Author Archive for: meiling

Hosea 4:1-2 (NIV)
1 Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. 2 There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Here in Hosea 4 Joel describes the way God saw the people of Israel and their priests — as nothing but sinners (v1-2), given to unfaithfulness and idolatry (v12-13, v17), hurt and hurting one another, lovers of evil (v18), unsatisfied (v10), stubborn (v16), stumbling (v5), rejected by God (v6), and wasting away (v3). Let this chapter be a reminder that until Jesus Christ came and reversed our fortunes, Hosea 4 was our destiny too. If it were not for Jesus, Hosea 4 is a perfect description of how God would see us today.

Today’s passage is Hosea 3:1-5.  It contains a powerful lesson for us as we begin our fast together.  Open your Bible, click on the above Scripture link or check out your GAME booklet to read today’s passage.  Let’s go!

First, God’s love for you is unconditional (v1).  We see God’s unconditional love in verse 1 where it says “the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes” (v1).

To illustrate His unconditional love, God tells the prophet Hosea to love his wife, though she had cheated on him, with that same unconditional love: “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress.  Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites” (v1).

Hi GAMErs,

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

On verses 14-23:  After describing in previous verses how God wanted to punish Israel for their unfaithfulness to Him, Hosea now goes on to describe the amazing, forgiving, second-chance-giving love that God extends to Israel.  From these verses we can learn 12 ways that God loves you and me.

1. 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.

Today’s passage is Hosea 2:1-13.  Let’s go!

Hosea 2:1 (NIV)  “Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’ 

Verse 1:  This verse fits in more with the contents of chapter 1 than with chapter 2.  At the end of chapter 1 Hosea describes how God will show His people amazing grace and mercy and restore them after they have cheated on Him.  Verse 1 here is part of that restoration. 

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 1:2-3 (NIV) 
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.” 3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.