They do not cry out to me from their hearts but wail on their beds. They slash themselves, appealing to their gods for grain and new wine, but they turn away from me. – Hosea 7:14

Today's Scripture Reading (April 12, 2026): Hosea 7

Many years ago, I found myself in an argument with a respected engineer. I probably should have admitted defeat from the very beginning, but I waded into the conversation unprepared for what was about to happen. We were talking about the Theory of Evolution. I was admitting where I saw holes in the theory, especially in the idea of a natural movement from simple to complex, or from chaos to order. In every place in nature of which I am aware, the natural movement is in the other direction, from order to chaos. However, I admit that the Theory of Evolution makes sense to me, and we see evidence of this in the natural world. My solution to the problem was a guided evolution, a primary mover whom I call God or Yahweh, you can call him or her or it or them anything you want, who guides the process. It is a natural solution to the problem. A guided evolution could move from chaos to order, which seems impossible any other way.

Somehow, our discussion moved to the concept of theory and law. And my observation was that we have something we call "The Theory of Gravity," which seemed to me more like a proven Law. The concept of Gravity explains why I can walk on Earth, why the planets orbit the sun, and why tides exist. And it explains so much, allowing us to operate and dream of leaving the Earth, and clarifying the difference between Gravity here on our Blue Marble and on the Moon, or even what we might experience on Mars if we decide to go there. Yet, despite the evidence for Gravity's existence and our ability to explain it, it is still labeled as a "theory."

My engineer friend smiled and explained why. He explained that we don't know Gravity exists; we have an explanation that seems to work, but who knows whether it's true. Everything that I attribute to Gravity is more fully explained by "The Law of Repeated Events," which simply states that, under certain circumstances, things that occur one way will always occur that way. I am not sure he sold me on his explanation.

God, speaking through Hosea, speaks about all the ways Israel has tried to handle the life around them. They weep in their beds and slash their flesh. They ask the false gods of the nations for grain and new wine, but all of their actions end in futility. The one thing they don't do is go to the God of their forefathers, yet only He holds the answers to the people's problems. In the end, they brush off the Law of God by calling it just another theory accepted by people living in their sister Kingdom of Judah, but not by them. They are smart enough to know they need to look elsewhere, even when elsewhere isn't working.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Hosea 8