In verse 4 of chapter 13, even amidst the prophecies of destruction, we hear the tender heart of the God who has watched over Israel for so long: ‘I am the Lord your God… I knew you in the wilderness ..’  Yet Israel has taken God’s abundant provision, become prosperous and then promptly forgotten from whence her prosperity came!

God’s passionate and frustrated cry continues in v 9:’Your help is from me!  I will be your King; where is any other?’  Wake up Israel, says God.  Look at the facts.  What happened when you got the king you so desperately wanted so that you could be like the other nations?  Did he save you?  We are reminded that Saul, far from delivering the Israelites from the Philistines, came himself to a tragic and God-forsaken end at their hands. So much for the ability of earthly rulers to save and protect the nation.

From being a ‘fruitful vine’, the picture of Israel in verse 15 and 16 is one of a dry, barren wilderness, made desolate by an invading oppressor (which was to be the Assyrian army).

The book concludes with the clarion call of God’s merciful voice to Israel again: ‘O Israel, return to the Lord your God’.   How long-suffering is this God, always creating opportunities for us to repent and turn back to Him.  He even tells them how:  ‘Take words with you, and return to the Lord.  Say to Him, ‘Take away all iniquity, receive us graciously’’ (14 v 2).  How quickly would Israel’s fruitfulness be restored v. 5 – 7.

Similarly, for us.   Sin is not an issue for God where there is repentance.  Jesus died so that our sins could be forgiven.  Hosea ends with an encouragement to learn from and to walk in God’s righteous ways.

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Today:  is there an area in our life where we need ‘to take words with us and return to the Lord’?  We need to tell God exactly what it is we are sorry about and repent.  Our enemy loves the darkness and likes sin to stay covered and vague in the shadows of our thinking.  Sometimes simply confessing our sin out loud and giving it a name can help us be free from its power.

At one end of the continuum, parents can have such love for their children, they have a change of heart (vv 8-9); but, at the other end, the frustration turns into anger and results in a broken relationship which never heals.  And there are various relational positions in between because children aren’t perfect and nor are parents!

With our perfect Heavenly Father, v 9 sums up His love for us: “I will not carry out my fierce anger … for I am God, and not man – the Holy One among you.”

God’s heart is for us, not against us – whatever we have done (Chapter 12).   But, we must turn back to Him (12:6); maintain love and justice, and wait for God always.  That’s the challenge!  Rebellious children do not like admitting failure or turning back to their parents for help and advice.  My dear Christian mother-in-law used to say ‘a child can be its own worst enemy’.

The prodigal son is a reminder, too, of a loving father who just longs for his son to give up the rebellious life, to admit his need of support and security within a family.  All the money in the world will not bring us the security a loving family can bring (Chapter 12:8-9).  That’s why our Christian (Spiritual) family is so important to help us along the way and why it is so wonderful to belong to an all-age church.

What has our perfect Father God done about His rebellious children over the years?  He sent Jesus to bring us back to Him.  Allelulia!

The passage from Proverbs today, finishes with the wise words for Christian parents (22:6) “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”  Amen

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Thank you, Father God, that when we were still far off you met us in your Son Jesus and brought us home.  May I turn to you daily for help and guidance from your Holy Spirit.  Amen.

And – people of God – do not rejoice like unbelievers (Hos 9:1).  Oh dear, this reinforces much of the unbeliever’s general view of the church – ‘miserable, party poopers!’

How does this equate with Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always?  Clearly it shows the difference in rejoicing without God, in our rebellion and sinfulness, and humbly rejoicing with and in Him, as forgiven sinners.  Jesus was punished for the sins of all mankind, so that His church might ‘party’.

We have a lot to celebrate – the forgiveness of our sins and wickedness through Jesus and the Holy Spirit’s strength within to help us lead different lives in obedience to God’s will.  This is not about us, but about Him – the sinless Saviour was punished for our sins.  Doesn’t that produce humility?  (Hosea 10:13 warns against depending on our own strength.)

As I write this I am involved with a friend in Open the Book in Ashill Primary School (listening and learning from Bible stories) and the national curriculum theme generally for the Spring half term is ‘humility’.  The children are learning the importance of discipline, obedience and listening to one another – difficult enough for us adults, let alone lively children.  Loving discipline, rather than punishment, produces humility.

We do well to remember that Jesus disciplined in love and did not advocate condemnation and punishment. Unlike in Hosea’s time, the Saviour left plenty of room for grace amidst all manner of ‘sins’, including all those mentioned in Hosea.

What did Jesus say to the woman caught in adultery when everybody around wanted her stoned to death?  “I do not condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.”

The difference in the teaching of Jesus is not external punishment, but internal self-control from the power of the Holy Spirit.  The fruit of the Holy Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  We have a responsibility to live Holy Spirit filled lives as these two chapters in Hosea remind us – we have been chosen to bear the life of Christ (humility) within us.

So, church is not to be a ‘jolly’, but a place of conviction, repentance and celebration.  There is a difference.

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Father God, I thank you that even though I often deserve punishment, your grace does not condemn me, but brings me to my knees in repentance and humility as I rejoice in Your forgiveness and love.  May I live a life of celebration to Your praise and glory.  In, Jesus’ name.  Amen.

God is watching not only the good things, but the struggles, battles and disappointments, too.   We have a little scroll hanging on the wall where we gather to eat and chat at home which says “Christ is the head of this house, the unseen guest at every meal, the silent listener to every conversation.”  I sometimes forget He is listening to every conversation and sees everything I do, but mostly it reminds me of His presence which is a very good thing.  I can so easily get drawn into worldly views and ways and leave Jesus out of the conversation.

Ephraim was as much a Kingdom ‘person’ then, as you and me today.  So what about Ephraim?  A bit of a disappointment it seems.  All through the history of the Bible, God’s people let Him down – and we still do, hence the need of the Saviour Jesus to bring forgiveness; and more of His Holy Spirit to strengthen and help us.  The people of God seem to make a good start, then go astray – watch out for the enemy who prowls around like a lion waiting to devour us (1Pet 5:8).  Watch out for the Good Shepherd who longs to gather us together and guide us (Hos 8:10 and cf Mt 23:37).

Hosea warns us, in no uncertain terms, that when trouble comes we are to ‘cry out to Him from our hearts, not wail upon our beds’: relationship, not isolation.

Chapter 8:11 has a particular warning to watch out for:  “Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning.”  We need to keep our homes and lives free of the things which might draw us away from God and His ways.  Chapter 7:9 had already said we should watch out that the world does not ‘sap our strength’.

A final warning:  Psalm 105:23-26 – The Lord made His people very fruitful, but His enemies were still around, conspiring against His servants.  Watch out!

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Father God, I thank you that you watch out for me, but more importantly I pray that I would increasingly watch out for You, in and through Jesus and Your Holy Spirit.   Amen.

The people had shifted from God to being absorbed in self-gratifying activities.  As was mentioned yesterday, true faith in God brings results in Godly behaviour.  The people of Israel were quite horrible to each other; their behaviour was not God-honouring.  God told them he wanted them to show mercy to each other.  The Hebrew word for mercy is chesed which translates as “loving kindness”.  “Loving kindness” implies loyalty to God in this context out of a sense of love and gratitude, and this in turn is to be expressed in compassionate, righteous behaviour.

Does your behaviour equal those standards?  “Mercy” is not a weak word.  The mercy, or loving kindness that God desires from us his people, is a bold, positive, and self-giving love.  If all our networking and interactions with each other consistently demonstrated these principles, many of our church communities would be so much more attractive to those as yet outside the kingdom of God.  The perfect example of this self-giving love is of course our Lord Jesus, who was the champion of the poor and the outcast.  Wherever he went, he demonstrated loving kindness to those in need.  How blessed we are to have his words, his walk and wisdom to follow.  There are many people in great need in our society.  Sometimes their needs are not obvious, but as we give ourselves time to talk and befriend people, we will discover many opportunities to demonstrate the loving kindness of God, his chesed.

Paul frequently reminded the early Christians about their behaviour, and how they should treat each other.  Society hasn’t changed much!  We need to have these words of Paul imprinted in our minds and hopefully therefore, our behaviour!  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control” (Galatians 5:22).

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Dear Father God, thank you for your mercy to me.  I realise my behaviour sometimes lacks your mercy.  Please forgive me.  I trust you to change me to be more fruitful for Jesus’ sake, Amen.

From chapter 4, Hosea and his family are not mentioned again, but the witness of the way he handled his marriage continues to influence the rest of his book.  Israel sank into deeper depravity.  Again, the prophet speaks God’s message: -  “The Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no faithfulness, love, pity and mercy or knowledge of God in the Land” (Hosea 4:1 – Amplified Version).  What a terrible state to be in!  Can you imagine being in a place where there is no faithfulness, love, pity, mercy or knowledge of God?  This is undoubtedly the pit of depravity.

Genuine faith in God produces a desire to be obedient to his standards.  However, the people’s behaviour witnessed to a lost faith in God.  It has been suggested that the prostitution of Israel’s religion led to literal prostitution, and paganism brought sexual degradation and the disintegration of law and order.  Even the priests feathered their own nests, failing to make God’s laws known.

It must have been hard for any faithful believers who tried to continue worshipping God and keeping his laws, like Hosea.  Perhaps you have experienced the pain of your family rejecting God’s faithful love when you have spoken, or demonstrated it to them.  Psalm 105 comforts us in the knowledge that all is not lost.  We must always remember that God is sovereign, and ultimately has a perfect plan for mankind.  Take Joseph for example, sold as a slave and imprisoned because his brothers rejected him.  However, even in prison God’s word to Joseph proved true, and his promotion to high authority enabled the rescue of his family.  This is another picture encouraging us to trust God, for out of seeming disaster there comes good and blessing.  God’s plan finally to send Jesus his only son to earth to die so that we can have a right relationship with him, really is overwhelming love.  Are you fully aware of his faithfulness to you?

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Dear Father God,  I thank you for your plan and purpose of salvation.  Thank you for giving me new life through Jesus, and for your absolute faithfulness to me.  Amen.

Hosea’s life was a sad one, characterized by tragedy.  The first section of his book is personal -  a narrative recording his life with an adulterous wife, Gomer.  This parallels God’s relationship with an unfaithful nation, Israel.  God tells Hosea to marry Gomer and they have three children, all of whom are given symbolic names that conveyed messages about the fate of the nation.  Hosea’s love for Gomer was repeatedly rejected as she continued in prostitution.  It is hard to imagine the hurt and humiliation Hosea suffered as he repeatedly brought Gomer back home. His faithfulness and love for her was an example of how God loved Israel, and Hosea invites us to catch a glimpse of God’s love for us.

Israel was in a state of anarchy at this time, for in its entire history there had not been one godly king.  Hosea’s world was one of idolatry and immorality.  Even the priests accepted, and encouraged the perpetuation of sinful behaviour.  It was common practice to worship Baal (the Canaanite fertility god), thinking that he was the one responsible for good crops and harvests.  Even as God, through Hosea, gave the people the opportunity to repent, they rejected him and thus punishment came on them.

There are many virtues to be admired in marriage, but faithfulness is the most important.  Just as Hosea was deeply wounded by Gomer’s unfaithfulness, so God was deeply hurt by Israel’s neglect of him.  In all our relationships we risk being hurt, not only by each other but by the tragedies, illnesses and dark events of life.  God’s great unconditional love is still the same.  He is as faithful and committed to us as he was in Hosea’s day.  His everlasting arms are always open wide to welcome us back.  We cannot always live on the mountain top, enjoying the views and exhilaration of reaching the peak.  Life and its challenges have to be faced.  When we know the love of Jesus and his presence in our lives, we experience God’s faithfulness knowing that ultimately “all will be well”.

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Why don’t you use these words as your prayer in thanking God for his faithfulness to you: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22 & 23).

However, there is hope for those who are true followers of the Lord.  To those that tremble at God’s word, to comfort and encourage them, the Lord will appear and this will be to the joy of the humble believer but to the confusion of persecutors and hypocrites (66:7-17).

They will be sent to the Gentiles in other nations (66:19).  Those Gentiles will then bring back the remnant to the Lord (66:20).   And even though they are not true Levites they will be deemed priests of the Lord (66:21).

The Lord then declares that all mankind will bow before Him in the new heavens and earth, ending with a picture of hell and the everlasting torment for the enemies of the Lord (66:24).

It is as if Isaiah is saying right at the end of his long prophecy: if the vision of God as a King does not compel you to follow Him; if the idea of God as a sin-bearing sacrificial Servant does not motivate you to fall to your knees in worship; if the concept of God as a Conqueror and Victor does not inspire you to love Him; then at least let the fear of everlasting death without hope, with no love, hidden from the face of God, force you to quake before Him and turn to Him in penitence and faith.

Now read Psalm 105:1-11 as a praise to His Word in Isaiah 66.

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Dear Father, thank you for saving me.  Keep me humble and pure in my worship to you and my life here on Earth.  Grant my desire not to be a false worshipper but to be one who worships in Spirit and Truth in true fellowship with You through the example and mercy of Jesus and the implementation of the Holy Spirit.  May I always love You and never turn from Your ways.  Amen

Verses 6-15 give a measured account of how His people will suffer for their turning away; for their sins and the sins of their fathers (65:7).  However His chosen people will survive His wrath and they will live in Sharon and the Valley of Achor (65:10) which was near Jericho.  It is worth noting here that those Israelites who do not recognise the Lord will die in the same way as God’s enemies because they chose to act against God’s will (65:11-15).  No longer are the people of Israel guaranteed the Lord’s protection if they choose to fall away.

Verse 16 offers the opportunity for repentance and God’s forgiveness for those who make a decision to turn back to Him and are promised that “past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes.”  What a promise this was and still is for us today!

From verse 7 through to 25 we are given a glimpse of a new heaven and a new earth.  Take time to read these verses and imagine just what it will be like for Jerusalem to be ‘a delight’, for all people to be ‘a joy,’ for all infants to live, never to ‘toil in vain,’ to be ‘blessed by the Lord,’ to see ‘the wolf and lamb feed together,’ to see ‘the lion eat straw’ and the serpent rendered harmless.

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I thank you Lord that you are the God of Truth and you are true to your promises.  Help me not only to stay close to you, but to find ways of leading others to see Jesus as The Way, The Truth and The Life.  Father, time is short and your will is for all people to turn to you. I pray that you will give me the opportunities, the words – Your words – to say to others who are lost in this world right now.  In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Isaiah then goes into prayer for the rest of Chapter 63 and the whole of Chapter 64.  The key theme is asking God to bring about the redemption He has promised.  Beginning with praise for all that God has done for His people (63:7-9), especially under the leadership of Moses, he then accepts that the people were rebellious and turned away, unable to find their way back to Him.  From 63:15 Isaiah prays passionately for mercy and pardon, reminding God that He is their Father and they are His people; and cries out to Him not to be silent (63:19).

Isaiah’s lament continues with passion as he cries:

.’…O Lord, you are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.’ (64:8)

Has Isaiah written these passages for us today?  Can you see Chapter 64 as a plea for revival?

If you can, pray the whole of Chapter 64 out loud purposefully to God now as a prayer for revival, with passion and love for our Nation!   Then allow the Holy Spirit to take you into a time of prayer and meet with Him; reminding Him that He has called you by name and leaving time for Him to speak to you.

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Lord, I thank you for the times I can draw close to you and empty my heart of all that I feel.  May Your Name be praised forever!

Perhaps finish by taking in some wise advice from Proverbs 21:17-26.  Why not remember just one of these verses and meditate on it at various points during the day.