today's meditation (Hos.10) Being Reconciled

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Hosea 10:1-15)
1   Israel is a luxuriant vine;
     He produces fruit for himself.
     The more his fruit,
     The more altars he made;
     The richer his land,
     The better he made the memorial stones.
2   Their heart is deceitful;
     Now they must suffer for their guilt.
     The Lord will break down their altars 
     And destroy their memorial stones.

3   Certainly now they will say, “We have no king,
     For we do not revere the Lord.
     As for the king, what can he do for us?”
4   They speak mere words,
     With worthless oaths they make covenants;
     And judgment sprouts like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.
5   The inhabitants of Samaria will fear 
     For the calf of Beth-aven.
     Indeed, its people will mourn for it,
     And its idolatrous priests will cry out over it,
     Over its glory, since it has left it.
6   The thing itself will be brought to Assyria 
     As a gift of tribute to King Jareb;
     Ephraim will be seized with shame,
     And Israel will be ashamed of its own plan.
7   Samaria will be destroyed with her king,
     Like a twig on the surface of the water.
8   Also the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed;
     Thorns and thistles will grow on their altars;
     Then they will say to the mountains,
     “Cover us!” And to the hills, “Fall on us!”
9   Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, Israel;
     There they stand!
     Will the battle against the sons of injustice not overtake them in Gibeah?
10 When it is My desire, I will discipline them;
     And the peoples will be gathered against them 
     When they are bound for their double guilt.

11 Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh,
     And I passed over her lovely neck;
     I will harness Ephraim,
     Judah will plow, Jacob will harrow for himself.
12 Sow for yourselves, with a view to righteousness;
     Harvest in accordance with kindness.
     Break up your uncultivated ground,
     For it is time to seek the Lord 
     Until He comes and rains righteousness on you.
13 You have plowed wickedness, you have harvested injustice,
     You have eaten the fruit of lies.
     Because you have trusted in your way, in your many warriors,
14 An uproar will arise among your people,
     And all your fortresses will be destroyed,
     As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle,
     When mothers were slaughtered with their children.
15 So it will be done to you at Bethel because of your great wickedness.
     At dawn the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God has created us with a purpose to have a close relationship with Him, to be at peace and have joy and fulfillment.  Only sin stands in our way... which is essentially rejecting God and doing things our own way.  But when we choose God's way, seeking salvation through Jesus, we will be reconciled and restored to God's way and His purpose.  Then, we can start each day with the Lord, with His strength and guidance, allowing Him to work in and through us, to His glory.

today's meditation (Hos.9) Becoming What We Love

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Hosea 9:1-17)

1   Do not rejoice, Israel, with jubilation like the nations!
     For you have been unfaithful, abandoning your God.
     You have loved the earnings of unfaithfulness on every threshing floor.
2   Threshing floor and wine press will not feed them,
     And the new wine will fail them.
3   They will not remain in the Lord’s land,
     But Ephraim will return to Egypt,
     And in Assyria they will eat unclean food.
4   They will not pour out drink offerings of wine to the Lord,
     Nor will their sacrifices please Him.
     Their bread will be to them like mourners’ bread;
     All who eat it will be defiled,
     Because their bread will be for themselves alone;
     It will not enter the house of the Lord.
5   What will you do on the day of the appointed festival 
     And on the day of the feast of the Lord?
6   For behold, they will be gone because of destruction;
     Egypt will gather them together, Memphis will bury them.
     Weeds will take possession of their treasures of silver;
     Thorns will be in their tents.

7   The days of punishment have come,
     The days of retribution have come;
     Let Israel know this!
     The prophet is a fool,
     The inspired person is insane,
     Because of the grossness of your wrongdoing,
     And because your hostility is so great.
8   Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a prophet;
     Yet the snare of a bird catcher is in all his ways,
     And there is only hostility in the house of his God.
9   They are deeply depraved 
     As in the days of Gibeah;
     He will remember their guilt,
     He will punish their sins.

10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness;
     I saw your forefathers as the earliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season.
     But they came to Baal-peor and devoted themselves to shame,
     And they became as detestable as that which they loved.
11 As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird—
     No birth, no pregnancy, and no conception!
12 Though they bring up their children,
     Yet I will bereave them of their children until not a person is left.
     Yes, woe to them indeed when I depart from them!
13 Ephraim, as I have seen,
     Is planted in a pasture like Tyre;
     But Ephraim is going to bring out his children for slaughter.
14 Give to them, Lord—what will You give?
     Give them a miscarrying womb and dried-up breasts.

15 All their evil is at Gilgal;
     Indeed, I came to hate them there!
     Because of the wickedness of their deeds 
     I will drive them out of My house!
     I will no longer love them;
     All their leaders are rebels.
16 Ephraim is stricken, their root is dried up,
     They will produce no fruit.
     Even though they give birth to children,
     I will put to death the precious ones of their womb.
17 My God will reject them 
     Because they have not listened to Him;
     And they will be wanderers among the nations.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

A lot of this sounds so harsh, but the harshness is for those who reject God and continue to love the world and doing things the world's way.  The good news is that we can choose to listen to God and accept Him into our hearts!  He loves us so much that He paid the price for all our sins.  For anyone who believers in Him and humbly confesses their sins, the Lord forgives all of them, for all time, and instead of eternal death, we receive eternal life.  Then, as we love the Lord and do things His way in His strength and guidance, we will become more and more like Him.  We become that which we love.

today's meditation (Hos.8) Being Good

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Hosea 8:1-14)
1   Put the trumpet to your lips!
     Like an eagle the enemy comes against the house of the Lord,
     Because they have violated My covenant 
     And rebelled against My Law.
2   They cry out to Me,
     “My God, we of Israel know You!”
3   Israel has rejected the good;
     The enemy will pursue him.
4   They have set up kings, but not by Me;
     They have appointed officials, but I did not know it.
     With their silver and gold they have made idols for themselves,
     So that they will be eliminated.
5   He has rejected your calf, Samaria, saying,
     “My anger burns against them!”
     How long will they be incapable of innocence?
6   For from Israel comes even this!
     A craftsman made it, so it is not God;
     Assuredly, the calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces.
7   For they sow wind 
     And they harvest a storm.
     The standing grain has no kernels;
     It yields no grain.
     If it were to yield, strangers would swallow it.

8   Israel has been swallowed up;
     They are now among the nations
     Like a vessel in which no one delights.
9   For they have gone up to Assyria,
     Like a wild donkey all alone;
     Ephraim has paid fees for lovers.
10 Even though they pay for allies among the nations,
     I will gather them up now;
     And they will begin to diminish 
     Because of the burden of the king of officials.

11 Since Ephraim has multiplied altars for sin,
     They have become altars of sinning for him.
12 Though I wrote for him ten thousand precepts of My Law,
     They are regarded as a strange thing.
13 As for My sacrificial gifts,
     They sacrifice the flesh and eat it,
     But the Lord has taken no delight in them.
     Now He will remember their guilt,
     And punish them for their sins;
     They will return to Egypt.
14 For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces;
     And Judah has multiplied fortified cities,
     But I will send a fire on its cities, and it will consume its palatial buildings.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God knows and sees everything, and so, will keep an account of sins committed by those who reject the Lord.  These are the people who think that they are "good" enough, and that they can earn their way to heaven.  So in this way, they will be judged.  But no one will enter heaven by their own merits, because it is impossible for anyone to live without sinning.  In order to enter heaven, one must be seen as righteous (in the right... by being right with God).  

God's goodness is holy and perfect.  God is also love and desires that all come to Him.  This is why He went to the cross for us.  So for those who choose to believe in the Lord Jesus, and confess their sins, He forgives all sin and chooses to remember them no more.  This is His amazing grace.  So when we stand before Him as our Judge, Lord and Savior, we will be judged according to our good deeds and rewarded for those done with right motives... with the righteousness of Jesus.

today's meditation (Hos.7) Finding Strength

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Hosea 7:1-16)
1   When I would heal Israel,
     The wrongdoing of Ephraim is uncovered,
     And the evil deeds of Samaria,
     For they practice deception;
     The thief enters,
     A band of robbers attack outside,
2   And they do not consider in their hearts 
     That I remember all their wickedness.
     Now their deeds surround them;
     They are before My face.
3   With their wickedness they make the king happy,
     And the officials with their lies.
4   They are all adulterers,
     Like an oven heated by the baker,
     Who stops stoking the fire 
     From the time the dough is kneaded until it is leavened.
5   On the day of our king, the officials became sick with the heat of wine;
     He stretched out his hand with scoffers,
6   For their hearts are like an oven 
     As they approach their plotting;
     Their anger smolders all night,
     In the morning it burns like flaming fire.
7   All of them are hot like an oven,
     And they consume their rulers;
     All their kings have fallen.
     None of them calls on Me.

8   Ephraim is himself thrown about with the nations;
     Ephraim has become a round loaf not turned over.
9   Strangers devour his strength,
     Yet he does not know it;
     Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him,
     Yet he does not know it.
10 Though the pride of Israel testifies against him,
     Yet they have not returned to the Lord their God,
     Nor have they sought Him, despite all this.
11 So Ephraim has become like a gullible dove, without sense;
     They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
12 When they go, I will spread My net over them;
     I will bring them down like the birds of the sky.
     I will discipline them in accordance with the proclamation to their assembly.
13 Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me!
     Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against Me!
     I would redeem them, but they have spoken lies against Me.
14 And they do not cry to Me from their heart 
     When they wail on their beds;
     For the sake of grain and new wine they assemble themselves,
     They turn against Me.
15 Although I trained and strengthened their arms,
     Yet they devise evil against Me.
16 They turn, but not upward,
     They are like a loose bow;
     Their officials will fall by the sword 
     Because of the insolence of their tongue.
     This will be their derision in the land of Egypt.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

When someone chooses to trust in their own strength, or other men's strength, they will resist going to God because of their self-reliance and stubborn pride.  In trying to gain more leverage and power, they focus on "food and drink"...finances and making allies.  Yet, everything we have is from God, and He is our greatest ally.  

By trying to do everything for oneself in one's own efforts, one won't recognize the real issue - the issue that everyone is sick and needs healing.   The sickness that leads to death is sin.  This sickness needs to be exposed before healing can begin.  Then one will realize that we need God in our lives.  He is the only one who can truly and fully heal us, strengthen us and provide for us.

today's meditation (Hos.6) Having a Personal Relationship

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Hosea 6:1-11) 

1   “Come, let’s return to the Lord.
     For He has torn us, but He will heal us;
     He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.
2   He will revive us after two days;
     He will raise us up on the third day,
     That we may live before Him.
3   So let’s learn, let’s press on to know the Lord.
     His appearance is as sure as the dawn;
     And He will come to us like the rain,
     As the spring rain waters the earth.”

4   What shall I do with you, Ephraim?
     What shall I do with you, Judah?
     For your loyalty is like a morning cloud,
     And like the dew which goes away early.
5   Therefore I have cut them in pieces by the prophets;
     I have slain them by the words of My mouth;
     And the judgments on you are like the light that shines.
6   For I desire loyalty rather than sacrifice,
     And the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
7   But like Adam they have violated the covenant;
     There they have dealt treacherously with Me.
8   Gilead is a city of wrongdoers,
     Tracked with bloody footprints.
9   And as a band of robbers lie in wait for a person,
     So a band of priests murder on the way to Shechem;
     Certainly they have committed an act of infamy.
10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;
     Ephraim’s infidelity is there, Israel has defiled itself.
11 Also, Judah, there is a harvest appointed for you,
     When I restore the fortunes of My people.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God has very specific plans for Israel, which will only be fulfilled after the Tribulation, when they as a nation believes in Jesus, their Messiah.  During the Millennium, the Lord will heal and guide everyone on the earth.  But no matter which "age" one finds themselves living in, God wants to save us, heal and restore us, and nurture us.  God doesn't care how religious a person is, He desires our hearts and having a personal relationship with us!

today's meditation (Hos.5) Turning to God

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Hosea 5:1-15)

1   Hear this, you priests!
     Pay attention, house of Israel!
     Listen, you of the house of the king!
     For the judgment applies to you,
     Because you have been a trap at Mizpah,
     And a net spread out on Tabor.
2   And the rebels have gone deep in depravity,
     But I will discipline all of them.
3   I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me;
     Because now, Ephraim, you have been unfaithful,
     Israel has defiled itself.
4   Their deeds will not allow them 
     To return to their God.
     For a spirit of infidelity is within them,
     And they do not know the Lord.
5   Moreover, the pride of Israel testifies against him,
     And Israel and Ephraim stumble in their wrongdoing;
     Judah also has stumbled with them.
6   They will go with their flocks and herds 
     To seek the Lord, but they will not find Him;
     He has withdrawn from them.
7   They have dealt treacherously with the Lord,
     For they have given birth to illegitimate children.
     Now the new moon will devour them with their land.

8   Blow the horn in Gibeah,
     And the trumpet in Ramah.
     Sound an alarm at Beth-aven:
     “Behind you, Benjamin!”
9   Ephraim will become a desolation in the day of rebuke;
     Among the tribes of Israel I make known what is trustworthy.
10 The leaders of Judah have become like those who displace a boundary marker;
     On them I will pour out My anger like water.
11 Ephraim is oppressed, broken by judgment,
     Because he was determined to follow man’s command.
12 Therefore I am like a moth to Ephraim,
     And like rottenness to the house of Judah.
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness,
     And Judah his sore,
     Ephraim then went to Assyria 
     And sent word to King Jareb.
     But he is unable to heal you,
     Or to cure you of your sore.
14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim 
     And like a young lion to the house of Judah.
     I, yes I, will tear to pieces and go away,
     I will carry away, and there will be no one to rescue.
15 I will go away and return to My place 
     Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face;
     In their distress they will search for Me.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

When someone gets so invested in their sins, it is very difficult for them to walk away from that in order to turn to God and walk with Him.  Even when those lives are deep in misery, despair and darkness - they will still love their sins more than anything else.  Although many people will finally reach their turning point when faced with enough misery.  

Not that anyone has to first hit rock bottom and then become "good enough" in order to approach God.  No one is good enough.  But there is hope and it is never too late!

God wants us to go to Him as we are.  In turning to Him for forgiveness of sins, and desiring to make Him Lord of our lives, He is the one who changes us from the inside out.  And then in our spiritual journey with Him, as we mature, He continues to work in us and through us - because He is faithful!

today's meditation (Hos.4) Walking in His Will

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Hosea 4:1-19) Listen to the word of the Lord, you sons of Israel,

     Because the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land,
     For there is no faithfulness, nor loyalty,
     Nor knowledge of God in the land.
2   There is oath-taking, denial, murder, stealing, and adultery.
     They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3   Therefore the land mourns,
     And everyone who lives in it languishes 
     Along with the animals of the field and the birds of the sky,
     And even the fish of the sea disappear.

4   Yet let no one find fault, and let no one rebuke;
     For your people are like those who contend with a priest.
5   So you will stumble by day,
     And the prophet also will stumble with you by night;
     And I will destroy your mother.
6   My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
     Since you have rejected knowledge,
     I also will reject you from being My priest.
      Since you have forgotten the Law of your God,
     I also will forget your children.

7   The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me;
     I will change their glory into shame.
8   They feed on the sin of My people,
     And long for their wrongdoing.
9   And it will be, like people, like priest;
     So I will punish them for their ways 
     And repay them for their deeds.
10 They will eat, but not have enough;
     They will play the prostitute, but not increase,
     Because they gave up devoting themselves to the Lord.

11 Infidelity, wine, and new wine take away the understanding.
12 My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them;
     For a spirit of infidelity has led them astray,
     And they have been unfaithful, departing from their God.
13 They offer sacrifices on the tops of the mountains
     And burn incense on the hills,
     Under oak, poplar, and terebinth,
     Because their shade is pleasant.
     Therefore your daughters play the prostitute,
     And your brides commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute,
     Or your brides when they commit adultery,
     Because the men themselves slip away with the prostitutes 
     And offer sacrifices with temple prostitutes;
     So the people without understanding are ruined.

15 Though you, Israel, play the prostitute,
     Judah must not become guilty;
     Also you are not to go to Gilgal,
     Nor go up to Beth-aven 
     And take the oath:
     “As the Lord lives!”
16 Since Israel is stubborn 
     Like a stubborn cow,
     Will the Lord now pasture them 
     Like a lamb in a large field?
17 Ephraim is allied with idols;
     Leave him alone.
18 Their liquor is gone,
     They prostitute themselves continually;
     Their rulers dearly love shame.
19 The wind wraps them in its wings,
     And they will be put to shame because of their sacrifices.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

The Lord "has a case against"... anyone who sins.  He is the Judge, and if someone is not found righteous (in the right), then they are guilty and sentenced to eternal death.  But for anyone who chooses to have Jesus as their Advocate and Defender, we are covered in His righteousness.  As believers, we are found right with God, and therefore we will enjoy eternal life in heaven, and freedom from sin and punishment!  

So meanwhile, even from this passage in verse 16, we can be encouraged in knowing that the Lord is our Shepherd.  Faith and trust in Him is demonstrated in our desire to remain close to Him.  And as we strive to walk in His will, He will guide and strengthen us along the way - not in our way - but in His way.

today's meditation (Hos.3) Having a Personal Relationship

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Hosea 3:1-5) Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet is committing adultery, as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” 2 So I purchased her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3 Then I said to her, “You shall live with me for many days. You shall not play the prostitute, nor shall you have another man; so I will also be toward you.” 4 For the sons of Israel will live for many days without a king or leader, without sacrifice or memorial stone, and without ephod or household idols. 5 Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Because of Gomer's adultery, she was no longer considered Hosea's wife.  In order to restore her position according to customary practice, he purchased her and then had her quarantined for a certain number of days.  Remember, after even just menstruating or touching a deceased person, the Israelites were supposed to go through a quarantine period of cleansing.

This all symbolizes the events that Israel was and is going to go through.  The price Hosea paid for Gomer was that of a slave, and the forced seclusion symbolizes Israel's exile.  As for Israel returning to the Lord, that will happen in the Tribulation when they see the signs of His second coming.  And as for the Lord sitting on David's throne as King, that will happen in the Thousand Year Reign.

Having someone go through a time of seclusion or cleansing seems unfair until you consider that we are all sinners deserving death.  And it might seem harsh until we realize that the Lord Jesus came to earth in flesh to suffer and die in our place in order to pay the price for all sin so that we might have eternal life!  In His resurrection, He conquered death!

Just to be clear - we are born as slaves to sin - and Jesus paid for our freedom.  And He paid FAR MORE for us than the price of a slave!!!  Things are so much better with the Lord!  Why would one wait before running to Him, or running back to Him?  God desires to have a personal relationship with everyone.  And He desires to bless us.

(James 1:17)  Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.