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hosea 4-7

9/2/2015

8 Comments

 
Today was the second section in the reading from Hosea. Hosea is an interesting book and prophet to study, because the first 3 chapters are an illustration of the message that the prophet was about to give. God told Hosea, His mouth piece, to go and marry a slut (I know these are harsh dirty words, but it is the truth of the women). Then after she continually commits adultery to the point she sells herself, Hosea was command by God to go back and buy the slut back and covenant to her again. This is all done so that the people around Hosea, during His ministry as prophet could not only hear what God was telling them, that they were sluts just like Hosea’s wife, but also see with their eyes an example of what God was telling them He would do for them in buying them back. In the reading today I found 4:6 to be an interesting verse.

Hosea 4:6 states, “My people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the Law of your God, I will also ignore your children”. This is Hebrew poetry so the first line sets the truth and the second and third line explain what the truth is and how it effects the listener. So, the second and third line help us to understand the fact that the Law of God and the Word of God is knowledge. So because the people of God have not obeyed the Word and Law of God, they have left knowledge behind. Because they have left the knowledge of God, they will be destroyed because of it. Wow, so here is what that all means for us today. The Bible is knowledge. If we do not stay reading and saturating ourselves in the Word of God, then we are technically dumb. To gain knowledge and call ourselves smart, is to stay true and obey and saturate ourselves in the Word of God. Knowledge is life, dumbness is death. So we need to ask ourselves, do we want the favor of God? If we answer yes, then we need to stay in and obey His Word. Simple, yet very hard to do in a broken world that our flesh continually pulls us to its own desires. I pray reading through Hosea this week will help keep us focused on obeying the Word of God.

8 Comments
Tammy
9/2/2015 07:13:20 am

One thing that confuses me is that men in these times could have as many women as they wanted and nothing was said....but if the woman has many....she is labeled and it is sin. Not understanding all that since our God placed us all together with the same law. Nothing we can do about it now as Jesus has covered all sin, but the double standard is confusing.
Good comments and I like 6:1a...."Come, let us return to the Lord." Seems like something we need to do on a continual basis.

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Pastor Jeff
9/3/2015 12:15:30 am

There is no double standard. God in Genesis 2, says it is 1 man and 1 women. So everyman that took another wife the rest of the way was sinning. God, in His Word, just does not deal with every sin in ever person in every circumstance. The sin that God deals with in a given story of a person is the sin He wants us to see and notice. If you would do a study of every man that takes another women in a physical union, besides the first wife, God disciplines them in one form or another for going against His Genesis 2 command. I hope this helps the confusion

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tammy
9/4/2015 06:27:13 am

yes it makes sense....and someone else told me it was a cultural thing as to them having so many wives at that time. And I get it about the discipline of our God. Thanks for the explaination.

Bruce
9/2/2015 09:32:01 am

As someone who deals with a broken world on a daily basis, i most certainly agree " Come, let us return to the Lord"... I am not sure what to make of this book in bible. I have leaped ahead to try to help with understanding how God is working with this man and Pastor Jeff's comments help, but i think i will have to re-read it to try to get a better understanding. Might just be a lack of sleep on my part.

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Tammy
9/2/2015 10:43:08 am

i totally understand in dealing with a broken world everyday. I look at people at my job and try to keep the mindset that I never know what people live in or go through before they come in the door. And realizing that their sins are no different than mine. This is not something that comes real easy all the time.....but the Lord is helping me each day.
And I agree that this book is difficult to grasp.

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tammy
9/2/2015 10:57:47 am

this book is hard to grasp but....if I understand a little bit is this....Israel is a nation that constantly rebels against God. God has given them warning after warning about obedience to His word. They rebel and when they get so far from God they repent and God welcomes them once again. Here the nation being compared to an adulterous woman. By Hosea taking back his wife after she cheated on him is the same as God taking Israel back after they go have cheated on Him by worshiping other Gods and giving into pleasures of the flesh. God always wants Israel to be set apart from other nations....but all Israel wants is to be like all nations. They want the best of both worlds and find time and time again it doesn't work that way. I may be missing some information so feel free to add or fix it.,,..thanks. 😊

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Bruce
9/2/2015 10:31:15 pm

Thank you for helping me understand it better. The stories in Daniel were easier for me to pick up on. As it was how powerful God is and that if you are walking with him and he chooses you as someone that he is going to show his power through, because you obey him. That no-one, or nothing can hart you. Plus, i know that story better. I think i just need to keep studying and with the help of others like you and pastor Jeff it will come easier... Thanks again.

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Tammy
9/2/2015 11:41:37 pm

Love your comment on how our God is powerful and chooses to show His power to those who obey Him as he sees fit. That's a very good reminder. Thank you.

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