55th Week Hosea chapters 4-7 (Click on the Title for the Video Introduction)

 

Click on the Title for Video Intro

Monday, Chapter 4

Hosea 4

Verse 6

Heather Williams

September 19, 2006

Verse 6:  “My people are destroyed from 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 also will ignore your children.”

THOUGHT

Wow! Israel is really messed up. This chapter covers quite a bit of the mess they have made of their lives. It describes the waywardness of God’s people of Israel.  The one thing that stuck out to me was the topic of the priests. My study Bible explained that the priests had become leaders of wrongdoing and were not being spiritual leaders. As a result, He says they were keeping the people from knowing Him. 

Being a Christian leader is a HUGE responsibility. People are going to look up to you and follow you. It’s like being a parent. I know that Sierra and Crystal watch Tanya and Alan like a hawk. If Mom and Dad can do it, then they certainly think they have the right. (Fortunately, Tanya and Alan are wonderful parents and examples for their children. Thanks for letting me use you as an example.) The same goes for Christian leaders.  The church people will look up to them and follow their leader.

Here we see that the people were thinking “it must be OK if the priests do it”.  That is one of the reasons we should be praying often for our church leaders. The devil wants them to fail like these priests. We must be covering them in prayer. However, we also as Christians are examples and witnesses every day. Remember each day, that people are watching you, and you are representing our Savior and Lord.

PRAYER

Lord, I just want to lift up our Christian leaders. Lord, please protect the pastors at all of our churches. They have taken Your calling and are spending their lives in service to You. We pray that they would continue to grow toward You and rely on You. We pray for Your guidance and wisdom in their lives. Lord, we also pray that each of us would be living examples for You. We have accepted Your calling to be disciples and followers of You. Lord, I pray that each step we take and each word we speak is honoring to You. AMEN

Tuesday, Hosea Chapter 5

Hosea 5

Verse 4

Heather Williams

September 19, 2006

Verse 4:  Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the Lord.

THOUGHT

This verse was a tough reminder to us that if we continue to sin, our hearts will harden, and we will continue to fall away from the Lord, making it more and more difficult to repent and come back to the Lord.  Here we see that Israel was continuing to sin so much that they could not return to God. It compares it to prostitution of the heart. Ouch.

Once we have given our heart to the Lord, it’s His. So, when our heart is elsewhere, we are technically in a spirit of prostitution. Don’t allow sin to groove a hard path deep within you. Steer far, far away from it.

PRAYER

Lord, we have given You our hearts, and there is no one else we would rather have them. Lord, we confess that at times we get caught up in this world and sin. We confess and repent of that right now. Lord, thank You for taking us back despite all the times we have disobeyed.  You are an amazing Lord and Savior. Lord, help us to stay on the right path each day. AMEN

Wednesday, Hosea Chapter 6

Hosea 6

Verse 6

Heather Williams

September 21, 2006

Verse 6:  “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”

THOUGHT

The reason I picked this verse is because it tied into one of our discussions we had last night at Bible study. This verse shows that God saw through the people’s actions. God saw that the Israelites were performing these religious rituals, but their heart wasn’t in it.  Religious rituals (such as baptism or communion) are only helpful if they are carried out with an attitude of love for obedience to God. If the heart is far from God, then the ritual is meaningless and becomes a mockery. 

How often do we get caught up in our Christian life and forget why and what we are doing, like going to church? Some Sundays I confess that I get up and go because that’s what I do on Sunday.  I sing the songs, and I listen to the sermon, but my heart is not completely in it.  Why are we there? We should be there to worship and to learn more about God and to be in community with fellow believers. 

Our group is studying Mark, and we see the same behavior in Mark 11 when Jesus entered Jerusalem.  All the people were yelling Hosanna and swaying palm branches and praising Jesus; however, those same people became the angry mob that cried “crucify Him” a week later. They were going with the flow, and their hearts weren’t into it. Examine your heart the next time you go to worship or have communion or attend a church meeting. Make sure your heart and spirit are there as well as your physical body and mind.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, I confess that at times I get caught up in doing the Christian rituals that I know I should do without really thinking or experiencing why I’m there or what I’m doing. Lord, I pray that our hearts would always be consistent with our actions. I pray that we would desire to do these things such as going to church, worshiping, attending church meetings, teaching Sunday School, etc. because we WANT to serve and praise and obey You. I pray that our actions would be carried out in an attitude of love for obedience to You. AMEN

Thursday, Hosea Chapter 7

Hosea 7

Verse 8

Heather Williams

September 22, 2006

Verse 8:  Ephraim mixes with the nation; Ephraim is a flat cake not turned over.

THOUGHT

Well, I have to confess that I don’t really understand what a “flat cake not turned over” means, but I have a feeling it’s a bad thing.  My study Bible explains that Israel had intermarried with foreign lands and had picked up their evil ways.

I know that is so true in my life. When I hang out with negative grumpy people, I tend to get very negative and grumpy. When I hang out with people who swear, I start to swear a lot.  When I hang out with fun, happy, positive people, I tend to be fun, happy and positive. I really do think we easily pick up the attitudes and actions of those around us.  

We need to be aware of this. When we hang out with unbelievers, we should not drift into their bad habits but try to be a positive influence in their lives.

PRAYER

Father God, we are so thankful to know You and to be surrounded by Christian friends and family members. We thank You for their positive influences in our lives. Lord, help us take those positive vibes and be a positive influence to everyone that crosses our paths. Protect us from taking on the bad habits of those negative people in our lives.  AMEN

Friday, Facts about the Bible

1.  The New Testament books were first written down on Papyrus scrolls, an early form of paper made from reeds.

2.  Christians then began to copy the scrolls onto sheets of papyrus, which were bound and placed between two pieces of wood or tablets.  This form of early book was called a codex.  

3.  As the Christian church spread, the New Testament was translated into Latin and other languages.  

4.  In 1382  the first complete version of the Bible in English was published.  It was translated by John Wycliffe and, at that time, the words were still copied by hand.  

More Facts next week.