(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:
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.
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