Half-Baked Religion

Introduction

I am not a hunter. I barely know which end of a gun to hold. Put me in the woods to live off the land and I would starve very quickly. But I have been up in the early morning hours—long before sunrise—and seen what small animals do when they are suddenly caught in the beams of headlights. It happened again just the other day. Driving along, a squirrel is about 10 yards in front of me. The little guy was uncertain. He didn’t know which way to go. He darted to the left and then to the right. As I slowed, either direction would have been safety for him, but it was the indecision which was interesting. He couldn’t decide which way to go.

Who knows what squirrels think when they are blinded in the headlights of a car. What we do know is that safety for the squirrel is not in the street but in the tops of trees or in an area where cars do not travel. The squirrel is ignorant of what is best for him. He goes where the food is. He approaches the street as if it were no different than the safety of a grassy yard. He doesn’t choose wisely. He chooses according to what will satisfy him. He is easily deceived into believing what is dangerous is actually safe. As the little guy fills his belly with the best food available, he is lulled into a sense of satisfaction and safety. He lets his guard down and in a few moments the enemy is upon him and he doesn’t know what to do.

Squirrels and people have some things in common. We can be just as ignorant as a squirrel when it comes to believing that we are safe when in actuality we are in danger. We, like squirrels, can be lulled into a sense of satisfaction and safety. We, like squirrels, can let our guard down and in just a few moments the enemy is upon us and we are confused about what to do. Today in Hosea’s writing we are going to look at what God has to say about his people. They have let down their guard and they are seeking safety in the wrong ways and in the wrong places. In the process, they become unaware of what is going on. God calls them back. And in his call we see something about the character of God and his desire to be in relationship with his people.

Decline

Israel is in the last stages of existence. She doesn’t know it. That is what makes it so sad. The people do evil. They think that God isn’t aware or that he will quickly and easily forget about their sin (v. 2). They acted as if their conduct didn’t matter. They were presuming upon God’s goodness. He would bless them and they would forget him. In 6:4, God compares their love to the morning dew. It is at best fleeting. There is no permanence to their love for God. Their actions say that God isn’t important.

In verses 4-10, Israel is compared to an oven. Political alliances change fast and furiously. The people find great satisfaction in the assassination and political intrigue. They thirst for blood. In addition to the political, they pursue other gods. In verse 8, Israel is called a flat cake not turned over. The best example in our culture would be a half-baked pancake. Cook a pancake on one side and then don’t turn it over to cook the other side. Now eat it. That is what God is saying. Israel is cooked on one side but raw and inedible on the other side. They have compromised their strength for a political alliance. They are confident of their position. They are confident of their power. They do not need God. They are sufficient to take care of themselves.

Verse 11 shows Israel as like a dove easily deceived and senseless. They are fickle when it comes to politics. If Israel knew about squirrels caught in headlights, God would have used that analogy. They go back and forth. They are inconsistent. They blindly follow whoever can help them the most at the moment. What they don’t realize is that their choices will lead to their destruction. Instead of looking to God, they look to the strength of others. God is not pleased.

Lessons

There are two important lessons to get from this text. First, when we compromise our faith, we separate ourselves from God. Israel compromised their relationship with God by making political alliances with those who did not know God. As they continued to compromise their faith, they eventually quit thinking about God at all. It happens with us. At school or at work, we try to fit in. We are afraid of being isolated and alone. So we laugh at the crude jokes and tell one or two ourselves. We cheat on the test or spend a little too much time away from the desk. We just don’t want to be thought some type of religious fanatic. And we slowly but deliberately choose to compromise our faith and we separate from God.

It used to bother you a little bit to tell that off color joke or to say something mean about someone, but after you do it a little while, it doesn’t bother you anymore. It used to bother you when you lied a little, but now you find it easy to make up stories. It used to bother you when you mistreated your spouse, but now it is just the way things are. That is the nature of compromise. As we give up what we know is good and right, we find that we don’t want to be near to God as much. It is just too painful and it makes us uncomfortable. We find reasons not to be with God anymore. “He just wants to take away my fun. He demands too much.” Or my favorite “He just wants me to be happy.”

And before long you can live your life without giving God a second thought. He doesn’t enter your mind on the job, at home, or at school. You plan your life and God is something that happens on Sunday. The rest of the time is yours and your fun. When we compromise our faith, we separate ourselves from God.

Second, we are ignorant of the compromise. Notice verse 9. Compromise led to Israel’s strength being sapped. But he didn’t notice it. The gray hair idea in the latter part of verse 9 has to do with mold on bread more than gray hair on one’s head. This coincides with the oven and bread analogy. Ever had bread grow mold on it? Ever eaten slices of bread not realizing mold was on it? This is the idea. Mold grows slowly and is not easily noticed. What is God trying to get us to see? Israel didn’t know what was going on because they didn’t know God. Their lack of knowledge led them to lead lives without purpose and meaning. They were directionless.

Ignorance blinds us to what is going on in our lives. Others may see our moral and spiritual decline, but we may be completely unaware of how far we have drifted away. What happens is that we go through the motions without being aware of how insignificant they are. You come into this auditorium Sunday after Sunday. Does your presence here have meaning and purpose for tomorrow? We can find all kinds of things to blame our lack of enthusiasm on, but it may have more to do with us than with poor preaching or not singing songs you like. Going through the motions and finding no purpose in them. Why do you work? To eat. Why do you eat? To work. What purpose is there in that? When our actions have no significance—then like Israel of old we have left God.

Notice verse 14. In an attempt to find purpose, the people do not seek God. Instead, they gather together. The idea is that they “slash themselves.” This is Baal worship (see 1 Kings 18:28). Ignorant of what God was doing in their lives, they turn to other gods. Life has no meaning because they pursue that which is meaningless. But God wants to redeem them (v. 13). But they must seek him. God doesn’t want to give up on them, but they have gone too far away from God. No meaning. No purpose. Pursuing only what pleases them.

The squirrel darted back and forth. Uncertain about the way of safety. Even as I slowed, I knew what was going to happen. He had compromised the place of safety for a bit of food in the worst possible place. He was in danger. But he was ignorant of the danger. His compromise separated him from safety. He didn’t notice the danger. He died not knowing which way to turn. We aren’t much different from squirrels. We compromise the place of safety for a bit of what this world has to offer. Our compromising separates us from the one who can provide for us. For what we can gain from this world, we lose our lives. We don’t know the danger. We aren’t aware of it. Stop and think. Are you just going through the motions? Is there meaning and purpose to your life? Come to the Father.

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