn
and every one that dwells therein shall languish
with the beasts of the field – fowls of heaven
yea – fish of the sea also
shall be taken away
Religious leadership to blame for controversy verse 4- 5
YET let no man strive – nor reprove another
for your people are as they that strive with the priest
THEREFORE shall you fall in the day
and the prophet shall fall with you in the night
and I will destroy your mother
Rejection of leaders because of
rejection of knowledge verse 6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge
BECAUSE you have rejected knowledge
I will also reject you
that you shall be no priest to ME
seeing you have forgotten that law of your God
I will also forget your children
Judgment of all because of lack of obedience verse 7- 11
As they were increased – so they sinned against ME
THEREFORE will I change their glory into shame
They eat up the sin of MY people
and they set their heart on their iniquity
and there shall be – like people – like priest
and I will punish them for their ways
and reward them their doings
FOR they shall eat – and not have enough
they shall commit whoredom – and shall not increase
BECAUSE they have left off
to take heed to the LORD
Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart
People seek counsel from false gods verse 12- 13
MY people ask counsel at their stocks
and their staff declares unto them
FOR the spirit of whoredoms has caused them to err
and they have gone whoring from under their God
They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains
and burn incense upon the hills
under oaks – poplars – elms
BECAUSE the shadow thereof is good
THEREFORE your daughters shall commit whoredom
and your spouses shall commit adultery
People have no understanding of truth verse 14
I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom
nor your spouses when they commit adultery
for themselves are separated with whores
and they sacrifice with harlots
THEREFORE the people that does not
understand shall fall
Judah warned to not follow example of Israel verse 15
Though you – Israel – play the harlot – YET let not Judah offend
and come not you unto Gilgal
neither go you up to Beth-aven
nor swear – The LORD lives
Israel is like a backsliding heifer verse 16- 19
FOR Israel slides back
as a backsliding heifer
NOW the LORD will feed them
as a lamb in a large place
Ephraim is joined to idols – let him alone
their drink is sour
they have committed whoredom continually
her rulers with shame do love
Give you
The wind has bound her up in her wings
and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel: for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. (7379 “controversy” [riyb] means cause, strife, dispute, quarrel, case at law, contention, lawsuit, or legal dispute.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever been taken to court for one reason or another? If you are represented by a good lawyer they can give you the entire defense that you might need if you are not guilty. With a good lawyer you would receive from the judge a verdict of “not guilty.”
The problem with Israel was that they were guilty. God brought them to court and found them guilty of breaking HIS laws. This was primarily blamed on leadership. The priests and the false prophets were instructing the people away from the laws of the LORD.
It got to the point in Israel that there was no truth regarding the law of God. The people showed no mercy to one another and everyone was ignorant of the truth regarding the LORD.
Can this really happen? It is happening here in America even now. We have many leaders or pastors in the pulpits of this land that are twisting the Word of God into new meanings that were never true. Therefore people are listening for false teachers who are just itching their ears with things they want to hear and calling it the Word of God.
Some are so bold as to go on television with their false teachings and think that no one will understand that it is false. People want to hear that they are OK with God even when they know they are not. One day they will stand before HIM and find out the truth.
The false teachers will receive the greater judgment just like the Pharisees were promised by Jesus because they were leading people away from the LORD rather than toward HIM. They sounded religious but they were not true to the Word of God.
Watch whose example you follow. Watch out who you listen too. The people of Judah were warned of the LORD not to follow the example of the nation of Israel.
CHALLENGE: We have to so the same. Don’t look for teachers that are going to tell you everything is OK with God. Look for teachers that will convict you of your sin and want you to repent and turn to follow the LORD correctly. Be like the Bereans who checked out what they were taught.
: 4 “Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame!
DEVOTION: Have you ever watched children when an adult comes up to them after they are fighting over something and asks the question: “Whose fault is it?” The fingers go in all directions. Everyone is blaming everyone else for the problem. No one wants to take the credit for starting the fight.
The children of Israel did the same thing. They would like to blame everyone else for the problem. They could blame the people for not listening to their leaders. They could blame the leaders for not instructing the people. There was enough blame to go around but no one wanted to be the one who was at fault.
Today we do the same thing. If there is a problem we like to blame our parents for the way we are. We want to blame the teachers for what we don’t know. We want to blame the pastor for not being a good teacher of the Word of God.
The Bible states that there is enough blame to go around in our world. We each have to take responsibility for our actions after we grow up. Many people never grow up, so they continue to blame someone else even in their old age.
Change is hard but it is possible for all of us. God can give us the strength. Stop blaming others for your spiritual maturity and face the facts – you either want to grow or you don’t.
CHALLENGE: If you do there are many good instructors to listen to and the Holy Spirit will instruct those who are believers through the reading of the Word of God.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you shall be no priest to me: seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children. (1847 “knowledge” [da’ath] means perception, skill, discernment, understanding, a knowledge with focus on moral qualities and its application or wisdom.)
DEVOTION: The children of Israel are morally and spiritually dead. They are morally ruined. They are morally wiped out. They are perishing in their sin. They despised moral qualities. Why???
The responsibility of the priests and the prophets was to teach the people the way the LORD wanted them to live. They were to set the example by the way they lived. They were failing to do their responsibility and the result was that the people were following their example. The list of sins in this chapter is long. They had no truth. They had no mercy for one another. They had no understanding of the way of the LORD. They were swearing. They were lying. They were killing. They were stealing. They were committing adultery. They were breaking every commandment of the LORD.
Hosea is warning Israel that they have chosen not to listen to the word of the LORD. He states that they are destroyed for a lack of understanding what the LORD is teaching. It is not just a lack of understanding but they have rejected any teaching given them concerning the law of the LORD. This was not only the people but also the priests and prophets.
There are some people who are ignorant because they have never learned about something. Ignorance is not bliss as it can get us into trouble when we face a situation that requires some understanding of a field, like computers or law. The children of Israel thought that they didn’t need to apply the word of God to their lives. In fact, they rejected the word of the LORD. The LORD rejected them and their children because they rejected HIS laws.
Our decisions can affect not only our lives but also the lives of our children. When a father rejects the LORD and the mother serves the LORD, the children are affected. They look at both parents and decide which way to go. If they follow the father – they reject the LORD and live for themselves. If they follow the mother – they accept the LORD and live for HIM. In eternity the parents have to stand before the LORD. All parents are going to have to give account for how they teach their children. Fathers will have a greater responsibility. The greatest responsibility will fall on those who are supposed to be teaching the Word of God.
CHALLENGE: Raise your children to understand the truth of the Word of God. Teach them daily or as often as you can. Find good commentaries on the Word of God and read them.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
:16 For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn calf; now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place. (5637 “stubborn” [carar] means rebellious, revolters, slide back, backslide, to be or become obstinate, or unwilling to change)
DEVOTION: Too often we don’t want to change our bad habits. The children of Israel were called “stubborn.” Have you ever been called “stubborn?” Most of us have at one time or another. We think we are right and we are not going to change.
Israel was stubborn. They knew what the LORD expected of them but they didn’t want to change no matter what. The LORD had warned them of coming captivity. The LORD had sent prophets. The LORD had sent heathen nations to fight with them. HE wanted them to change their ways.
Today we find that many people are still stubborn once they become a Christian. They say that the LORD accepted me the way I am and so that is where I am going to stay. That is wrong.
Yes, the LORD brings you into HIS family the way you are but there is a teaching called Sanctification. Once we become a follower of the LORD HE expects us to change to be more like HIS Son Jesus Christ. This takes a lot of work on the part of the Holy Spirit in our life. It is a lifelong process. There should be noticeable progress each year of our growth in Christ.
Bad habits should be replaced with good habits. Each of us struggle in this area but the LORD has promised strength. HE isn’t finished with me yet but HE is still lovingly working with me to see me change.
CHALLENGE: Please pray for me to change in the areas the LORD wants change. I want to grow in the LORD – Do you?
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Priest verse 4, 6
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1
Law verse 6
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 10, 16
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 1, 6, 12
Controversy verse 1
Control of nature verse 3
God’s people verse 6, 8, 12
Judgment of God verse 9
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
No truth verse 1
No mercy verse 1
No knowledge of God verse 1
Swearing verse 2, 15
Lying verse 2
Killing verse 2
Stealing verse 2
Committing adultery verse 2, 13, 14
Blood touches blood verse 2
Strive with a priest verse 4
False prophet verse 5
Lack of Knowledge verse 6
Rejected knowledge verse 6
Forgotten the law verse 6
Sinned verse 7
Shame verse 7, 18
Sin verse 8
Set heart on iniquity verse 8
Sinning priest verse 9
Commit whoredom verse 10, 13, 14, 18
Not listening to the LORD verse 10
Whoredom verse 11
Wine takes away the heart verse 11
Counsel at their stocks & staff verse 12
Spirit of whoredom verse 12
Err verse 12
Worship false gods verse 13, 19
Harlots verse 14, 15
No understanding verse 14
Slides back verse 16
Idols verse 17
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Truth verse 1
Mercy verse 1
Knowledge of God verse 1, 6
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Children of Israel verse 1, 15, 16
Judah verse 15
Gilgal verse 15
Bethaven verse 15
Ephraim verse 17
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
4:16–18 The fundamental charge in these verses is that Israel is incorrigible in its evil ways. This is shown (1) in the simile of the stubborn heifer, (2) in their unbreakable attachment to idols, and (3) in their habitual debauchery of drunkenness and promiscuity. A stubborn heifer was a cow that refused to go where her owner led (cf. Jer 31:18). The stubbornness of the people made it impossible for God to give them peace and prosperity.
The line “Ephraim is joined to idols” (which implies that Israel has formed a political alliance with idols) could instead be rendered, “Ephraim is spellbound of idols.” The latter interpretation implies that Israel is bewitched by idols, and it is preferable.113 Following such an interpretation, “Leave him alone!” implies that the nation is in a trance from which no one may arouse them.
The NIV translation of v. 18a implies that the people continued to engage in promiscuity, even when sober and not under the inhibition-removing effects of alcohol. This probably is not correct; the line seems to mean, “When their liquor runs out, they engage prostitutes,” meaning that they drink all they can and then turn to sex.
The last line of v. 18 (NIV: “their rulers dearly love shameful ways”) is very difficult in the Hebrew, but one can literally translate it (with one emendation), “Her shields absolutely love shame,”116 or, alternatively with a second minor emendation, “They absolutely love the shame of her shields.” Many interpreters (including the NIV) take “shields” to be the subject and understand it to be a metaphor for “leaders” on the basis of Pss 47:9 and 89:18. This is questionable, however, because while Ps 89:18 indicates that the “king” is metaphorically the “shield” of the nation, it does not imply that Hebrew readers would routinely understand “shield” to mean “leader”—the context of Psalm 89, a celebration of the Davidic covenant, is highly specific, and the psalm uses parallelism to elucidate the meaning of “shield.” Also, it is not at all clear that the “shields” of Psalm 47 are leaders—the term could be a metaphor for God’s authority over the earth, a quality that the Psalm proclaims.
In Hos 4:18 the reader is unprepared to recognize “leaders” as the meaning of the term “shields.” Rather, vv. 15–19 describes the pagan worship and debauchery that the Israelites stubbornly refused to give up. This being the case, one might hypothesize that the “shields” are either objects associated with the worship of the gods or are the gods themselves. As justification for this assumption, we note that “shield” is routinely used as an appellation for Yahweh (Gen 15:1; 2 Sam 22:3; Pss 3:3; 7:10; 18:30; etc.). In addition, shields could be used for decorative purposes (1 Kgs 10:16–17; Song 4:4). Possibly, the fertility cult used ornamental shields of some kind or, in the same manner that the orthodox described Yahweh as their shield, its liturgy called the gods their “shields.” The feminine suffix (“her shields”) perhaps indicates that these were items sacred to a goddess. Thus, the line would either mean that their gods loved the shameful deeds the people practiced, or more likely, that the people loved the shamefulness that the cultic “shields” represented. (Garrett, D. A. (1997). Hosea, Joel (Vol. 19A, pp. 137–139). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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16 Here the thought shifts to the people of the northern nation. Hosea told them, with vivid sarcasm, that if they acted like stubborn cows, they could not expect to he treated like obedient sheep. (Wood, L. J. (1986). Hosea. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (Vol. 7, p. 188). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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4:16. Through her refusal to repent Israel had separated herself from the Lord’s protective guidance. As long as the nation responded like a young cow, stubbornly resisting His leading, God would treat her appropriately (cf. Jer. 31:18), not like a lamb which is allowed to graze leisurely in broad pastures. Stubborn refers to a rebellious attitude which the Lord finds deplorable (cf. Deut. 21:18–21). (Chisholm, R. B., Jr. (1985). Hosea. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1390). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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The spectators in the court (Hosea 4:15–19). Now the prophet turns to the people of the Southern Kingdom of Judah who were carefully watching events in Israel. Hosea’s warning is clear: don’t meddle in the affairs of Israel because their doom is sure! “Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone” (v. 17). The people of Judah were supposed to worship in Jerusalem and not go to the hill shrines in Israel or to the special shrines at Gilgal and Bethel. (Hosea calls Bethel “Bethaven,” which means “house of evil or deceit.” Bethel means “house of God.”) Israel was like a stubborn heifer, not a submissive lamb; and God’s whirlwind of judgment would sweep the kingdom away. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be amazed (p. 25). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Often in the history of the Church has a similar state existed to what we have here, and always the issue is the same. When in the 16th century God raised up Luther to sound, with clarion voice, the battle-cry of the Reformation, “The just shall live by faith!” the mass of the professing Church had no ear for the message, and sank into deeper superstition and folly. The Wesleys and their co-laborers, later, were ordained of God to arouse the lifeless profession of their day with a call to repentance, but the majority refused to hearken, and formalism became more formal and ritualism gained its harvest of lost souls.
When at the beginning of the last century the truths of the unity of the Body of Christ and the presence of the Holy Ghost were recovered, the apostles of what were incorrectly called, “The new doctrines,” were ridiculed, abused and reproached. As a result, Christendom is rapidly going into apostasy, and the presence of the Holy Ghost is unknown in many places. The Scriptures are rejected as God’s revelation and put on a par with human writings, while pride and arrogance are the order of the day. The Lord’s words are having a solemn and awful fulfilment, “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness” (Matt. 6:23).
Is the reader one to whom light has come, which you are afraid or unwilling to obey? Remember that when you act in accordance with the mind of God as made known to you through His Word, your path shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. On the other hand, revealed truth wilfully ignored, or still worse, refused, has a hardening effect upon the conscience. We have known of persons who had learned from Scripture certain truths which, if acted upon, would have delivered them from worldly ways and worldly religious associations, and given them liberty to go forth unto the rejected One, bearing His reproach. They hesitated because of possible worldly loss, or of probable family difficulties. Seeking an easier path to that marked out in the Book, they argued down their consciences and quenched the Spirit of God. Behold the sad result! Bereft of spiritual power, shorn of their strength, the truths they once enjoyed have become as a dead letter to them; their consciences are calloused and their testimony for God is over. In vain they may talk of, and endeavor to make sacrifices on other lines, but this will not do for Him who has said, “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22). (Ironside, H. A. (1909). Notes on the Minor Prophets. (pp. 36–37). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 16. For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer, &c.] A heifer or young cow Israel is compared unto; the rather, because of the object of their idolatrous worship, the calves at Dan and Beth-el: the Septuagint calls them heifers: which they are hereby put in mind of, and upbraided with; as also to express their brutish stupidity in worshipping such idols, in which they obstinately persisted; and so were like a refractory and untamed heifer, as some render it, which will not be kept within bounds, either within doors or without, but breaks through, and passes over, all fences and enclosures; as they did, who transgressed the laws of God, and would not be restrained by them: or like a heifer unaccustomed to the yoke, which will not submit to it, but wriggles its neck from under it; so the Israelites would not be subject to the yoke of the law of God, were sons of Belial, children without a yoke; or like one, though yoked, yet would not draw the plough, but slid back in the furrows, even though goaded; so they, though stimulated by the prophets, whose words were as goads and pricks to push them on, yet would not hearken to them, but pulled away the shoulder, and slid back from the ways and worship of God; hence called backsliding Israel, Jer. 3:6 and this is either a reason why Judah should not follow their example, because backsliders, or why they should be punished, as follows: now, or therefore, the Lord will feed them as a lamb in a large place; not that they were like lambs for the good properties of them, innocence, harmlessness, meekness, and patience; nor fed as the Lord feeds his lambs, and gathers them in his arms; hut either as a heifer in sheep-pasture, in short commons, for that creature can’t live where sheep and lambs can; or rather as a lamb that is alone, separate from the flock, not under the care of any shepherd; but exposed to every beast of prey upon a large common, on a wild desert and uncultivated place; afraid of every thing it hears and sees; bleating after its dam, of whose sustenance and nourishment it is destitute; and so is expressive of the state and condition of Israel in captivity, in the large Assyrian empire; and dispersed among the nations, where they were weak and helpless, destitute of all good things, and exposed to all dangers, and to every enemy. Aben Ezra and Kimchi understand the words in a good sense, that the Lord would have led them as lambs in a large place, in an affluent manner, but that they rebelled and backslided: and to this sense the Targum seems to incline, which paraphrases the whole verse thus, “for as an ox which is fattened and kicks, so Israel rebels because of the multitude of good things; now the Lord will lead them as a choice lamb in a valley,” or plain: and so Noldius, though Israel is refractory, &c. notwithstanding the Lord will feed them, &c.; and indeed the phrase is used in a good sense in Isa. 30:23. but there herds and flocks are spoken of, and not a single lamb, as here; though Kimchi thinks the singular is put for the plural, lamb for lambs. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, pp. 398–399). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
Ezra 3
The priests restore the altar and worship of the Lord.
INSIGHT
The basis of most discontent is comparison. We could be happy with our cars if the neighbors didn’t have better ones. We would be satisfied with our houses if they were as nice as everyone else’s. Yet, were we to have our present possessions in Africa, we would be considered rich. Once our basic needs are met, the issue is not “how are we,” but rather, “how are we compared to how everyone else is.” When the foundation of the new temple is laid, the new generation rejoices at the work of God; but the older generation laments that the new temple is not as impressive as the old one. We should be content with what God has chosen to give us and not make comparisons. He is rich who rejoices in his portion.
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ANNOUNCING THE PLAN
We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory. 1 Corinthians 2:7
Christian preaching announces a plan and a purpose. “Where do you find that?” asks someone. Well, look at Mark 1:14: “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled.” The Bible says that God had made this plan even before the foundation of the world itself. The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:7, “We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.” That is it.
That is the essence of this proclamation that is being made, the essence of Christian preaching. It does not say to us, “There is truth in that uncharted ocean…get out onto it, take your soundings, try to get your bearings, try to find out. Yes, you have discovered a little bit! You may go for weeks and find nothing; months, years pass, then just another little glimmer. But at last…ah, it won’t happen in your time; it will happen perhaps in your grandchildren’s, or it may be even longer than that. But go on, it is marvelous, keep on.”
No! Christian preaching is the exact opposite to that. The message of the Bible is not to urge us to try to find truth; it is to ask us to listen to the truth, to God’s truth. For its whole point is to say that God, knowing Himself, knowing man, knowing everything, has devised and schemed a plan whereby men and women can be delivered out of their failure and sin and can be made citizens and worthy citizens of God’s kingdom. This is God’s plan!
We are also told that God made this plan known. “God…hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2).
A Thought to Ponder: The message of the Bible is to ask us to listen to the truth, to God’s truth. (From The Kingdom of God, pp. 14-15, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Trust in the Lord
“Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” (Psalm 37:3)
Sprinkled throughout this psalm are various pictures that provide the assurance of God’s victory—not only in His eternal plan, but also in and through the lives of His precious saints.
Trust is the most basic of the characteristics of our relationship with the Lord and sets the foundation for all the rest. The Hebrew word carries the meaning of confidence, or boldness, and is often used in such a way that it would imply that we are to “gain support” and “lean on” the One in whom we trust. The expanded definition of trust is contained in Proverbs: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8).
But merely having great confidence in the God of creation is not enough. We must “do good” (our text). The entire New Testament book of James is devoted to this theme: “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). “O that there were such an heart in them,” God told Moses, “that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).
If we would enjoy the blessings of God, we must embrace the plan of God. If we are to expect the promise that we will “dwell” and “be fed,” then we must submit to the instructions of our Lord, who told us to “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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