Unpopular Worship
True worship of God is unpopular in many paradigms of our society. In the book of Hosea God says: Do not rejoice, O Israel; do not be jubilant like the other nations. And the reason God said that was because rejoicing was to be reserved for those who truly worshiped God. Rejoicing is a key mark of the people in true worship of Yahweh. But just like today, in Hosea’s day his worship made him unpopular — like Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 9:6 it reads (NIV): You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,” declares the LORD.
We’re entering a time when it takes courage to worship God in truth. But more than that, it takes a ‘steadfast love’ – a dominant theme of the book of Hosea.