Today we read the psalms written by the sons of Korah who were priests assigned to guard the entrance of the tabernacle and later the temple. They became musicians during the time of King David and King Solomon. Through the reading of today’s psalms we see that our help is in the Lord. He is the One that leads and guides us with His truth and He is sending His righteous Son to redeem His people.

In psalm 42 the psalmist says his help is in the Lord – “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him. The help of my countenance and my God” (Psalms 42:5). In the midst of feeling discouraged and depressed the psalmist remembers where his hope is found. Then he sets his mind on the Lord which leads him to praising God who has been faithful in the past and will continue to be faithful in the present. The psalmist knows that his help does not come from within, it comes from the Lord. God is the One to revive our spirits and give us peace in time of distress just as Aaron said through his blessing the Israelites in the wilderness – “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

In psalm 43, the psalmist says – “Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God” (Psalm 43:3-4). The psalmist is aware of his limitations and lack of wisdom. Therefore He needs wisdom from the Lord to lead and guide him. And once again we see when the psalmist has his gaze upon the Lord asking Him for help and guidance, he is driven to a place of worship which brings about joy in his life.

The Lord knows that we need His truth and His light; that is why He is sending His Son Jesus Christ to be the light of the world. And when Jesus arrives on the scene He will make this declaration – “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Psalm 45 is a beautiful prophecy of the coming light of the world, the Messiah – “You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever. Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, with Your glory and Your majesty. And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness; and Your right hand shall teach You awesome things. Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies; the peoples fall under You. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions” (Psalm 45:2-7).

The Lord is sending His Son as the final sacrifice to atone for the sins of the world. Jesus will be inflicted with many pains and sorrows while on earth but He will complete His works of righteousness and ascend to heaven where He will sit at the right hand of God. And one day Jesus will return as the righteous King who will judge the nations and put a final end to the wickedness that He hates. Therefore the psalmist can confidently tell us to “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalm 46:10-11).

Keep reading.

(Psalms 42-46)

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Included in Hezekiah’s collection of Proverbs were writings by Agur and King Lemuel. “The proverbs of Agur, son of Jakeh, and those of King Lemuel appears to have existed independently before they became part of the biblical book. Most commentators assume they were of Arabian descent, a theory supported by a slight textual variant. Neither Agur nor Lemuel is known outside these biblical references, and their origins remain in doubt.” (Encountering the Old Testament by Arnold and Beyer)

Agur begins by confessing his lack of knowledge and elevating the word of the Lord – “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.” Since “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17), the Lord gives His pure word to His people so that by hearing and understanding His word they may put their faith and trust in Him as their shield and protector. 

Agur asks the Lord for two things: 1) to make him a man who speaks the truth and 2) to give him neither riches or property. Agur knows that either being rich or being poor would be stumbling blocks in his life – “Lest I be full and deny You, and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God.” Agur is a man who does not put his trust in his own knowledge or resources which will lead to pride; He trusts in the Lord.

Agur goes on to rebuke a generation that curses their parents, is pure and lofty in their own sight, and devours others. This type of generation, who does not recognize their own personal sin, does not seek to walk in the ways of the Lord, and does not recognize their need for a Savior, will wreak havoc in their personal lives, in their communities and on the nations. Therefore, the Lord will not be their shield and protection because the Lord resists the proud – “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:5).

Proverbs 31 (vs 1-9) is wise advice given to King Lemuel from his mom. She says don’t give yourself over to sexual appetites and to intoxicating drinks as both would dull the senses and distract the king from his mission of faithfully leading the people. She tells her son to judge righteously and protect the poor and the needy who do not have a voice in the community. Her desire for her son is that he uses his position of power to help others and not to indulge himself with women and wine.

In the remaining verses of Proverbs 31 (10-31), Lemuel’s mother describes the attributes and deeds of a woman who would be a godly wife to her son. This woman is one who is trustworthy, kind, wise, faithful, hard working, considerate of the poor, good to her spouse, respected in the home and outside of the home, resourceful, but most importantly…she fears the Lord – “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.” External beauty fades but internal beauty will last forever. A woman who walks with the Lord will shine His goodness through her life and be a blessing to those around her. Her deeds may go unnoticed by the world but not by the Lord. He sees her and He will reward her faithfulness.

That’s a wrap on the Book of Proverbs. 🎉Tomorrow we begin day 1 of 12 days of reading the remaining psalms, so keep reading!

(Proverbs 30:1-31:31)

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Today we begin reading Solomon’s proverbs collected by Hezekiah as well as the undated proverbs and psalms. The proverbs are full of advice for wise living which includes being humble, honest, and a hard worker. The wisdom writers also say that a wise person controls their emotions and their tongue. 

Solomon writes, “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.” So someone who does not control his passions, desires, pride, arrogance, and anger is someone exposed to the enemy, Satan. Solomon goes on to say “Hell and Destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.” Just like hell is never full of lost souls, as Satan loves to devour, the eyes of humans are always wanting more and more and more. The flesh is never satisfied! The works of the flesh include “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like” (Galatians 5:19-21). If left to ourselves we would act on every human impulse and never be content.

The Lord knows we are weak in the flesh. That is why He is sending His Son to live a life we can’t live and to die a death that we deserve – “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit…For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:3-8). Therefore, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, the Lord sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within us as our teacher, comforter, guide and the seal of our salvation. By His power we are able to overcome the flesh and live lives pleasing to the Lord. If we walk in the Spirit, our lives will exhibit “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control… And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:22-26). 

However, our battle isn’t only with the flesh. We also have a real enemy out there, Satan, whose whole purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. In order to protect ourselves from the evil forces we must daily put on the armor of the Lord – ”Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:14-18).

We, as Christians, have to be alert at all times! So to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh and for the renewal of our minds, we must PRAY, immerse ourselves in the WORD, and surround ourselves with fellow Christ followers who will ENCOURAGE and PRAY for us because the battle is real and it isn’t easy. However, we can trust that the Lord will act on behalf of those who trust Him. 

We will read the last of the proverbs tomorrow, so keep reading.

(Proverbs 25:1-29:27)

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Today Hezekiah, king of Judah, tells the people that the wrath of the Lord has been upon Judah and Jerusalem because their fathers have turned their backs on the Lord. Hezekiah says, “Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us.” Then he commands the Levites to clean the temple. Afterwards, he gathers the leaders from the city to bring offerings to the temple for the Levites to sacrifice to the Lord to atone for all of Israel.

While the Levites are giving the offerings to the Lord, the entire assembly worships with songs and music written by King David and Asaph. Then Hezekiah opens up personal offerings to be brought to the Lord to the entire assembly. “So the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings.” The number of offerings brought forward by the people was so overwhelming that the priests asked the Levites to help them until the work was complete. “So the service of the house of the Lord was set in order. Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced that God had prepared the people, since the events took place so suddenly.”

Hezekiah also brings back the Passover “since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner.” Remember that the Passover is a celebration the Israelites were to have once a year to celebrate the Lord’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt during the Exodus Era. Therefore, Hezekiah sends runners throughout both Israel and Judah with this word: “Children of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; then He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. And do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you see. Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you. For if you return to the Lord, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.”

Most of the people in the remnant of Israel laugh at the runners but some humble themselves and go to Jerusalem with all of Judah. “Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the Lord.” However, the multitude of people who came to worship were ignorant of how to prepare themselves for the Passover. “But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, ‘May the good Lord provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.’ And the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.”

Then all who are in Jerusalem celebrate the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for double the normal seven day celebration. “So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven.”

In addition, Hezekiah 1) has the land purged from sacred pillars, wooden images, high places and altars, 2) appoints the priests and Levites to tasks according to his service, 3) establishes a tithing system from the people to support the the priests and Levites, and 4) builds a storeroom for all of the offerings, tithes, and dedicated things which are distributed to the priests and Levites and their families. “Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.”

Tomorrow we begin reading some of Hezekiah’s favorite proverbs he collected; so keep reading.

(2 Chronicles 29:3-31:21)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

Today Isaiah gives warnings to four nations, starting with Babylon.

1) Currently Assyria is the most powerful nation but soon the Babylonians will rule the ancient world. God is going to use Babylon to bring judgement against Judah for a set period of time, but then the Lord will restore His people to their land and judge wicked Babylon. Isaiah says that the Lord will raise up the Medes to defeat Babylon and compares the destruction to that of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, the Lord will have mercy on His people – “For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land.” God is still working His plan of salvation through His people. Isaiah says when Israel is home and has rest they will sing a taunt against Babylon where Babylon is likened to Lucifer, Satan. They will sing, “Hell from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming”. 

2) The Lord uses the Assyrians to bring judgment against Israel but then the Lord will judge the wicked Assyrians to accomplish His purposes. “This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?” See, God has the whole world in His hand and He is accomplishing His purposes, even today; and there is nothing that will stop His plans and purposes.

3) The Philistines rejoiced when the Lord humbled Israel and Judah by the hand of their enemies. However, the Lord tells them not to rejoice because a greater judgment is coming upon them. And when that judgment comes, the only place for refuge will be the Lord. 

4) The Lord declares the destruction of Moab, Lot’s descendants, because “of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath.” Pride leads many souls to ruin but there is mercy to be found for those who humble themselves. Out of mercy, the Lord is sending His Son to restore us to Him. Isaiah speaks of the coming King, Jesus Christ, who will reign in righteousness – “In mercy the throne will be established; and One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David, judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness.“ 

The day will come when we all will stand before the Lord and on that day all that will matter is whether or not Jesus is standing in your place as your Savior. Those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ will not be condemned because He bore our sins for us on the cross – “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Colossians 2:13-15).

Tomorrow King Hezekiah reopens the temple in Jerusalem.Keep reading.

(2 Kings 16:19-20, 2 Chronicles 28:26-27, Isaiah 13:1-16:14)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

The once faithful Jerusalem has become like a harlot with their idolatry, corruption, and lack of justice. As a result, the Lord will turn His hand against them to refine and purify them. The Lord promises that one day He will restore Judah and Jerusalem – “Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.” 

Isaiah speaks of what “shall come to pass in the latter days.” Isaiah says the day is coming where people from all nations will come to worship the Lord and there will be peace. This day is coming through the Messiah who is first coming to die for the sins of the world but then returning to put an end to all war and conflict and establish peace under His righteous reign. Therefore, Isaiah calls for Judah to walk in the light in anticipation of the coming Messiah – “O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the Lord.” 

The Lord’s people were to be a light to the nations around them, drawing others into fellowship with the Lord. Instead, they turned from the Lord and His ways and allowed the foreign nations to influence them with their pagan worship. In addition, the people became prideful because of their wealth and the work of their own hands which led to corruption. Therefore, judgment is upon Judah.

The Lord rebukes the leaders for abusing their power by mistreating the people and using their positions for their own personal gain. Then Isaiah turns his attention to the shallow, rich, haughty ladies in Judah who are flaunting their fine clothes, headdresses, jewelry, and perfume. These women are much more concerned about the external than the Lord; and they use their sexuality to control and manipulate men. Therefore, the Lord says He will remove all of those external distractions – “Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-set hair, baldness; instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty. Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war. Her gates shall lament and mourn, and she being desolate shall sit on the ground.” Then what will she put her hope in?

After foretelling of the coming judgment upon Judah, Isaiah gives a promise of hope. Isaiah says the day is coming when “the Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious.” Isaiah is speaking of the coming Messiah; and in that day, the Lord will wash the filth off the ungodly women and the people of Jerusalem and restore them. Then the people will desire to be in His presence; and He will be a place of refuge for those who trust in Him – “And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem. When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning, then the Lord will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering. And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.”

God refers to His people as a vineyard that He cared for and expected to produce good grapes; instead they produced worthless grapes. “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.” And since Judah was more concerned with building their own wealth, being drunkards, testing the Lord with their sin, exalting themselves, and taking justice away from the righteous, they will be turned over to their enemy. The Lord has seen all of their wickedness and He will judge them by sending the Babylonians against Judah.

Tomorrow the Lord has a message for the surrounding nations. Keep reading.

(Isaiah 1:21-5:30)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

Today Isaiah pronounces judgement on the drunk and prideful people of Israel. Even the priests and prophets have erred through intoxicating drink. However, the people mock Isaiah’s message saying that it is simple and beneath their wise understanding. So Isaiah responds, “But the word of the Lord was to them, ‘precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little,’ that they might go and fall backward, and be broken and snared and caught.” 

The prophet’s job is to faithfully share the Word of the Lord. It is on the hearers of the Word to respond with repentance. Isaiah says that it is by the Word of the Lord that God has laid the foundation for our lives – “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily.” This foundation is the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, whom the Lord promised to send back in the Garden of Eden. Later in the Story, Peter will explain that Jesus is the foundational cornerstone that gives life to those who believe in Him and is a stumbling block to those who reject Him – “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.’ Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,’ and ‘A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.’ They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed” (1 Peter 2:4-8).

Isaiah uses an example of a farmer to illustrate how the Lord works with His people. God knows the right time and the right way to give His people what they need in order to produce the desired outcome. And since the people of Israel will not heed the warnings of the Lord and turn from their wickedness, the Lord turns them over to their enemies. As Isaiah prophesied, Assyria besieges Israel while Hoshea is king of Israel and during Hezekiah’s reign in Judah – “Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away captive to Assyria…because they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed His covenant and all that Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded; and they would neither hear nor do them.” 

Although the Lord sent prophet after prophet to urge Israel and Judah to repent and turn back to Him; they did not listen. So the Lord removes His protection over Israel and only Judah remains. Isaiah also warns Judah who is acting like a rebellious child – “Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward.” Isaish says it is only by the grace of God that He hasn’t destroyed Judah like the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah which God destroyed earlier in the Patriarch Era (Genesis 19).

The Lord says the people of Judah are performing religious ceremonies with wrong motives. God does not delight in the blood of animals but in the heart of the person bringing the sacrifice, the heart of someone who trusts in Him. Since their motives are wrong, God will no longer accept their offerings or prayers. The Lord calls Judah to repent; and evidence of their repentance will be how they treat one another –  “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” One of Jesus’ disciples, John, will also later say that our love for God is exhibited in our love for one another – “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also” (1 John 4:20-21).

We end the reading with the Lord giving Judah an invitation – “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword’; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 

The Lord offers cleansing and healing through faith in His Son Jesus Christ who is coming later in this Story to take on the stain of sin so that we may be washed clean. The invitation is open to all. 

Tomorrow we will hear more from Isaiah so keep reading. 

(Isaiah 28:1-29, 2 Kings 17:5, 2 Kings 18:9-12, 2 Kings 17:6-41, Isaiah 1:1-20)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

The people of Israel believe that Hosea is a fool and that his prophecy of their destruction is crazy – “The days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come. Israel knows! The prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and great enmity.” Therefore, Hosea rebukes them saying it is because of their great sin that they can’t see the truth.

Hosea states four comparisons to Israel:

1. Grapes in the wilderness – Israel had potential, like the firstfruits on a fig tree, but spoiled themselves with their idolatry and wickedness; therefore, they will bear no more fruit. Hosea says, “My God will cast them away, because they did not obey Him, and they shall be wanderers among the nations.”
2. A vine that bears fruit for itself – Israel lived by their own rules and standards and not the Lord’s. They used the blessings that the Lord gave them for their own ungodly ways.
3. A trained heifer that loves to thresh grain – God will harness Israel and make it sow righteousness and reap mercy. Hosea says if the people will seek the Lord and sow seeds of righteousness instead of seeds of sin and selfishness, they will receive mercy – “For it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.”
4. A child – The Lord brought Israel out of Egypt over five hundred years ago, taught them to walk and fed them, but they turned from Him to idolatry like the pagan nations around them – “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. As they called them, so they went from them; they sacrificed to the Baals, and burned incense to carved images.” The statement ‘out of Egypt I called My son’ is also a future prophecy about the life of Jesus, who as a Child will be taken to Egypt to escape the evil King Herod but will be called back once Herod dies (Hosea 11:1, Matthew 2:15).

In the midst of announcing judgment, the Lord’s heart breaks for His people – “My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, the Holy One in your midst; and I will not come with terror.” Unlike man, the Lord is longsuffering and merciful; however, His mercy demands justice. 

Hosea says the Lord also brings a charge against Judah. God remembers the days of Judah’s forefather, Jacob, when he wrestled with his brother, Esau, in the womb. Jacob prevailed in the womb by taking his brother by the heel; and later Jacob wrestled with the Lord and “he wept and sought favor from Him.” Hosea encourages Jacob’s descendants, God’s chosen people, to seek favor from the Lord like Jacob – “So you, by the help of your God, return; observe mercy and justice, and wait on your God continually.”

Hosea says that it is by the prophet of the Lord, whom they think is foolish and insane, that God helps His people – “By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet he was preserved.” But after they were brought out of Egypt by Moses and led into the promised land by Joshua, “They were filled and their heart was exalted; therefore they forgot Me.” So judgment is coming upon Israel like the pain of childbirth comes upon a woman. However, the Lord can redeem anything. He can even redeem death, and He will – “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction!” This victory over death will be accomplished later in the Story when the Lord sends the Savior as He promised in the garden to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:15). Jesus Christ will defeat death when He rises from the grave three days after His sacrificial crucifixion, giving all those who believe in Him assurance that they too will have victory over death.

Hosea ends his book urging the people to repent so that they may be healed – “O Israel, return to the Lord your God…I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely…They shall be revived like grain, and grow like a vine…Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.” 

The Lord desires for His people to turn from their sin, repent, walk in His ways, not our own, and be restored to Him. The wise man will not refuse the Lord’s invitation. Unfortunately, Israel rejects the Lord. Therefore, the Lord is turning them over to their enemies as He said He would while giving the cursings for disobedience which Moses read to the Israelites in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 28).

Tomorrow the Assyrians invade Israel. Keep reading.

(Hosea 9:1-14:9)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

God promises that one day He will restore Israel and make her holy – “‘And it shall be, in that day,’ says the Lord, ‘That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘My Master,’… I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.” 

The Lord desires a faith based relationship based on love like a husband and not fear and hard obedience like a master. To illustrate His love for His unfaithful people, the Lord tells Hosea to go and buy back his cheating wife, Gomer – “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.”

Taking back the cheating wife will be hard and humiliating for Hosea. However, he is able to obey the Lord for two reasons: 

1) Hosea relationship with the Lord is more important to him than any other earthly relationship. 

2) Hosea knows that it isn’t all about Hosea. The Lord is doing something much bigger in and through him. God is using Hosea’s life to warn Israel, His bride, and to further reveal Himself to us by illustrating His love for His people, His grief over their unfaithfulness, and His relentless pursuit of them.

The Lord goes on to bring charges against disobedient Israel. He says, “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land.” And since there is no knowledge of God, there is no true wisdom. Therefore, Israel continues in their rebellion – “They do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, and they do not know the Lord.”

The Lord rebukes the leaders of Judah for being corrupt and the leaders of Israel for trusting in man, the Assyrians, instead of the Lord. The Lord says of the Assyrians, “Yet he cannot cure you, nor heal you of your wounds.” Hosea calls the people to repent and turn from their religious and political rebellion back to the One who can heal and restore them – “Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bond us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.” Hosea is prophesying of the coming Savior, Jesus Christ, who will be torn and stricken for us on the cross and rise from the grave three days later so that anyone who puts their trust in Him will be cleansed and restored to the Lord.

You know how it is hard to empathize with someone unless you have a similar experience. That’s what is going on here with God asking Hosea to buy back his cheating wife, Gomer. It’s an illustration of the current situation with the Lord and Israel, but it is also an illustration of a future event. Later in the Story, something similar will happen with God and His Son Jesus. The Lord will buy us, His undeserving, unfaithful people who are dead in sin, back to Him at the cost of His Son. Jesus will come into this world as a baby both fully God and fully man. He will be tempted, slandered, betrayed, denied, humiliated, mocked, stripped naked, beaten, spat upon, hung on a cross and murdered. However, Jesus will ultimately defeat death and ascend to the right hand of His Father in heaven. But while on earth, Jesus will experience everything that you or I will ever experience in this world and then some. Therefore, we have a Savior who understands our pain and whom we can run to for comfort, healing, and strength.

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Tomorrow we hear the last from Hosea, so keep reading.

(Hosea 2:14-8:14)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

First a brief update on the kings and then we meet the prophet Hosea.

Judah – Ahaz, king of Judah, travels to Damascus to meet his new overlord, Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, whom Ahaz relies on for protection instead of trusting the Lord. However, the king of Assyria does not help Judah but while in Damascus, Ahaz embraces their pagan worship. Ahaz believes that worshipping their false gods will bring him battle success as the Assyrians have had battle success. “But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. So Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. And in every single city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers.” King Ahaz is a total disgrace to the Lord but one thing good comes from him; his son, Hezekiah, who becomes the next king.

King Hezekiah does what is right in the sight of the Lord. Many commentators credit his mother, Abijah, as the godly influence in Hezekiah’s life. “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.”

Northern Israel – Hoshea leads a conspiracy against Pekah, king of Israel. King Pekah is killed and Hoshea becomes the new king of Israel. “In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him. Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; and Hoshea became his vassal, and paid him tribute money. And the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.”

Hosea – Hosea, a prophet to Northern Israel, begins his ministry when Jeroboam II is king of Israel and ends in the final days of Israel before they are destroyed by the Assyrians. The Lord tells Hosea to marry Gomer, whom God knows is going to be unfaithful since she is a prostitute. Hosea’s marriage to her symbolizes Israel’s unfaithfulness to the Lord through their worship of Baal and other false gods, and through their sexual sin and use of that sexual sin even as a practice of worship. 

Hosea and Gomer have three children. The Lord gives symbolic names to each child: 

1. Jezreel – The name means “scattered”, symbolizing that the people will soon be scattered by the Assyrians. Also, Jezreel is the location where Ahab and Jezebel shed so much blood that the Lord raised up Jehu who destroyed Ahab’s dynasty and Jezebel in Jezreel. Jehu was also a wicked king of Israel, so the Lord says he will bring down his house just as He is going to do the same to the unfaithful Israel – “I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.”
2. Lo-Ruhamah – The translation of this name is “no mercy”, meaning that God would no longer have mercy on Israel. “Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah.” Remember, the Lord is working His plan of salvation for the world through the tribe of Judah; and although the Assyrians will attack Judah, they will not destroy them.
3. Lo-Ammi – This name means “not my people”, symbolizing that the people have broken their covenant with the Lord. Therefore, the Lord will remove His favor upon His people and there will be a separation between God and Israel. 

However, the Lord gives hope for future restoration – “Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and appoint for themselves one head; and they shall come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel! Say to your brethren, ‘My people,’ and to your sisters, ‘Mercy is shown.’” This mercy and restoration will ultimately be accomplished through the life, death and resurrection of the Lord’s Son Jesus Christ and His church.

We end the reading with the Lord laying out charges against the unfaithful which highlights the shame, humiliation, and consequences that come with adulterous relationships; both for Hosea and Gomer & God and Israel.

Tomorrow Hosea calls the people to repent. Keep reading.

(Isaiah 12:1-6, Isaiah 17:1-14, 2 Chronicles 28:16-21, 2 Kings 16:10-18, 2 Chronicles 28:22-25, 2 Kings 18:1-8, 2 Chronicles 29:1-2, 2 Kings 15:30-31, 2 Kings 17:1-4, Hosea 1:1-2:13)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching