Archive for month: December, 2023

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hosea 2:14-23.  Let’s go!

After describing in previous verses how God wanted to punish Israel for their unfaithfulness to Him, in verses 14-23 Hosea goes on to describe the amazing, forgiving, second-chance-giving love that God extends to Israel.  It’s the picture of a husband forgiving, restoring and receiving back his wife who had been unfaithful to him.
 
From these verses we can learn 12 ways that God loves you and me.  Let’s look at each one specifically.
 
Hosea 2:14 (NIV)
14 “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.

On verse 14:  God’s love takes initiative.  God is a leader and, like a good leader, God takes the initiative.  God will not force Himself upon you, but He does take the first step and waits for you to respond.  He stands at the door and knocks.

Hi GAMErs!

Today we begin the book of Hosea, a book written by the prophet Hosea in approximately 8th century B.C.  Today’s passage is Hosea 1:1-11.  Let’s go!
 
Hosea 1:1-11 (NIV)
1  The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel:
2  When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD.”

On verses 1-11:  Why would God tell Hosea to marry a woman who would be unfaithful to him and raise a family with her?  God was using Hosea’s relationship with Gomer as a real life picture of God’s relationship with the nation of Israel, and ultimately, with us.

By the way, was Gomer already an adulterous woman even before Hosea married her, or did she become adulterous only after Hosea married her?  Modern Bible translations like the New Living Translation describe Gomer as a prostitute (v2), which suggests that Gomer already had a reputation for having extramarital affairs prior to marrying Hosea.  Still, the focus is not on what Gomer did before marrying Hosea but after, as she would later commit adultery while being married to Hosea (see Hosea 3:1).

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Joel 2:18-32.  Let’s go!

Joel 2:18-32 (NIV)
18  Then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people.
19  The LORD will reply to them: ‘I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.
20  ‘I will drive the northern army far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land, with its front columns going into the eastern sea and those in the rear into the western sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise.’ Surely he has done great things.

On verses 18-32:  God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34; 1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6).  We see that here in these verses.  After urging his people to humble themselves through repentance, fasting and praying together (v12-17), Joel now describes what God will do for His people when they humble themselves that way:

– He will have pity on his people (v18)
– He will send them new grain, wine and oil that fully satisfies (v19, v24)
– He will drive out and defeat their enemies (v20)