Contemplative Bible Reading

Hosea 4:11-12 (New Living Translation)

11 “Wine has robbed my people
of their understanding.
12 They ask a piece of wood for advice!
They think a stick can tell them the future!
Longing after idols
has made them foolish.
They have played the prostitute,
serving other gods and deserting their God.

Let’s begin with the second verse. People pick up a stick off the ground and ask it, “What will the future bring?”

Consider that picture for a while. Consider it a little while longer. Okay, now that we have that one out of the way. How stupid is that?

Let’s go back to the first phrase, oh yeah, the one about wine. What’s a little sip of wine? I guess nothing when a little sip is it. But why take a little sip? Why not just pass it by all the time? There are times in my life when I feel that I have lived in an alternate universe. Alcohol has occupied no place in my life. Perhaps I missed something, but, per the above, perhaps I missed the logic of picking up a stick and asking it about the future.

God, help me in my understanding.