Hosea 14:9 Who is wise? He will realize these things.
Who is discerning? He will understand them.
The ways of the Lord are right;
the righteous walk in them,
but the rebellious stumble in them.

This end note to the Book of Hosea is both simple and to the point. The first half basically says, “If you’ve got two brain cells to rub together, you’ll get this.” The second half is even more interesting. The NIV says “The ways of the Lord are right,” but the Japanese says, “The paths of the Lord are level/flat.” That gets very interesting when you consider the last contrast. Level paths are pretty easy to walk on, but rebellious people stumble anyway. It’s not the nature of the path that makes them stumble, it’s their attitude. That’s something we see all the time. As it says in 1 John 5:3, God’s commands aren’t burdensome/grievous. God’s commands are always for our good, but if we are rebellious and disobey, we will suffer the consequences. If you don’t want to stumble and get skinned up, the answer is simple: don’t be rebellious.

I’ve learned this the hard way, both through my own rebellion and watching that of others. We get ourselves into a lot of fixes the Lord never intends for us! With my current perspective and occupation I am continually encouraging and exhorting people to walk in obedience and submission to God, but a depressingly high percentage act like two-year-olds. They especially don’t like that word, submission. Veritable word storms have been written over that word! Whatever you think of submission in marriage, submission to God would seem to be the only logical course. I’ve worked with computers for almost 30 years now, and I couldn’t count the number of people I’ve helped with them. When those people listen carefully and do what I say, they find their computers perform pretty well. However, when they skip operations, get them backward, or simply distort them, they find they have a remarkably uncooperative machine. Applying that to this verse, life is the computer and God is the computer expert. Of course, I’m not all-knowing about computers, but God is by definition all-knowing about life. On top of that, He loves us and genuinely wants the very best for us. Given that understanding, submission is the only logical course.

Father, thank You again for Your patience with me, and for Your grace in patching up my scrapes and bruises. Help me express Your truth in love to those around me, in words and ways they can understand, so that as many as will may repent of their rebellion and turn to You in faith and obedience, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!