In The Word
Read: Hosea 11-12
God Yearns over His People
11 When Israel was a youth I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
2 The more they called them,
The more they went from them;
They kept sacrificing to the Baals
And burning incense to idols.
3 Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk,
I took them in My arms;
But they did not know that I healed them.
4 I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love,
And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws;
And I bent down and fed them.
5 They will not return to the land of Egypt;
But Assyria—he will be their king
Because they refused to return to Me.
6 The sword will whirl against their cities,
And will demolish their gate bars
And consume them because of their counsels.
7 So My people are bent on turning from Me.
Though they call them to the One on high,
None at all exalts Him.
8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I surrender you, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart is turned over within Me,
All My compassions are kindled.
9 I will not execute My fierce anger;
I will not destroy Ephraim again.
For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst,
And I will not come in wrath.
10 They will walk after the Lord,
He will roar like a lion;
Indeed He will roar
And His sons will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like birds from Egypt
And like doves from the land of Assyria;
And I will settle them in their houses, declares the Lord.
12 Ephraim surrounds Me with lies
And the house of Israel with deceit;
Judah is also unruly against God,
Even against the Holy One who is faithful.
Ephraim Reminded
12 Ephraim feeds on wind,
And pursues the east wind continually;
He multiplies lies and violence.
Moreover, he makes a covenant with Assyria,
And oil is carried to Egypt.
2 The Lord also has a dispute with Judah,
And will punish Jacob according to his ways;
He will repay him according to his deeds.
3 In the womb he took his brother by the heel,
And in his maturity he contended with God.
4 Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed;
He wept and sought His favor.
He found Him at Bethel
And there He spoke with us,
5 Even the Lord, the God of hosts,
The Lord is His name.
6 Therefore, return to your God,
Observe kindness and justice,
And wait for your God continually.
7 A merchant, in whose hands are false balances,
He loves to oppress.
8 And Ephraim said, “Surely I have become rich,
I have found wealth for myself;
In all my labors they will find in me
No iniquity, which would be sin.”
9 But I have been the Lord your God since the land of Egypt;
I will make you live in tents again,
As in the days of the appointed festival.
10 I have also spoken to the prophets,
And I gave numerous visions,
And through the prophets I gave parables.
11 Is there iniquity in Gilead?
Surely they are worthless.
In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls,
Yes, their altars are like the stone heaps
Beside the furrows of the field.
12 Now Jacob fled to the land of Aram,
And Israel worked for a wife,
And for a wife he kept sheep.
13 But by a prophet the Lord brought Israel from Egypt,
And by a prophet he was kept.
14 Ephraim has provoked to bitter anger;
So his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him
And bring back his reproach to him.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
The Lord wants us to remember how He loves us. He wants us to remember that this nation was founded on Him and His ways. God wants us to remember that freedom to worship Him in spirit and truth was what our forefathers fought for. He wants us to remember that we once walked as a nation on His Ancient Paths. God wants us to remember how He blessed us when we honored Him.
The Lord also wants us to remember how He called us individually and how He taught us how to walk with Him. He wants us to remember how He was patient to allow us to learn and grow. The Lord wants us to remember how He held us in His arms when we were about to fall and had no strength left to keep going. He wants us to remember how He healed us when we were sick and how He protected us.
Do you remember when you opened the door of your heart and accepted His covenant invitation? Do you remember how you desired to please Him and know Him more? Don’t let the flame of your love for the Lord die down. Remember to stoke that flame every morning as you spend intimate time alone with Him. He created us for fellowship with Him. Remember that He left the glory of Heaven to make a way for us to be with Him forever. Remember that His heart yearns for us and that His passion and compassion is never-ending.