Prayer: Father, open my eyes to see what You want me to glean from Hosea and Your message through him to Israel. Amen.
Bible Project: Book of Hosea Summary | Watch an Overview Video (bibleproject.com)
Reading: Hosea 1 key: vs. 1-2 The word of Adonai that came to Hosea son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel. When Adonai first spoke with Hosea, Adonai said to Hosea: “Go, get yourself a prostitute as a wife and children with a prostitute! For the land is an unfaithful prostitute, far from following after Adonai.” TLV
Attention: Throughout my journey with God, I have always been taught that Hosea is one of the minor prophets. I did some investigation and found that Hosea is the “first book of the Hebrew Bible called the Book of the Twelve, named after its prophetic hero. The small prophetic books that make up this section frequently are designated Minor Prophets. This title is not an assessment of worth but a description of size as compared to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel,” the focus of our study since January 1st.
We establish from the beginning of Hosea’s writings; he is a literal prophet who lived during specific reigns of kings of Judah and Israel. I subscribe that since we are dealing with a literal prophet who served during the reigns of literal kings, we treat the command of God as literal too. He was commanded to marry a prostitute. God’s command was in complete deference to His order to prophets and priests found in our recent study of Ezekiel 44:22 “None may take a widow or a divorced woman as his wife, for they must take virgins of the offspring of the house of Israel or a widow who is the widow of a kohen.” Hosea is a literal, living object lesson to all of Israel and Judah, of their unfaithfulness to God and His enduring love and faithfulness to Israel. “The dominant theme (of Hosea) is covenant fidelity, God’s unrelenting love for His wayward people and Israel’s unreliable love for God.” (information in quotes gathered from the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary).
I can testify of God’s faithfulness during and since my former years of unfaithfulness. My defining moment which exposed my sin of unfaithfulness came from one of my studies of the scriptures during the past 20 years. The passage which brought me to my knees, 2 Timothy 3:1-7. While the complete passage applied to me, verse 5 hit me hard, “holding to an outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people!” I thought I was doing alright in my spiritual walk. The more I read, the more applied. I did not know the man I had lived as in the past years. I repented and have lived a Ruach-directed life since. I am a bond-slave of Yeshua.
I encourage you to evaluate your spiritual walk with Adonai based on 2 Timothy 3. The Holy Spirit has transformed my life. He is in the business of transformation. Repentance will begin the process of transformation in your life too.
Action: I choose to live a Ruach-directed life before God.
Yield: I choose to live a submitted life unto Adonai.
Engaged: I choose to live a spirit directed life engage with the Ruach of God.
Relationship: I choose to live in intimate, submissive, Spirit directed life with Adonai.
Prayer: Father, I thank You for the example of Hosea. I thank You for Your transforming power which took a life like mine and repurposed me for Your kingdom. Amen.
Memory Verse: 2 Timothy 3:1-5 “But understand this, that in the last days hard times will come— for people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, hardhearted, unforgiving, backbiting, without self-control, brutal, hating what is good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to an outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people!” TLV
Music Video: Robin Mark—I Surrender All https://youtu.be/SW8EA7DEQ2M?si=WW1vMrqlDWEbqNcI
Remember, “Abide in Yeshua, today!