November 16-20, 2009

Sorry folks! This was scheduled to post last Friday. I'm not sure why it didn't!!! Please forgive the delay.




The people of Israel mingle with godless foreigners, making themselves as worthless as a half-baked cake. Worshiping foreign gods has sapped their strength, but they don’t even know it. Their hair is gray, but they don’t realize they’re old and weak. Hosea 7:8-9







As we continue our journey with Hosea, we look around and wonder what country we are in. The people of Israel don’t look much different than the nations that surround her. She continues to adopt the appearance of the nations she has adjoined herself to. God’s promise to leave them to their selves and let them suffer their own destruction is no idle threat!!! The only way they will ever see that they did not become a nation and obtain their land in their own strength is to remove His powerful hand and let them fall flat on their face!

On Tuesday we listen to God reminisce about His son Israel. He remembers the love He felt for him when He brought him out of Egypt. He remembers the days in the wilderness when He taught him how to walk. He remembers being a loving Father and putting food and provisions on his table. But now all He sees is an ungrateful son who has forsaken the ways of His Father to walk the ways of the wicked. Any parent who has ever had a child intentionally choose the wrong path can relate to the heartache God speaks with. God has come to the place that He will no longer run interference for Israel. They are guilty and they will bear the pain of their own sin. No more bail money!!! No more begging and pleading! God clearly lets them know that they are on their own!!!!

But on Wednesday we are reminded of how loving and forgiving YHWH, the God of Israel is. If they will return, confess and acknowledge their sins, He will heal, love and bless them again. The God of heaven and earth will continue to reign on His throne. He is not going any place. If they want Him, they know where to find Him and the path it takes to get there!

As we discover the characteristic of the leaders and people of the northern kingdom, we recognize the face of our world today. The love of partying and the pride of how much booze one can hold are their sordid marks of respect. God clearly tells them that the first time He spoke was to give them rest, but the second time He speaks will to show them justice and righteousness. He speaks of placing a Cornerstone by which all others must be measured if they desire to understand God’s standards.

Thursday is a day of great sadness. The northern kingdom of Israel meets her fate. Those who survive the siege by Assyria live on, only to be carried off into exile. The land would have become completely overrun had it not been for Tiglath-pileser’s civilian replacement policy. But we quickly learn that these foreign substitutes are made aware that, although God’s people are no longer in the land, the God of Israel still remains. The priest who was sent back to teach the new inhabitants the ways of YHWH, the God of Israel, is unable to eradicate the mixture in the land. It is obvious that he held on to the teachings of Jeroboam and the sacred cows! All he could do was to teach what he knew. Tradition is a powerful stronghold!!!

The Samaritans of Jesus time were a direct result of this mixture. Not only did they mingle their religions, they mingled their blood. If all were going well in Israel these half-breeds would claim their Jewish roots, if not, they held their Assyrian roots up as a banner. Later on, when the Jews returned from captivity, the returning Jews despised these Samaritans.

On Friday we meet up again with our friend Isaiah. Isaiah is a man who doesn’t hold back. He is one of those preachers who knows how to paint a vivid picture using words that cut to the quick. “A dumb ox or a stupid ass is smarter than you people of Judah and Jerusalem!” In spite of the unwillingness of the people to hear the message, Isaiah continues to outline the road to repentance. God refuses to listen to their empty prayers! If they want to find Him, they are going to have to do more than lip service! Repentance is shown by the willingness to learn to do good and to seek justice. In other words, true repentance is proven by our actions!

Isaiah gives us a glimpse of the last days. He speaks of the time when Messiah will sit in the Temple in Jerusalem and the nations of the world will desire to come and learn His ways. This passing glance not only continues to give hope to the nation of Israel today, it is a hope we Christians can fix our gaze upon. We have yet to see this promise fulfilled and in the midst of this world of sin and turmoil, we too can hold on to the promise of the coming Messiah who will establish His kingdom in righteousness and truth. As Paul once said, “If the cutting off of the Jews brought glory, how much more glory will there be when they are grafted back in?” God has promised them and us that the day of Messiah’s reign will come. As we look at the news and the events that are happening around us, all we can say is, “Even so, Lord Jesus COME!!!”