“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

Hosea 4:6 ESV

This passage teaches that people are destroyed because of a lack of knowledge of God, and it carries a sobering warning—that forgetting His law has consequences not only for us, but also for our children.

Being forgotten by God is one of the most frightening thoughts in life, and as parents, the idea of our children being forgotten is even more heartbreaking. Yet even in this warning, we see the heart of God calling His people back to Him.

The more we become aware of God and understand His sovereignty, the more we will rely on Him for everything. We begin to live with the understanding that He is the Creator, and nothing can stand against His will. Our lives start to function under His light.

The enemy gains an upper hand in our lives only when we remain ignorant of the knowledge of God—when we are kept in a state of darkness. Knowledge of God is not just information; it is relationship, obedience, and walking daily in His truth.

I can relate this to a social system I came from. For generations, certain groups identified as “upper class” dominated opportunities in both public and private sectors. It was rare to see others in white-collar professions—whether as professors, advocates, or in the film industry. Over time, many from other backgrounds began to believe that they were not capable of reaching those places.

But when education began to spread and people were exposed to knowledge, things started to change. Those who were once excluded began to receive opportunities. Their eyes were opened to see that everyone is equal, and that each person, according to their gifts and abilities, can pursue the path set before them. Knowledge gave them the freedom to choose and the courage to rise.

If there had been no intervention, many would have remained in a form of modern-day bondage, deprived of the basic rights they were meant to have.

In the same way, as children of God, we remain in bondage—to sin, to fear, and to darkness—until we come into the knowledge of God and walk in it.

Without His instruction, we are not only in a state of slavery, but we are also on a path toward destruction. Forgetting God comes with a warning—not just for us, but for our children as well.

Yet our God is compassionate. Warnings like these are not meant to push us away, but to draw us closer to Him so that we will not be forgotten.

Scripture reminds us that His thoughts toward us outnumber the sands of the earth. A God like that went so far as to capture our attention by sacrificing His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us and call us His own.

Do not be ignorant of the Word of God and lose the privilege that already belongs to you.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your Word that corrects, warns, and lovingly calls us back to You. Remove every form of ignorance and darkness from our lives. Help us to walk in Your truth daily and remain under Your light. Let not only our lives, but also the lives of our children, be rooted in Your Word and Your ways. Keep us close to You, Lord, and never let us drift away.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.