4/16/26

In 2020 a South African man was killed by his pet lioness, which he had raised from a cub. He had taken in the two lionesses, as they were orphaned at just one week old. For 5 years he had taken them for walks and played with them. He would feed them and love on them. At a week old they probably would have died had he not taken them in and raised them. However, five years later they forgot that He was their owner and caretaker.

Have we done the same?

Hosea 8:14 NASB95 For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; And Judah has multiplied fortified cities, But I will send a fire on its cities that it may consume its palatial dwellings.

The difference between the lionesses and us. They were more powerful than their owner and we absolutely are not.

God has made us, loved us, cared for us, sustained us, and even redeemed us from our own deserved death. Yet, I think just like the Israelites we have forgotten this. Oh, we might remember the details but we have refused to remember the joy, comfort, excitement, and peace that we experienced when He saved us. Instead, we have attempted to replace that with temporary happiness, physical ease, self-stimulation, and artificial calmness.

Israel did this in our text by building palaces. Judah did it by multiplying fortified cities.

The lionesses did it by attempting to eat the one who fed them.

We do it by filling our time with every temporal and worldly pleasure and care we can find. When, filling our time 100% with God, He will reveal to us true joy, comfort, excitement, and peace.

The man was unable to stop the lioness who had forgotten that He was their owner.

But God is not a man. Our text says for Israel and Judah, God said, "I will send a fire on its cities that it may consume its palatial dwellings."

If He will do this because Israel and Judah had forgotten their maker will he not remove and possibly destroy what we have used to take His place in our lives?

The lioness forgot. Israel and Judah forgot.

Let's make sure that we don't forget our Lord by attempting to put something else in His place.

By the way, His place in our lives is everywhere, all of it, total and complete filling of our lives. Anything less than this, and we will forget that He is Yahweh, God the Father (the self-existent One), Jesus, God the Son (Jehovah's Salvation), and God the Holy Spirit (comforter, helper, and guide).

Don't forget!

Love Bro. Scott