By a lack of what? By lack of knowledge! Just let that sink in for a moment as you are sitting down to read this devotion. How can that happen. Maybe we lack knowledge because we are lazy, maybe its because we are to busy, maybe it is because we just don’t care if we have knowledge or not. People are destroyed for lack of knowledge, even God’s people. What kind of knowledge? The knowledge of God’s word that is available in the Bible. Such things as who God is, what He is like, what He promises, what He expects of us, how to walk in faith, how to overcome, how to pray, how to resist the devil, and so much more. This was Yahweh’s contention with Israel in Hosea’s prophecy. (Hosea 4:6)…..My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
Are people’s lives destroyed because God does not love them? Do people come to ruin and live in misery because God is callous and uncaring? NO! People are destroyed for lack of knowledge, even God’s people. Notice what God says is the cause for their destruction, first because they have rejected knowledge, and second because they have forgotten God’s law. God is not to blame for our troubles. God has already made provision for us. But we must avail ourselves of what God has provided.
How can we benefit from God’s great provision if we don’t even know about it? So, we should seek the knowledge of God on our own, and receive teaching from others, also. There is not one among us who does not have much to learn. No one yet is walking in the absolute fullness of what God has provided.
This must be one of the saddest verses in the Bible. To think that God’s people are destroyed simply because of a lack of knowledge. As God’s children, let’s quit giving place to the devil by our lack of knowledge of God’s Word. And, as we learn from God’s Word we should share our knowledge with others, so they can walk in freedom and victory, too.