Someone Notices

“Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.” (Ho 7:9 AV)

 

As someone who is turning grey faster than I care to admit, I can understand this analogy.  I have a sister that turned grey at an earlier age.  Or at least it seemed that way.  There is a trait some of us have.  There is a spot on our bangs that tends to turn grey long before the rest of our heads.  It is the Cruella Deville syndrome.  It looks like someone threw a snowball and hit us right in the head.  My sister had jet-black hair, so for a while, it looked like she purposely colored it that way.  It was highly noticeable.  This morning, for the first time, I realized my hair is doing the same thing.  It has been turning grey very slowly for the better part of the last decade.  But this morning, while my hair was wet, it looked just like my sisters.  That one spot on our left side about the size of a baseball shimmered like a beacon from a lighthouse.  Every once in a while, when I pass under a certain type of light, the observer can really see my grey hair.  My wife will blurt out from time to time, “You are getting really grey”.   I don’t know what she is talking about.  I take care of my hair every day and don’t think I am getting all that grey. This morning was different.  That hereditary bleach spot was hard to miss.

Hosea is speaking of the effect of Israel’s neighbors as they influenced her towards apostasy.  As a nation, they were instructed by God to remain separate and holy.  However, over several hundred years, they had closer and closer relationships with their pagan neighbors and eventually took on their gods and form of religion.  It happened over several hundred years, so the changes were very gradual.  Just like grey hair.  It didn’t occur to them how far from God they drifted until they were carried away to Assyria and Babylon.  What is surprising is the amount of preaching they ignored along the way.  We read the messages from the minor and major prophets and marvel at the reaction of a rebellious nation.  But we have to remember, these books span the entire four hundred years or so of Israel’s compromise.  There were several of them that ministered at the same time.  So, in the whole scope of the history of their drifting, it was no different than today.  We have preachers who will warn us of the consequences of living in the flesh and the world, but how much of that preaching is truly efficacious? 

But there is another way of looking at this verse as well.  Trials of faith will also have a life-changing effect on us.  These changes may not be immediately noticeable.  At least not to the one going through it.  Trouble has a way of adding wrinkles to the face and grey hair to the head.  They can wear us down.  They can make us feel older than we are.  These times have a way of whittling away our youthful energy.  As we focus on the problem ahead, most other interests and or responsibilities seem extremely minor.  The key is to listen to those who are observing.  They can see the grey hair long before we can.  They notice changes because they are not around us as often as we are.  I see myself in the mirror several times in one day.  I don’t notice the subtle changes that are occurring.  But others who do not see me that often, do. They notice the weight gained or lost.  They notice how tired we look.  They notice we are not what we used to be.  These are observations designed to help us realize where we are and the changes that need to take place.  Listen to them.  They do not mean to make these observations to make us feel bad.   They make them because they are aware, concerned, and even shocked.  Rather than take offense, we can thank God others see what we cannot.  Whether we are in need because of our own sin (as in Israel above) or by trials of faith or persecution, the observation is meant as a motive for change.