Tag Archives: Christian devotional

HOSEA 10 BECAUSE YOU HAVE TRUSTED IN YOUR OWN WAY

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December 27

HOSEA 10

11 Ephraim was a trained calf that loved to thresh, and I spared her fair neck;
but I will put Ephraim to the yoke; Judah must plow; Jacob must harrow for himself.
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground,
for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

13 You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies.
Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your warriors,
14 therefore the tumult of war shall arise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle;
mothers were dashed in pieces with their children. 15 Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel, because of your great evil. At dawn the king of Israel shall be utterly cut off.

                                                                     – Hosea 10:11-15

HOSEA 10 BECAUSE YOU HAVE TRUSTED IN YOUR OWN WAY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you continually rely on your own understanding and strength

You will exhaust yourself and still feel inadequate

Because you have trusted in your own way, you will fail

But if you trust only in the Lord, you will conquer them all.

Kidner explains about threshing which was mentioned in verse 11. He says that “Threshing was a comparatively light task, made pleasant by the fact that the creature was unmuzzled and free to eat . . . as it pulled the threshing sledge over the gathered corn.”

Some commentary also said that “Ephraim had abandoned this comparatively light service in preference for becoming yoked to sin.” When we choose to trust in other gods or even in our own understanding and strength, we are provoking God’s wrath and it will definitely bear consequences. Wood comments that “Judah” refers to the South Kingdom and Jacob to the Northern, using the name of the patriarch that stresses this ancestor’s rebelliousness. Or possibly “Jacob” refers to all 12 tribes. As punishment Yahweh would yoke the people of both Northern and Southern Kingdoms to an enemy who would greatly restrict their movements and force them to do hard work.  When we trust in our own ways, we are competing with a God who knows all things and is All-powerful.

REFLECTION

  • How is trusting your own understanding a form of idolatry and pride?

HOSEA 10 ASSURANCE FROM GOD ALONE

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December 26

HOSEA 10

6 The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king.
Ephraim shall be put to shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol.

7 Samaria’s king shall perish like a twig on the face of the waters.
8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed.
Thorn and thistle shall grow upon their altars,
and they shall say to the mountains, “Cover us,” and to the hills, “Fall on us.”

9 From the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel; there they have continued.
Shall not the war against the unjustovertake them in Gibeah?
10 When I please, I will discipline them, and nations shall be gathered against them
when they are bound up for their double iniquity. – Hosea 10:6-10

HOSEA 10 ASSURANCE FROM GOD ALONE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If a believer truly serves the Lord God Almighty

He will only trust in God and not in any other authority

Not kings, princes or human masters can give you assurance

Only the One true God who truly loves and cares for you can.

According to sources, the Assyrians would carry the golden calf to their land in honor of their king. Israel would then feel great shame because the Israelites had decided to trust in a foreign alliance with the Assyrians for their security instead of trusting their God. James Pritchard comments: “In those days the secular state did not exist, and so in practice it was impossible to distinguish between a state and its gods. In an extant treaty of peace between Rameses II of Egypt and Hattusilis the Hittite king it is a thousand of their gods on either side who are the witnesses to and guarantors of it.” Ellison also comments “Even a treaty on equal terms with a neighboring country would have involved for Israel a recognition of the other country’s deities as having reality and equality with Jehovah. To turn to Assyria or Egypt for help implied of necessity that their gods were more effective than the God of Israel.”

History has proven that rulers of nations who do not acknowledge God will naturally be wicked and evil. We become slaves to whoever we serve, their idols become ours.

REFLECTION

  • How is Psalm 1 reiterated in the following verses?

ISAIAH 9 FOR TO US A CHILD IS BORN

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December 25

ISAIAH 9

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;

and the government shall be uponhis shoulder, and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.– Isaiah 9:6-7

ISAIAH 9 FOR TO US A CHILD IS BORN

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

One silent night a son is given and to us a child is born

The Lord God loved us so much so He gave his Only Begotten Son

He rules over all kingdoms and he is the Prince of Peace

He makes sure that justice and righteousness reigns on earth

Praise the Son of God who is the Only Way to the Father

Believe in Him so you can have a life that is eternal.

What a privilege and honor it was for the prophet Isaiah to be given this revelation about our Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God and Everlasting Father thousands of years ago before we were born. Scholars and bible experts calculate Jesus’ time at the same time of King Herod which was between 6 and 4 BC. The Father gave us a resume of Jesus before he was born. Isaiah became God’s spokesperson to give us the identity of his Son Jesus Christ.

In this account we hear of different attributes of God: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Just and Righteous God. The Old Testament books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel contain much of God’s promises to his people. These two verses hold a big chunk of those promises. It assures us of good counsel from the Lord Jesus Christ, unending peace and strength, assurance that He is the one in control and that anyone who believes in him will have everlasting life. It brings comfort and security for the believers who live in a very corrupt world. It gives them hope and expectancy.

REFLECTION

  • What among these traits of God mentioned in these two verses are the most significant to you and why?

HOSEA 9 WHEN GOD’S PEOPLE REJECT GOD

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December 23

HOSEA 9

15 Every evil of theirs is in Gilgal; there I began to hate them.
Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of my house.
I will love them no more; all their princes are rebels.

16 Ephraim is stricken; their root is dried up; they shall bear no fruit.
Even though they give birth, I will put their beloved children to death.
17 My God will reject them because they have not listened to him;
they shall be wanderers among the nations. – Hosea 9:15-17

HOSEA 9 WHEN GOD’S PEOPLE REJECT GOD

In Isaiah 1 the prophet saw a vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Isaiah spoke as the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. The prophet is speaking about the abomination they committed in Gilgal. Because of their wickedness, they will be shunned out of the Lord’s house. Calvin comments “When God threatens to eject Israel from his house, it is the same as though he said, “I will wholly cast you away;” as when one cuts off a withered branch from a tree, or a diseased member from the body.”

In Deuteronomy 28, God gave them a blessing and a curse before they entered the land. The blessing was dependent on their obedience, and they would be cursed if they didn’t obey. One of these blessings for obedience would be a fruitful womb, and one of the curses for disobedience would be a barren womb. Hosea pronounces the consequence of their idolatry which reaps fruitlessness. Because they have rejected God, they shall be wanderers among the nations. Some commentaries say that since the exile of Israel and then later Judah, this is still the case almost three thousand years later.

No one who claims they are believers can run from a life of hypocrisy. It will be dealt with harshly by the Lord himself.

REFLECTION

  • What leads a believer to live a life of hypocrisy?

HOSEA 9 THE DAYS OF PUNISHMENT HAVE COME

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  December 21

HOSEA 9

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 are going away from destruction;
but Egypt shall gather them; Memphis shall bury them.
Nettles shall possess their precious things of silver;
thorns shall be in their tents. 7 The days of punishment have come;
the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it.
The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad,
because of your great iniquity and great hatred.
8 The prophet is the watchman of Ephraim with my God;
yet a fowler’s snare is on all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.
9 They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah:
he will remember their iniquity;  he will punish their sins. – Hosea 9:5-9

HOSEA 9 THE DAYS OF PUNISHMENT HAVE COME

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

In this account, Hosea declares to the Israelites that the days of punishment have come. They will surely not miss it for they miscalculated God’s response to their terrible adultery. Hosea points out that when he warned them to not rejoice in their harvest in the previous verses, he was giving them time to repent so they can avoid the punishment of their sin.

They laughed at the prophet and called him a fool when in reality, they are the fools for thinking that they can get away with their sins and not bear the consequences of it. When they flee to Egypt after the Assyrians have destroyed their land hoping they could find comfort in them and later on come back to rebuild what they lost, they will soon find out that they have fled to their own graves. Memphis is a city of Egypt that will eventually devour them too. According to Matthew Henry’s commentary, “They shall be demolished and laid in ruins to such a degree that they shall be overgrown with nettles; so that if they survive the trouble and return to Israel, they would find it neither fruitful or habitable.”

This is what Hosea has warned them, the day of their punishment has arrived. If only they had heeded his warning, they could have been spared of it.

REFLECTION

·       Why do you think the Israelites ignored Hosea’s warnings?

HOSEA 9 WHEN YOU FORSAKE THE LORD

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December 20

HOSEA 9

Rejoice not, O Israel! Exult not like the peoples;
for you have played the whore, forsaking your God.
You have loved a prostitute’s wages on all threshing floors.
2 Threshing floor and wine vat shall not feed them,
 and the new wine shall fail them.3 They shall not remain in the land of the Lord,
 but Ephraim shall return to Egypt and they shall eat unclean food in Assyria.  

4 They shall not pour drink offerings of wine to the Lord,
and their sacrifices shall not please him. It shall be like mourners’ bread to them;
all who eat of it shall be defiled; for their bread shall be for their hunger only;
it shall not come to the house of the Lord. – Hosea 9:1-4

HOSEA 9 WHEN YOU FORSAKE THE LORD

Hosea warns the Israelites of the consequences of their adultery. He cautions them not to be so secure about their wages since they have forsaken the Lord and preferred to rely on their idols. According to some sources, at the time Hosea was alerting them of the coming doom, it may have been during harvest time when there was much rejoicing and fun because of the bountiful harvest they had. Boice comments “It was probably the case, though we do not know this for sure, that Hosea delivered the opening part of this oracle as a sermon on the occasion of a harvest festival…characterized by feasting, mirth, and dancing.”

In verse 2, the threshing floor was a place where grain was processed. Guzik comments that “Israel practiced idolatry on the threshing floor. They worshipped idols here because they believed that it helped the harvest. Because of their idolatry, the LORD would curse their harvest, and the threshing floor and the winepress shall not feed them.” In our times now, we can easily do this by forgetting that all good things come from the Lord as James 1:17 reiterates. We think that we did well because we are talented or gifted or hardworking.

Aside from such curses, they would also be sent back both to Egypt and Assyria, where they would once again suffer the enslavement of these pagan wicked people. They will be eating unclean food in Assyria and they would only sacrifice to the Lord for their own survival and not to worship and thank the Lord.

REFLECTION

·       What are some ways that a believer can forsake the Lord?

HOSEA 8 DEFILED BY SIN

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December 19

HOSEA 8

11 Because Ephraim has multiplied altars for sinning,
    they have become to him altars for sinning.
12 Were I to write for him my laws by the ten-thousands,
    they would be regarded as a strange thing.
13 As for my sacrificial offerings, they sacrifice meat and eat it,
    but the Lord does not accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity
    and punish their sins; they shall return to Egypt.
14 For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces,
    and Judah has multiplied fortified cities;
    so I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour her strongholds.

                                                                  – Hosea 8:11-14

HOSEA 8 DEFILED BY SIN

A Poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you intentionally sin against God, you are stained

Because God is holy, he cannot tolerate sin

God won’t put up with adultery and idolatry

These sins are against His design for eternity

It defies God’s salvation plan for his people

When we sin, we turn to the world and reject Him.

In this account, God lays down his verdict on the sins of His people. When they built many altars, they were challenging God. They know very well that God would not tolerate sins of idolatry and they still did it anyway. As a result, they became blind to the truth and to the wisdom that God has given them. In verse 12, God comments to them that even if they gave them His word, they view it as strange. Because they have now been blinded by seeking their idols and defiling the covenant they made with God, they became foolish. God was giving them great things but they view it as strange.

David Guzik comments “while Israel practiced outright idolatry, Judah was guilty of a more subtle sin. They trusted in the fortified cities they built against the Assyrians.”

REFLECTION

  • What happens to believers when they defy God’s laws as shown in these verses?

HOSEA 8 FRUITLESS & USELESS

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December 18

HOSEA 8

7 For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain has no heads; it shall yield no flour;
if it were to yield, strangers would devour it.
8 Israel is swallowed up; already they are among the nations
as a useless vessel.9 For they have gone up to Assyria,
a wild donkey wandering alone; Ephraim has hired lovers.
10 Though they hire allies among the nations, I will soon gather them up.
And the king and princes shall soon writhe because of the tribute.

                                                                            – Hosea 8:7-10

HOSEA 8 FRUITLESS & USELESS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

God gave us our lives to be vessels for his purpose

We are not to use his gifts for our own pleasures

The Lord expects us to fulfill his salvation plan for humanity

We cannot be useless vessels for his big design of eternity.

In this account, Hosea continues to list all the foolish things that Israel did to anger the Lord. They continued to make idols to worship instead of focusing on honoring the One true God whom they made a covenant with. As a result of this intentional sin, they won’t yield any fruit at all and even if they did, it will be devoured by strangers who didn’t work for it. Haggai 1:6 reiterates verse 7 when he said “You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!”

The consequence of idolatry against the Lord manifested in their fruitlessness and uselessness. Solomon also speaks about the vanity of life in Ecclesiastes chapter 1. We can chase anything we want to achieve, but in the end, it is vanity if it is done for humanity instead of for the Lord’s glory. Everything is useless and fruitless in the greater scheme of God’ redemption plan.

REFLECTION

  • What are the signs of fruitlessness and uselessness in a Christian’s life?

HOSEA 8 SOW THE WIND & REAP THE WHIRLWIND

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December 17

HOSEA 8

Set the trumpet to your lips! One like a vulture is over the house of the Lord,
because they have transgressed my covenant and rebelled against my law.
2 To me they cry, “My God, we—Israel—know you.”
3 Israel has spurned the good; the enemy shall pursue him.

4 They made kings, but not through me. They set up princes, but I knew it not.
With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction.
5 I have spurned your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of innocence? 6 For it is from Israel;
a craftsman made it; it is not God. The calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.

                                                                       – Hosea 8:1-6

HOSEA 8 SOW THE WIND & REAP THE WHIRLWIND

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As you serve the Lord Jesus Christ, obeying his law is your life

God is faithful and expects your whole heart, soul and mind

When you don’t follow his law, you are rebelling against him

You will surely reap the consequences of this grievous sin

God hates all forms of wickedness, idolatry and adultery

Turn away from sins that He hates, repent and return to Him.

Coffman’s commentary summarizes this chapter as “sow the wind reap the whirlwind.”

He says that this chapter is a continuation of the sad lament and prophecy of the forthcoming destruction. In verse 1, trumpets usually alarm or give notice of either a victory or some threat coming to them. It was a warning of coming doom to them as a consequence of their sin against the Lord. According to Ward’s commentary, “the vulture was referring to Assyria since it was the obvious threat to Israel’s sovereignty in the eighth century B.C.”  Verse 2 is an insincere cry for help to God when they are actually asking the other gods for help as well. In verse 4, Boice comments “To choose leaders without the direction of God is not only sinful, it is foolish. Those who follow their own wisdom in the choice of leaders inevitably get what they deserve.”

REFLECTION

  • Why do you think some commentaries summarize this chapter as “sow the wind and reap the whirlwind?”

HOSEA 7 THE INSOLENCE OF GOD’S PEOPLE

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December 16

HOSEA 7
14 They do not cry to me from the heart,
but they wail upon their beds;
for grain and wine they gash themselves;
they rebel against me.
15 Although I trained and strengthened their arms,
yet they devise evil against me.
16 They return, but not upward;
they are like a treacherous bow;
their princes shall fall by the sword
because of the insolence of their tongue.
This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt. – Hosea 7:14-16

HOSEA 7 THE INSOLENCE OF GOD’S PEOPLE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Though God has shown steadfast love to his people
They did not reciprocate back his faithfulness
Instead, they pretended they worshipped the Lord
But simultaneously devised evil and insolence against God.

Some sources mentioned that in verse 14, God’s people said that they repented of their sins and promised to change. They made a show of worshipping God in their lips, but their hearts weren’t involved. Gill’s commentary says “when they howled upon their beds, lying sick or wounded there; or, as some, in their idol temples, those beds of adultery, where they pretended to worship God and pray to God through these idols.
In verse 16, God confronts their evil defiance. Instead of returning to Jerusalem and the temple of the Lord there, they went to Egypt. Gill comments on “treacherous bow” as “They were missing the mark it is directed to which being designed to send its arrow one way, causes it to go to the revere or its arrow returns upon the archer or drops at his feet; so, these people deviated from the law of God, acted contrary to their promises.” Mixing with pagans led them to compromise their covenant promise to the Lord.

REFLECTION
• What are the dangers of yoking with unbelievers as illustrated in these verses?