Thurs.’s Devo - Isreal’s Return from Idolatry

Read: Hosea 1:1-3:5; 1 John 5:1-21; Psalm 124:1-8; Proverbs 29:5-8 Hosea was a prophet who lived during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah and Jehoash of Israel. *** At the beginning of his ministry, the Lord told him to go and marry a prostitute. Some of her children would be conceived in prostitution. This was to be a picture of what Israel had done to the Lord by worshipping other gods. *** Hosea married Gomer and she became pregnant with a son. The Lord named him Jezreel which means “it shall be sown of God” to represent what he was going to do to punish King Jehu’s dynasty. Jehu had murdered Jezebel at Jezreel. God would also end Israel’s independence by defeating their military in the Jezreel Valley. *** Gomer then had a daughter and God said to name her Lo-ruhamah, which means “Not loved”. God would no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them. But, he would show love to the people of Judah. He would free them from the power of their enemies with his power. *** Gomer became pregnant again and had a son. The Lord named him Lo-ammi which means “Not my people”. God was proclaiming that Israel was not his people and he was not their God. *** God said that the day would come when Israel would be so many they would be uncountable. At the same place that God had declared they were not his people, God would say they were children of the living God. Judah and Israel would unite and come together. They would come together like his son and daughter. *** God described Israel as a prostitute that ran after other lovers but could’t catch them. She would become so destitute that she would return to her husband, the Lord, who gave her everything. She had given all God had given her to Baal. *** God would take back all her gifts and provision he had given her and leave her stripped and naked. Everything she depended on would be taken from her. God would then speak to her and woe her back and give her hope. She would call the Lord her husband once again and he would give her peace and safety. He would make her his wife forever and show her his righteousness and justice and unfailing love and compassion. She would be faithful to him and he would make them his own people. They would come to know him as the Lord. *** God told Hosea to go and find his wife and love her again even though she had left him for another lover. Hosea bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and five bushels of barley and a measure of wine. He told her she had to live in his house and stop her prostitution. She would not have sexual relations with anyone, not even Hosea. This would represent the time when Israel would nave no king or any way to sacrifices or worship the Lord. They would return and devote themselves to the Lord. “In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the Lord and of his goodness.” *** John tells us that loving God means loving each other and keeping God’s commands and they are not suppose to be a burden to us. We defeat evil with our faith. God gave us three witnesses to who Jesus was. The first was his baptism when God called out from heaven to say this was his son. The second was his death on the cross and the third was the Holy Spirit who God gave on Pentecost. He reminds us what Jesus says and leads us. God chose to give us eternal life through his Son. He hears us when we ask for things and will give us what we need. *** John speaks of a sin that leads to death and sins that can be repented of. God’s children do not practice sinning because God holds them in his hand and the evil one can’t get to them. The whole world is under the control of the evil one, but we aren’t! We live in fellowship with Christ. *** Thank you for calling us your children and fellowshipping with us. Thank you for the love and security we have in You. May our light shine today in the earth.