Mon.’s Devo - God of Justice

Read: Hosea 10:1-14:9; Jude 1:1-25; Psalm 127:1-5; Proverbs 29:15-17 God said that no matter how much God blessed Israel, she spent her money on beautifying her idols and building more pagan altars. When God destroys their altars, they will say it happened because they had no king to protect them. *** Because they left God, injustice now abounds. They trusted in their golden calf, but it would be carted away to Assyria. They will lose all hope and wish to die. They will be punished by the armies of foreign nations. They will be forced to face their sins. Hosea begs them to exchange their hard hearts for tender hearts of repentance. *** They would be made to eat the fruit of their labor. They had sowed seeds of wickedness and sin and they would reap judgment and shame. *** God reminds them that he is their Father who called them out of Egypt. But, they refused to act as his children. They went after Baal and so they would be made to return to Egypt and serve Assyria. They will live through war and famine. God laments their destruction. He won’t destroy them all, because one day their people will return to him. *** God exposed their hypocrisy. Israel was making alliances with Assyria against Egypt and also buying Egypt’s support against Assyria. Israel had long ago left the Lord and Judah had stayed faithful to the Lord. But, now Judah had also turned from the Lord and was going after false gods. God was going to cause her to live in tents again just like she does during the Feast of Tabernacles. Judah would be sentenced to death for their sins. *** God had delivered them from bondage, but they became prosperous and forgot the Lord. God had given them kings and now was taking them away. Ephraim had been the most prosperous of all and would become barren and dry. *** Hosea begs them one more time to return to the Lord and let him save, heal and forgive them. When they do return to the Lord he will make them prosperous again. *** Jude is one of the most interesting books in the Bible to me. Jude begins by exposing the lies of false teaching which allows them to live in sin because of God’s grace. *** He reminds them of the people God judged: the children of Israel that he rescued from Egypt but refused to be faithful to God; then the angles who came down to earth to procreate with human women in Genesis 6. He reminded them of Sodom and Gomorrah who were filled with immorality and sexual perversion. They were judged with fire. *** In the same way, the teachers of Jude’s day were claiming to have authority given to them in dreams. They defied authority and lived immoral lives. They scoffed at supernatural beings. Even Michael didn’t use his authority to rebuke Satan but did it in God’s name. He did this when he was arguing with Satan about Moses’ body. But, these people were not afraid to boast in authority greater than God. *** Jude accuses the people of his day of being murderers like Cain, extortioners like Balaam, and rebels like Korah. These shameless shepherds had been allowed to eat and fellowship with them but they would only bring them down. *** Enoch had prophesied about these very people. He reminded them that God was coming to judge the world and he would convict them of their sins. These people used flattery and lies to con the people into listening to them. Their only goal was to please themselves and their sinful hearts. *** The goal of godly leaders should be to build up the body in faith. They should feel safe in God’s love and with fellow believers. Those who were mature in the faith were to help those wavering in their faith and draw them out of judgment and into truth. *** Lord, may we be people of righteousness and truth. May we help others to be strong in their faith and feel safe with us and in your love. Thank you for your care and love.