Hosea said it. “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.” Hosea 8:7. I first heard that as a small boy but of course could not then comprehend the depth. Now I get. I should have connected it with Nahum 1:3, “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power: he will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.” How often we want to blame God for what has occurred but the real truth is we are but reaping. God’s punishment isn’t active. It is passive. Ever so painfully He sits back and let’s nature take its course.
He would like to intervene every time. His love is endless. But should He do so mankind would never learn. We would continue in our reckless ways believing there was always a bale out. The results would be sin continuing on forever. The only reason God hates sin is its results. He is not offended that we do not obey Him. He is hurt that we do not obey because all He ever asks is for us to stop harming ourselves and others. I cannot sit here in the evening drinking an arsenic laced drink and expect Him to negate its effects. He will forgive me but will allow the arsenic to do its work.
And so it is that the whirlwind blows its horrors upon us. Does this mean we are lost? Not if we genuinely repent. That door is open. But why should we desire to bring suffering upon ourselves thinking at some later date we will repent? Not only is that risky. It’s stupid. Hosea and Nahum were excellent meteorologists.
Written by Roger Bothwell on November 8, 2011
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org