Saturday, May 31, 2008

Contending for the Right

The moment we say we are going to fight for something it send "chills" down our back. This is because we have been taught that fighting is not right. God calls Hosea to instruct the people of Israel to fight for the right and he is to fight for Gomer his wife. There can be times that we must fight for the right, standing up against that which is evil or wrong. Let’s take a look at what God says through Hosea.

Hosea 2:1-7
1 Say to your brothers, " Ammi," and to your sisters, " Ruhamah."
2 "Contend with your mother, contend,
For she is not my wife, and I am not her husband;
And let her put away her harlotry from her face
And her adultery from between her breasts,
3 Or I will strip her naked
And expose her as on the day when she was born.
I will also make her like a wilderness,
Make her like desert land
And slay her with thirst.
4 "Also, I will have no compassion on her children,
Because they are children of harlotry.
5 "For their mother has played the harlot;
She who conceived them has acted shamefully.
For she said, ' I will go after my lovers,
Who give me my bread and my water,
My wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.'
6 "Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns,
And I will build a wall against her so that she cannot find her paths.
7 "She will pursue her lovers, but she will not overtake them;
And she will seek them, but will not find them. NASU

Notice the wrong, Gomer is not being the wife she should be, she is caught up in adultery. Hosea is told to "fight" for her. He is not told to simply put her away. Or walk away from this situation. God is also telling Hosea, if she doesn’t turn from her ways, HE will be the one who exposes her in judgement. To often, we Christian’s what to be sure that sin is judged, and rightly so. However, this should not be our first response to sin. It should be one of contending for the sinner, fighting them, so that they can be restored into fellowship.

It was God who was going to up a hedge around her so that she could not get to her lovers.
One other thing we should notice. It is the children who suffer because of these sinful actions. We can see this in our culture today. When sin is allowed to become "full blow" the sad reality is there will be heartaches and trouble.

Let me ask you, "Do you know someone who is struggling with some sin?" Are you willing to "contend with them in grace" to win them back to Christ. Paul give us clear help with understanding this matter.

Gal 6:1-5 1 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness*; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. 5 For each one will bear his own load. NASU
* emphasis mine.

I want to encourage you today, be like Hosea and use gentleness and grace to win back the one who you know is going astray. (If someone seek to come to you, be open to being won back to fellowship, they are doing this because they care!) Don't rush to judging.

Explore for yourself
1. What has happened in the marriage of Hosea and Gomer?
2. What is to be put away? What will happen if she fails to put it away?
3. What "like" statements does the Lord make?
4. What will be done for the children of harlotry?
5. Why did Gomer pursue her lovers? What six things did she receive?
6. What is the first "therefore" statement in vs. 6?
7. What was tried first? What does this tell us?
8. What is the hoped result? During all this what does she not know? What did she not do?
9. What is the second "therefore" in v 9?
10. What does this show us?

Friday, May 23, 2008

Judgement and Mercy

We have started working our way through the book of Hosea. We have seen that the Lord instructed Hosea to marry a wife of harlotry (he married Gomer). Their first born was named "Jezreel" which means "scattered" . It give the idea of being "spread around."

Let’s continue on.

Hosea 1:6-11 6 Then she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to him, "Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them. 7 "But I will have compassion on the house of Judah and deliver them by the Lord their God, and will not deliver them by bow, sword, battle, horses or horsemen." 8 When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son. 9 And the Lord said, "Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people and I am not your God." 10 Yet the number of the sons of Israel Will be like the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered; And in the place Where it is said to them, "You are not My people," It will be said to them, "You are the sons of the living God." 11 And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together, And they will appoint for themselves one leader, And they will go up from the land,
For great will be the day of Jezreel. NASU

Here we see two more children born. "Lo-ruhamah" which means "not pitied or loved" and "Lo-ammi" which means "not my people". What God is revealing through the names of these three children are the progress of judgement that is set to fall upon the Children of Israel.

The judgement laid out through Lo-ruhamah comes with some degree of hope. In verse 7 it is mentioned that God will have compassion on Judah and will deliver them by His power and not by the sword, bow, battle horses or horsemen. In other words, they will not be saved through the efforts of man but by the Lord.

The third child Lo-ammi, "not my people" shows that God will turn away from His people who have turned away from Him. But again there is hope.... for there will be a time when these people will be referred to as ""sons of the living God."

God was bring judgement upon His people, but He was doing this with a purpose of restoring them to fellowship with Him. We see this in that the second time the name of Jezreel is used in verse 11 it means "planted". God is going to "plant" Israel rather than scatter them.

Are you facing challenges in your life today? Could it be that God is trying to get your complete and undivided attention? If so, return to Him. He will heal and restore.

Explore for yourself

1. How many children did Gomer have? How many did Hosea have? (Who)
2. What was the first child’s name? What did it mean/represent?
3. What was the second child’s name? What does it mean?
4. What was the contrast between Israel and Judah?
5. How would they be delivered? What would not be used?
6. What is the third child’s name? What does it mean?
7. What was the exception?
8. What will change? What will they become?
9. What/who will God appoint?
10. Jezreel has two meanings-second meaning is planted.
11. How will the names change?

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

No Way

For many years of my life I rarely sat under the ministry of a pastor that taught from the minor prophets. Recently, I felt challenged to begin working my way through these books and discover that there is much that we Christians have been missing. I would like to begin blogging my way through the book of Hosea

Hos 1:1-5
1 The word of the Lord which came to Hosea the son of Beeri, during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. 2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, " Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the Lord." 3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 And the Lord said to him, "Name him Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 "On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel." NASU

Let me begin with a couple of observations. First, what instruction Hosea receive was from the Lord. Hosea is someone that God has chosen to use to communicate His message to the people of Israel. Second, we must be careful not to assume that some of the unique instruction given to Hosea apply directly to us. Third, we must see the PRINCIPLES that God gives to us through the example and instruction to Hosea.

The time frame for this book is near the end of the Northern Kingdom. God is once again reaching out to begin about change while instructing the people was will happen if change does not take place.

As we go through this book we will see Hosea standing as a representative of God. Gomer is also a representative for Israel and for you and me. We need to see these representation in order to best under the truth that applies to our lives today.

Gomer was a harlot, not something we would want to call someone today, however, if we see that she stood for those that walk away from God we will see that in our culture today there are those who could be called "harlots". Certain not a kind term but I fear that this might fit us (Christian’s) as well when we get our attitudes and become disobedient to God. Certainly we will explore this more throughout the book.

The Lord names the first child, Jezreel. This stands for "yet a little while, and I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. Let me ask you, are you in a "Jezreel" state in your life. God is patient but perhaps only for a little while longer? Now is the time to turn back to Him and be restored into a deep rich fellowship.

Explore for Yourself
1. What came to Hosea? When?
2. What did the Lord tell Hosea to do?
3. Why did the Lord tell Hosea to do this?
4. Who did Hosea marry?

Monday, May 12, 2008










A Mother's Day Treat from the kids

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Wednesday, May 7, 2008

I am being a big girl!









See all my friends Pop-Pop?










What is everyone doing?










Can you help me DADDY?





















See my new slacks?
This is fun