"Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them." - Hosea 14:9
To those who want to do what’s right, God’s ways make sense. His Word lays out the way of life for us and living in that good way seems natural.
To those who refuse to repent, who insist on rejecting everything that’s right and doing whatever they want instead, God’s ways look like a set of impossible demands. People who delight in upright, moral living are viewed as narrow-minded and insufferable.
My own sinful nature, which is in rebellion against God, stumbles at the idea that God should have a say in how I live. The contrast in this verse isn’t just a matter of comparing “us” (the good people) to “them” (the sinners); it’s more a comparison of my old, sinful nature to the new nature that God created in me, at my new birth by faith in Christ.
My old, sinful nature constantly stumbles in God’s ways, while the new me delights in them. There is no remedy for my old nature but the cross, since it will always rebel against God. The new me, the child of God, is being transformed from one level of glory to another as I feed on God’s Word and walk in His ways.
Lord, thank You for making all things new in me, in Jesus. Like the Psalm says, “Your Law is my delight.” Keep me in Your ways, where I find peace and fulfillment of every good thing. Keep my feet from stumbling and my heart from wandering away from You. Amen. Pastor Dan Giles