Disclaimer: This is purely fiction, and a Bible Verse story from Hosea 8:3- Israel hath cast off the thing that is good
He thought running away could solve his problem.
At least it did when two police officers ran after him in the Neighbourhood. He was just seventeen when he burgled a rich man’s house.
Holding his right thigh with the left hand, he breathes out slowly as his eyes scanned the environs for his pursuers. One of them had a spear in his hand and the other a golf stick.
He had not stolen from anyone, at least not in weeks. Why were they running after him? Why? He muttered annoyingly.
“Run after him,” he heard one of them speak as Benjamin took to his heels cursing.
They should free him now, he hadn’t stolen anything from them or had he that he couldn’t remember?
“Aish” he shouted
“Stop chasing…” he couldn’t complete his words when one of his foot dashed against a stone, and he fell.
He screamed out loud from his sleep, jerking up from the bed.
“Damn, it was just a dream,” he hissed, rising from the bed. After a few steps to the kitchen, he suddenly hit his head against the wall.
“What the.,” he screamed, touching his forehead when he felt blood dripped.
Benjamin rushed back into his room to pick up one of his clothes to clean up the mess. A sharp pain surged through his body, and he couldn’t help but curse.
Was one fall in the dream not enough?
Why must the same weird occurrence happen to him every day? The other time, he fell from the bike on the bridge; it was sheer luck he survived, for a bus drove with high speed.
Searching through the drawer beside the bed, he brought out the cotton bud and ointment.
“Just why,” he muttered, looking at the injury through the bedside mirror.
A call came in while he tended to his wound, he picked up the phone on the bed.
RELATED: Read this story on Isaiah 51:16
“Yes”
“What happened, Benjamin?”
“What do you mean?” he asked, wondering if his friend had some inner power he wasn’t aware of, did he know he was injured?
“Have you read the news, Benji?” another voice broke in, it was Chris speaking.
“No, I haven’t; what could be wrong?”
“Guy, go check am.”
“I can’t now; I sustained an injury.”
“Injured? How did it happen, and where were you injured?”
“On my forehead, I was going to the kitchen this morning.”
“Forehead,” they all exclaimed.
“Guys, what happened? Can’t I be injured on the forehead?”
“Benjamin, what happened exactly? Tell us the truth; we are friends, oo,” Noah asked.
“What truth for damn sake? I told you the truth,” he couldn’t understand what they meant.
“Is that true? Check the news, Benjamin. Your face is everywhere.”
“My face, what for?” he asked.
“Do you remember Mina? The one you sexually assaulted two days ago?”
“Yes, I know her; and what do you mean I sexually assaulted her, were you guys not involved also?”
“We didn’t do anything,” Noah said in defense.
Benjamin hissed, sitting on the bed, “So, what is the news about?”
“Mina is dead.” Chris let out the truth
“What do you mean, Mina is dead?” Benjamin slowly asked. He saw the girl yesterday. How did that happen so fast?
“Okay, what has that got to do with me?”
“She was found dead in her apartment this morning, and apparently, she was holding your picture, and you had a mark on your forehead in it.”
“Ehn ehn,” he still couldn’t understand them.
“Benjamin, you are charged to have killed her because of that. The police also saw the threat letter you sent her months ago, and that girl had a recording about the day you forcefully slept with her.” Noah explained
“But-“
“I saw Mina yesterday.”
“Everything looked so perfect; Mina wrote a letter before her death that she met you yesterday, and still, you raped her again.”
“Haha, guys come now. That’s absurd na; Haba. Who wrote this story?” he lamented.
“Check the news, but why did you have to be injured on the forehead today of all days? Just why were you not careful? You know how adamant the enemy cult wants to eliminate you.”
“Shit, damn it,” Benjamin cursed, slamming the ointment on the floor.
What was this?
Would he be going to jail for a crime he never committed?
He touched his forehead; the cut was deep, just like it was in the picture.
Benjamin shivered. “How could this be possible? How” he shouted
He heard a knock on his door, he tiptoed towards the door peeing through the glass but couldn’t find anyone. He waited for some seconds when he heard the knock again, this time it was louder, but no one was there.
What was happening to him?
Was he delusional?
He held unto the doorknob tightly, but the sound against his door was continuous.
“Who is there?” he shouted.
“Benjamin, are you okay?” The Sunday school teacher asked. The other students in the class were giggling; he had jerked off from his sleep, afraid.
Thank Goodness, it was a dream.
He was scared.
“I am sorry, Uncle,” he apologized with his head bowed in shame.
“Don’t worry; just read Hosea 8:3 for us.”
Benjamin picked up his Bible on the desk flipping through “Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.”
“Okay, sit down, but don’t sleep again.”
Benjamin raised his right hand, and the teacher asked, ” What’s wrong?”
“Uncle, what is the thing that is good Israel cast off?”
His uncle smiled, ” Israel turned away from the truth of God’s word; they went abhorring after other gods, and God gave them over unto their enemies.”
“But, is that applicable to us?”
“Of course, Benjamin, when you know the truth of God’s word, and willfully sins against God. God has a way of chastising his children. He gives room for the enemy to overcome us; to teach us a lesson.”
“Why would God do that? He is supposed to be a kind father” Everyone in the class nodded in agreement with his opinion.
“Just as your earthly father scolds you for disobeying him, God does the same”
“Maybe, that’s what happened to me in the dream? But that was too much na, I was scared,” Benjamin muttered to himself.
“Did you say something, Benjamin?” his uncle asked.
“It is nothing Uncle,” he smiled.
“Okay, sit down.”
And he did.
The Word of God is clear and instructive; let us not be like Israel who went after other gods, setting up idols in their heart and disobeying God. They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if it so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.( Hosea 8:7)
That verse explains about the fruitless effort of a backsliding christian and a sinner; all is in vain if we stray away from God’s commandment.
We are called to be lights in the world, let us not follow after the world and its seemingly alluring pleasures. If we do, we are invariably casting off that which is good. May God help us. Amen
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