“I knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of drought.
When they had pasture,
they became satisfied;
they were satisfied,
and their hearts became proud.
Therefore they forgot me.” (Hosea 13:5-6)
I was watching a video the other day of what looked like a person living on the streets. Now I know what you’re thinking: This is one of those videos where this needy-looking person is given money by some well-off suburban guy who films this entire exchange and gets a ton of likes across all social media platforms. That’s what I thought. But as I watched the video, I was shocked. It was a video where the person with rags for clothes gave money away to men and women in business suits. And I was surprised by the response. People were angry. Some men cursed the guy and said, “Do I look like I need your help?” Some people saw the guy, offered him some water, and when the person living on the street offered those “Good Samaritans” money, they got angry and said, “Are you kidding me?” The video was a prank, but it exposed something in the hearts of all the people who reacted negatively. It’s something that exists in each of us. We do not like to be treated as if we needed anything. We love the idea of being self-reliant. We like feeling like we can do things on our own and that we have it all together. And what could be so wrong about that?
In Hosea 13:5-6, God is speaking to his people:
I knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of drought.
When they had pasture,
they became satisfied;
they were satisfied,
and their hearts became proud.
Therefore they forgot me.
What’s going on here? God’s people were once in a wilderness. They were in a period of drought. And in that period, they needed God to come through. It says that God “knew” them. That word speaks to God being united to his people. They were close to God because they depended on him to provide. However, as they began to get out of their times of need, they became satisfied. As they became satisfied, they became proud. As pride increased, they forgot about God. And we do the same thing today. When we fail to recognize who we are, sinners in need of a savior, we will forget God. And we see that.
People do not like to be in a position where they look needy. Why? Because it hurts our pride, and we feel lesser-than. But the entire gospel message confronts this in each of us. We are the needy ones. We are incapable of providing a remedy to our sin. All of us have a debt we cannot pay. And is it because someone kept us down? No, the Bible says that we are actively involved in our rebellion against God. But God doesn’t leave us in our state of brokenness. God saves us by sending Jesus, and through Jesus’ death, he pays the penalty for our sins. And this work is entirely a gift from God. We are always on the receiving end of God’s grace when it comes to our salvation.
Now, if people will get angry when confronted about their need for a little bit of money, do not be surprised at their anger when told that in regards to righteousness, they are completely bankrupt. And for the Christian, do not ever think you are beyond having to depend upon God to save you. Do not forget that God saved you not because of anything you’ve done but because of his great love. Do not think, even for a moment, that your relationship with God is dependent upon you. In a world where people praise self-sufficiency, let the church boast in our neediness and God’s sufficiency.