Tues.’s Devo - Hosea

Read: Hosea 1:1-3:5; 1 John 5:1-21; Psalm 124:1-8; Prov. 29:5-8 Hosea prophesied during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekieah were kings in Judah and Jeorboam was king in Israel. At the beginning of Hosea’s ministry, God told him to marry a prostitute and have some children born out of her prostitution. Hosea chose Gomer as his wife. Their relationship would illustrate to the people how Israel had acted toward God. *** Gomer became pregnant and God told Hosea to name the son Jezebel. God was going to begin to punish the dynasty of Jehu for the murders he committed at Jezebel. God was bringing an end to Israel’s independence. Its military power would be brought down in the Jezebel Valley. *** Gomer became pregnant again and had a daughter. God said she would be called Lo-ruhamah which means “not loved”. God would no longer show love to the people of Judeah. He would not longer free them from their enemies in war. *** Gomer had another son and he was to name him Lo-ammi which means “not my people” for Israel is not Gods people and God was not their God. *** Israel would become a great populous nation and at the place where God said they were not his people, it would be said that they were his people. Then Judah and Israel would unite as one and choose one leader. They would drop the “Lo” from their names and become “loved” and “his people”. *** To Israel, God said for her to take off all her idyllic symbols and repent. If she refused, then God would leave her to die in her spiritual wasteland. Israel didn’t remember that it was the Lord who blessed her and made her great. She forgot him and followed after Baal instead. *** But, the Lord would win her back and she would claim the Lord as her God. GOd would make a covenant with the wild animals so they wouldn’t hurt them and he would remove their weapons of war from the land. Ashe would be his wife forever. God would plant a new crop of Israelite and God would love the as His people. God told Hosea to go and buy his wife out of prostitution and love her again as a sign, He told Gomer she had to stay in his house and stop her prostitution. She was not to have sex with anyone, even him for a time. This was to show that Israel would go a long time without a king, but one day, they would return. In the last days they would tremble in awe of the Lord and his good ness. *** John continues his teaching on love. Going God means that we keep his commandments. Every child of God defeats evil with his faith. We have been given three witnesses that Jesus Christ is the Son of God - the Spirit, the water and the blood. God’s Spirit came visibly upon Jesus at his baptism in water. Jesus shed his blood on the cross. God himself testified about his son many times with voices from heaven ad all the words of the prophets. *** If we believe in Jesus Christ, we can have confidence in our salvation. We can know that he hears and answers our prayers. *** John talks about a sin that leads to death which is entering. As God’s children we will not have to worry about that. We don not make a practice of sinning because we re being held in Jesus’ hands. *** Lord, may we keep away from anything that might try to take the place of God in our hearts.