What I am thinking about the Book of Hosea
We are called to love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, mind, body and spirit. So why do I feel like I need to be digging into this idea of spiritual adultery to present at retreat? Why is my emphasis on not turning, looking, going back? If we simply love the Lord the way we are supposed to, won’t we avoid any of the pitfalls I am studying about?
What is being impressed on me is that we are unable to do the things that we should or even want to because of our nature. We do not remember from moment to moment, let alone from day to day, what the Lord does for us. We may be thanking God one minute for healing us, but then the next we are trying to figure out how we are going to put food on the table. What had happened to our realization that everything comes for the Lord. That even our ability to work was a gift from Him.
And then there is the problem of sin and idolatry. We cannot go very long without falling into one or the other. We either say something that should not have been said. Think about something that should be avoided or we allow something to come between us and our love for Jesus, usually ourselves. We need constant reminders to get our eyes back on Jesus.
And now we add spiritual adultery into the mix. At first it seemed to me to be the same thing as idolatry and even though there are similarities, I am finding that there are subtle differences. They go hand in hand, but there is an attitude that is different. This is part of what we will be studying.
But again, why do I feel like this is necessary to study in such detail? What are the practical implications of this study and others we have or will do for our retreats? I am feeling that God has called us to get into the details, the minutia, and then share that with others so that they will have a foundation to work out their everyday living; that there will be an understanding for them as they try to love the Lord each and every day but fail. That God’s unfailing love will manifest in their lives and they will know that this is a lifelong process that can only be lived one day, one moment, at a time. There are no quick fixes, only eternal security in the one who created us.
Everything is the way it is in order for God’s glory to shine in every situation. We need Him constantly throughout the day to do and work in us. And when that happens, we and others see His glory. When we fail, we see His glory in His love for us. When we repent we see His glory in His forgiveness. When we are delivered we see His glory in His victory. When we go through difficulties we see His glory in His steadfastness and promises.
God created the world and humanity in such a way that things have to be the way they are; there is no way around it. There can never be a human utopia and we can never reach perfection while we live on this earth. It is completely and utterly impossible. That is why Jesus’ life is soooo unique. He lived a sinless life! We cannot even live a sinless day, unless of course, we are in a coma with no brain activity, but not much gets accomplished that way.
So I am feeling that some of us are called to get into the details and then share them with others. They then take a quick look, in comparison, and then can live their life more effectively for the Lord. Just as the Prophets were called to speak out the truth, the people had the choice then to believe and change or continue doing what they had been doing.
Our ministry is then similar to that of the prophets. To find the truth, to speak it out and pray for the results. We can do no more, and certainly we can do no less. This is a solemn responsibility, to be taken very seriously.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Week 1 Day 4 Love the Lord!
Week 1 Day 4 Love the Lord
Yesterday we were thinking about the Pharisees, who strived to keep the Law but had no room in their lives for mercy and compassion. Jesus was a daily irritation to them because here was a man that was genuinely good, who knew the Law better than anyone else, but then he would go and associate with tax collectors and sinners rather than spend time with them arguing about the minutiae of the Law. He completely upset the orderly world they were trying to live in.
Let’s see how Jesus answers when he was asked what he thought was the greatest commandment. Do you remember what his reply was? Look up Matt. 22:35-40 and write out his answer.
Now write out what Jesus says is the next commandment and next to the first in importance.
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Jesus was saying that if we keep only these two then we are keeping them all. How is this even possible as there are hundreds and thousands of laws and statutes? In your own words explain how keeping these two commandments would make it possible for us to keep the entirety of the Law.
I can remember when my kids were little and I had sent them to clean up some toys they had been playing with. I was busy elsewhere and when I passed by the room I see them playing with something and so I remind them that if they take a few minutes and pick up their room then they can play. A few minutes later the conversation is repeated. And finally I walk by the room and still it is not clean and they are still messing around. As I step into the room, the kids look up and one of them says, ‘Mommy, I love you’ frustrated I look at them and I say, ‘you know if you really loved me, you would have picked up this room the first time I asked’. As I said the words I could feel the Holy Spirit give me a nudge…needless to say, I stopped yelling at the kids for not cleaning and made sure they were finished before I went back to doing what I was doing. Another life lesson learned about how I treat God taught to me by my kids. Ouch!
Back to Hosea, what do you now think of his obedience in following God and marrying a woman of harlotry? Why would a Pharisee never have done what Hosea did?
Why did God ask Hosea to marry a harlot? Look at the verse again to get a hint.
Hosea 1
2 When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea:
“ Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
And children of harlotry,
For the land has committed great harlotry
By departing from the LORD.”
How does Hosea being obedient show that he loved God with his heart, mind, body, soul and spirit? How does it show he loved his neighbor as himself?
Why or how do the Pharisees fall short in keeping these commandments?
So thinking back to what we have discovered…mercy has to do with love and knowledge has to do with much more than just mental knowing…are you beginning to get a picture of what it is God is saying to His people. Take a moment and write out what the Spirit is saying to you through Hosea 6:6 in your own words. Now try giving examples of how this can personally apply to your life. (But remember, I am not talking about a list of dos and don’ts, I am wanting you to think about examples that cover all aspects of your life; body, soul, heart, mind, spirit and strength)
Why is loving God on just an emotional level not enough?
Do you tend to obey God like Hosea (wholeheartedly) or like the Pharisees (do things but no emotion) or like disobedient kids (saying I love you but no action)? Truthfully, we are usually a combination of all of the above. Try to think of an example of each. If none come to mind, ask the Holy Spirit to give some insight.
Do not beat yourself up for the lack of genuine obedience in your life. Instead, take the time now to ask God to help you to be more like Hosea and less like a Pharisee or a child each and every day. And when you do fall short, remember God has shown us mercy and it is possible to repent and then obey!
Yesterday we were thinking about the Pharisees, who strived to keep the Law but had no room in their lives for mercy and compassion. Jesus was a daily irritation to them because here was a man that was genuinely good, who knew the Law better than anyone else, but then he would go and associate with tax collectors and sinners rather than spend time with them arguing about the minutiae of the Law. He completely upset the orderly world they were trying to live in.
Let’s see how Jesus answers when he was asked what he thought was the greatest commandment. Do you remember what his reply was? Look up Matt. 22:35-40 and write out his answer.
Now write out what Jesus says is the next commandment and next to the first in importance.
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Jesus was saying that if we keep only these two then we are keeping them all. How is this even possible as there are hundreds and thousands of laws and statutes? In your own words explain how keeping these two commandments would make it possible for us to keep the entirety of the Law.
I can remember when my kids were little and I had sent them to clean up some toys they had been playing with. I was busy elsewhere and when I passed by the room I see them playing with something and so I remind them that if they take a few minutes and pick up their room then they can play. A few minutes later the conversation is repeated. And finally I walk by the room and still it is not clean and they are still messing around. As I step into the room, the kids look up and one of them says, ‘Mommy, I love you’ frustrated I look at them and I say, ‘you know if you really loved me, you would have picked up this room the first time I asked’. As I said the words I could feel the Holy Spirit give me a nudge…needless to say, I stopped yelling at the kids for not cleaning and made sure they were finished before I went back to doing what I was doing. Another life lesson learned about how I treat God taught to me by my kids. Ouch!
Back to Hosea, what do you now think of his obedience in following God and marrying a woman of harlotry? Why would a Pharisee never have done what Hosea did?
Why did God ask Hosea to marry a harlot? Look at the verse again to get a hint.
Hosea 1
2 When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea:
“ Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
And children of harlotry,
For the land has committed great harlotry
By departing from the LORD.”
How does Hosea being obedient show that he loved God with his heart, mind, body, soul and spirit? How does it show he loved his neighbor as himself?
Why or how do the Pharisees fall short in keeping these commandments?
So thinking back to what we have discovered…mercy has to do with love and knowledge has to do with much more than just mental knowing…are you beginning to get a picture of what it is God is saying to His people. Take a moment and write out what the Spirit is saying to you through Hosea 6:6 in your own words. Now try giving examples of how this can personally apply to your life. (But remember, I am not talking about a list of dos and don’ts, I am wanting you to think about examples that cover all aspects of your life; body, soul, heart, mind, spirit and strength)
Why is loving God on just an emotional level not enough?
Do you tend to obey God like Hosea (wholeheartedly) or like the Pharisees (do things but no emotion) or like disobedient kids (saying I love you but no action)? Truthfully, we are usually a combination of all of the above. Try to think of an example of each. If none come to mind, ask the Holy Spirit to give some insight.
Do not beat yourself up for the lack of genuine obedience in your life. Instead, take the time now to ask God to help you to be more like Hosea and less like a Pharisee or a child each and every day. And when you do fall short, remember God has shown us mercy and it is possible to repent and then obey!
Week 1 Day 3 Mercy vs Sacrifice
Hosea Week 1, Day 3 Mercy vs Sacrifice
We are going to continue on today with the theme of obedience that we took a quick look at yesterday. Remember the verses that we looked at in Hosea:
Hosea 6:5-7
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,
I have slain them by the words of My mouth;
And your judgments are like light that goes forth.
6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7 “ But like men they transgressed the covenant;
There they dealt treacherously with Me.
Looking at Strong’s Concordance we see this word: mercy
Checed 2617 goodness, kindness, faithfulness
And translated in the King James these different ways (the number refers to how many times it was translated as this word) — mercy 149, kindness 40, lovingkindness 30, goodness 12, kindly 5, merciful 4, favour 3, good 1, goodliness 1
Is this giving you a fuller idea of what mercy may have meant in the Old Testament. Seeing it translated so many different ways helps us to once again realize that in the thinking of the ancient Hebrew there is more of a link between what was felt and what was thought and what was done; a much more holistic way of looking at life.
Verse 6 of Hosea 6 is quoted by Jesus at least a couple of times during his 3 ½ year ministry. I am thinking it must have been pretty important if Jesus uses it as a reference to what he is trying to teach. Let’s take a quick look.
Matthew 9
9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
What is Jesus teaching here?
Matthew 12
1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”
3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. 7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord even[b] of the Sabbath.”
What is Jesus teaching here?
So here is the Greek word that is used in the New Testament for mercy:
eleos 1656 translated mercy every time
1) mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them
a) of men towards men: to exercise the virtue of mercy, show one's self merciful
b) of God towards men: in general providence; the mercy and clemency of God in providing and offering to men salvation by Christ
c) the mercy of Christ, whereby at his return to judgment he will bless true Christians with eternal life
Now let’s take a moment and try and put this all into context. We know that God would get upset when sacrifice was just performed out of duty or manipulation rather than love. Our example of Saul was a good one. And we see this most emphatically with the many exchanges that Jesus had with the Pharisees. Because remember these were the religious leaders of Jesus’ time and they were great at making sacrifices. They knew the Law and took great pride in being to point out to others when they were not following the Law the way they felt it should be followed. They would argue amongst themselves as to the exact meaning of certain laws according to which Rabbi they followed.
We have two perfect examples here of their thoughts; first Jesus is eating with sinners and the Pharisees could not understand why a teacher would lower himself as to be seen in public with tax collectors and other known sinners. Then in the other example they chastise Jesus because he does not correct his disciples for picking some grain to eat on the Sabbath, which would have been considered work by them and one did not work on the Sabbath.
In both these cases as we see Jesus quotes from Hosea. But what is his reasoning for doing these things that could cause such controversy? Think about it; He associated with sinners because they were the ones in need of being called to repentance. And he allowed the disciples to pick the grain because they were hungry. So here was Jesus showing mercy to sinners (spiritually) and even his own disciples (physically). Jesus is not just caring for those around him in their outward actions, he was actually concerned about them, their heart condition and whether they needed to eat or not.
What did Jesus want his disciples to understand from this exchange he had with the Pharisees?
But Jesus keeps pointing out to the Pharisees that God desires mercy and not sacrifice. The Pharisees were good at sacrifice, but how were they at mercy? Do you think they even had room in all their rules for mercy?
Do you find that sometimes it is easier to follow the rules than it is to have the right attitude about why those rules are there in the first place? Think of some examples where you follow the rules but your heart is not in it. Do you think God is satisfied with this type of obedience? What are some ways to get the needed attitude adjustment?
I have often heard it taught that we should just obey God and that our attitudes and emotions will follow, after much soul searching I am beginning to wonder if that is true. At this point in time, I am learning that following God means complete surrender to His will….not just what I do but also what I think, feel, desire, choose as well as do.
Write out your thoughts! Can you be obedient in actions only and still be obedient?
We are going to continue on today with the theme of obedience that we took a quick look at yesterday. Remember the verses that we looked at in Hosea:
Hosea 6:5-7
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,
I have slain them by the words of My mouth;
And your judgments are like light that goes forth.
6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7 “ But like men they transgressed the covenant;
There they dealt treacherously with Me.
Looking at Strong’s Concordance we see this word: mercy
Checed 2617 goodness, kindness, faithfulness
And translated in the King James these different ways (the number refers to how many times it was translated as this word) — mercy 149, kindness 40, lovingkindness 30, goodness 12, kindly 5, merciful 4, favour 3, good 1, goodliness 1
Is this giving you a fuller idea of what mercy may have meant in the Old Testament. Seeing it translated so many different ways helps us to once again realize that in the thinking of the ancient Hebrew there is more of a link between what was felt and what was thought and what was done; a much more holistic way of looking at life.
Verse 6 of Hosea 6 is quoted by Jesus at least a couple of times during his 3 ½ year ministry. I am thinking it must have been pretty important if Jesus uses it as a reference to what he is trying to teach. Let’s take a quick look.
Matthew 9
9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
What is Jesus teaching here?
Matthew 12
1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”
3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. 7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord even[b] of the Sabbath.”
What is Jesus teaching here?
So here is the Greek word that is used in the New Testament for mercy:
eleos 1656 translated mercy every time
1) mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them
a) of men towards men: to exercise the virtue of mercy, show one's self merciful
b) of God towards men: in general providence; the mercy and clemency of God in providing and offering to men salvation by Christ
c) the mercy of Christ, whereby at his return to judgment he will bless true Christians with eternal life
Now let’s take a moment and try and put this all into context. We know that God would get upset when sacrifice was just performed out of duty or manipulation rather than love. Our example of Saul was a good one. And we see this most emphatically with the many exchanges that Jesus had with the Pharisees. Because remember these were the religious leaders of Jesus’ time and they were great at making sacrifices. They knew the Law and took great pride in being to point out to others when they were not following the Law the way they felt it should be followed. They would argue amongst themselves as to the exact meaning of certain laws according to which Rabbi they followed.
We have two perfect examples here of their thoughts; first Jesus is eating with sinners and the Pharisees could not understand why a teacher would lower himself as to be seen in public with tax collectors and other known sinners. Then in the other example they chastise Jesus because he does not correct his disciples for picking some grain to eat on the Sabbath, which would have been considered work by them and one did not work on the Sabbath.
In both these cases as we see Jesus quotes from Hosea. But what is his reasoning for doing these things that could cause such controversy? Think about it; He associated with sinners because they were the ones in need of being called to repentance. And he allowed the disciples to pick the grain because they were hungry. So here was Jesus showing mercy to sinners (spiritually) and even his own disciples (physically). Jesus is not just caring for those around him in their outward actions, he was actually concerned about them, their heart condition and whether they needed to eat or not.
What did Jesus want his disciples to understand from this exchange he had with the Pharisees?
But Jesus keeps pointing out to the Pharisees that God desires mercy and not sacrifice. The Pharisees were good at sacrifice, but how were they at mercy? Do you think they even had room in all their rules for mercy?
Do you find that sometimes it is easier to follow the rules than it is to have the right attitude about why those rules are there in the first place? Think of some examples where you follow the rules but your heart is not in it. Do you think God is satisfied with this type of obedience? What are some ways to get the needed attitude adjustment?
I have often heard it taught that we should just obey God and that our attitudes and emotions will follow, after much soul searching I am beginning to wonder if that is true. At this point in time, I am learning that following God means complete surrender to His will….not just what I do but also what I think, feel, desire, choose as well as do.
Write out your thoughts! Can you be obedient in actions only and still be obedient?
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Hosea...Week 1....Day 2 Obedience
Hosea
Week 1 Day 2 Obedience
2 When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea:
“ Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
And children of harlotry,
For the land has committed great harlotry
By departing from the LORD.”
3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.The next few days we are going to take a look at obedience. The one thing that really stands out to me about Hosea is his instant obedience. God told him to marry a harlot and the next verse we see Hosea carrying out the command. In Hosea’s case we do not see any arguing with the Lord, we do not see any hesitation in the timing. What we do see is instant obedience. How refreshing! But how not like the way I normally react. How about you?
I want to learn how to be obedient like Hosea so we are going to spend some time looking at what the Lord has to say about obedience.
Hosea 6:5-7
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,
I have slain them by the words of My mouth;
And your judgments are like light that goes forth.
6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7 “ But like men they transgressed the covenant;
There they dealt treacherously with Me.
Here in Hosea, God tells us what about obedience?
Let’s compare some words to get a clearer picture of what is being said:
Mercy_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sacrifice_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Knowledge______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Burnt offerings___________________________________________________________
Transgressed____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dealt treacherously________________________________________________________
Looking at these words, what are you beginning to understand a little more clearly about obedience?
The argument had been throughout the prophets by the people of Israel was that they had made sacrifices and offerings but still they were having major problems. They could not understand why the Lord would punish them or fail to bless them, when they were going through the motions. Let’s take a look and see some of their behavior problems.
King Saul was the very first king of Israel. He was chosen by God to be their king because he looked the part. He was tall, handsome, physically fit and could carry himself in a kingly manner. At first, Saul was very humbled by being chosen. We even have a report that he was filled by the Spirit and able to prophesy just like the prophets but being king soon changed the way he felt about himself and his relationship with the Lord. He made the mistake of thinking much too highly of himself and treating the Lord casually, almost as an equal.
Read the story in 1Samuel 15 about King Saul and his failure to completely follow the Lord’s commands.
Thinking about obedience, why do you think this story is so important?
Is there anything in this story that you see as being unfair? (After all Saul did say he was sorry for doing things his own way. Do you think he was really sorry, or just sorry he got caught?)
What were the long term ramifications of Saul not obeying God completely?
Let’s look at Samuel’s response to Saul’s words of trying to justify his actions:
1 Samuel 15
22 So Samuel said:
“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
He also has rejected you from being king.”
What are some of the things that Samuel is accusing Saul of doing?
Today is word day, so look up:
Rebellion________________________________________________________________
Witchcraft_______________________________________________________________
Stubbornness_____________________________________________________________
Iniquity_________________________________________________________________
Idolatry_________________________________________________________________
Rejected_________________________________________________________________
The next time you justify your actions to God for not completely obeying what it is you know you should be doing, think back to Saul.
BTW a descendant of King Agag is the Haman in the Book of Esther that was so determined to destroy all the Jews in Persia. So remember, there are always consequences to our disobedience, we may not be around to see them, but none the less, they are still there.
Tomorrow we will take a look at what Jesus had to say about obedience.
But for today, take time to write out how obedience is important in your walk with the Lord. Also, be real with yourself and write down some of the reasons that you have a hard time being obedient every time.
Week 1 Day 2 Obedience
2 When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea:
“ Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
And children of harlotry,
For the land has committed great harlotry
By departing from the LORD.”
3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.The next few days we are going to take a look at obedience. The one thing that really stands out to me about Hosea is his instant obedience. God told him to marry a harlot and the next verse we see Hosea carrying out the command. In Hosea’s case we do not see any arguing with the Lord, we do not see any hesitation in the timing. What we do see is instant obedience. How refreshing! But how not like the way I normally react. How about you?
I want to learn how to be obedient like Hosea so we are going to spend some time looking at what the Lord has to say about obedience.
Hosea 6:5-7
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,
I have slain them by the words of My mouth;
And your judgments are like light that goes forth.
6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7 “ But like men they transgressed the covenant;
There they dealt treacherously with Me.
Here in Hosea, God tells us what about obedience?
Let’s compare some words to get a clearer picture of what is being said:
Mercy_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sacrifice_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Knowledge______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Burnt offerings___________________________________________________________
Transgressed____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dealt treacherously________________________________________________________
Looking at these words, what are you beginning to understand a little more clearly about obedience?
The argument had been throughout the prophets by the people of Israel was that they had made sacrifices and offerings but still they were having major problems. They could not understand why the Lord would punish them or fail to bless them, when they were going through the motions. Let’s take a look and see some of their behavior problems.
King Saul was the very first king of Israel. He was chosen by God to be their king because he looked the part. He was tall, handsome, physically fit and could carry himself in a kingly manner. At first, Saul was very humbled by being chosen. We even have a report that he was filled by the Spirit and able to prophesy just like the prophets but being king soon changed the way he felt about himself and his relationship with the Lord. He made the mistake of thinking much too highly of himself and treating the Lord casually, almost as an equal.
Read the story in 1Samuel 15 about King Saul and his failure to completely follow the Lord’s commands.
Thinking about obedience, why do you think this story is so important?
Is there anything in this story that you see as being unfair? (After all Saul did say he was sorry for doing things his own way. Do you think he was really sorry, or just sorry he got caught?)
What were the long term ramifications of Saul not obeying God completely?
Let’s look at Samuel’s response to Saul’s words of trying to justify his actions:
1 Samuel 15
22 So Samuel said:
“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
He also has rejected you from being king.”
What are some of the things that Samuel is accusing Saul of doing?
Today is word day, so look up:
Rebellion________________________________________________________________
Witchcraft_______________________________________________________________
Stubbornness_____________________________________________________________
Iniquity_________________________________________________________________
Idolatry_________________________________________________________________
Rejected_________________________________________________________________
The next time you justify your actions to God for not completely obeying what it is you know you should be doing, think back to Saul.
BTW a descendant of King Agag is the Haman in the Book of Esther that was so determined to destroy all the Jews in Persia. So remember, there are always consequences to our disobedience, we may not be around to see them, but none the less, they are still there.
Tomorrow we will take a look at what Jesus had to say about obedience.
But for today, take time to write out how obedience is important in your walk with the Lord. Also, be real with yourself and write down some of the reasons that you have a hard time being obedient every time.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Hosea is called
Day 1 Know the Lord
We read in Hosea 4:6a
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Let’s start our study here. Hosea was called by God for a specific time and a specific place. He was called to be a living example of God’s love to a people that had forgotten all about their Lord. God says that their destruction was coming because of their lack of knowledge. What was the knowledge that they have seemed to have forgotten? Let’s look at a few of the verses in Hosea that deal with this problem.
Fill in the blanks:
Hosea 4:1
Listen to the word of the LORD, O sons of Israel, For the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no faithfulness or kindness or¬¬¬______________of God in the land.
Hosea 2:8
“For she does not ¬¬¬¬_________that it was I who gave her the grain, the new wine and the oil, And lavished on her silver and gold, Which they used for Baal
Hosea 5:4
Their deeds will not allow them To return to their God. For a spirit of harlotry is within them, And they do not ________ the LORD.
Hosea 6:6
For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the __________________ of God rather than burnt offerings.
Hosea 7:9
Strangers devour his strength, Yet he does not __________ it; Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, Yet he does not ___________ it.
Hosea 11:3
Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in My arms; But they did not _________ that I healed them.
Hosea 13:4
Yet I have been the LORD your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to__________any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me.
So using these verses as a clue to the Israelites problems what do we see? First of all, they had forgotten who had blessed them in the first place. They were giving credit for their times of prosperity to the gods that the Canaanites had worshipped in the land before they came there. These were gods of fertility and the harvest and natural conditions, such as rain and sunshine. They were in essence taking the good things that the Lord God had given them and then and going and sacrificing these very things to the idols they had constructed. God called this spiritual adultery, because it would be like a wife enjoying what her husband had given to her as far as food, clothing and jewelry and then going to another man and thanking him for all she had by having sex (intimacy) with him instead of her husband.
Take a moment to write down any thoughts you may have about these verses and what spiritual adultery looks like. As we study further, it will be good to come back and look at what you have written here to see if there are any changes.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Let’s take a look at the definition The New Bible Dictionary has:
KNOWLEDGE. The Gk. ideal of knowledge was a contemplation of reality in its static and abiding being; the Heb. was primarily concerned with life in its dynamic process, and therefore conceived knowledge as an entry into relationship with the experienced world which makes demands not only on man’s understanding but also on man’s will.
The New Bible Dictionary goes on to give examples from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. If you have time, look up knowledge, understanding, and know (yada in Hebrew). You can find access to Bible dictionaries at websites such as biblegateway.com, bible.org, crosswalk.com, etc. Are you beginning to see the difference between our western idea of knowledge and the Biblical idea. In American Christianity I have heard it explained this way before. “I know in my head what the truth is, but it has not reached my heart”. This is usually said by someone that knows the Lord wants them to do or feel something but they have not. They usually feel that they will eventually have this truth reach their heart.
Think for a moment. Have you ever felt that way? Maybe you knew you were supposed to forgive someone who had hurt you, you may have even said the words, but you knew in your heart you had not forgiven them. According to the Hebrew way of thinking, you really did not KNOW this truth at all. You just had an idea that it was so.
Write down an example of something that is true but you do not yet fully know.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Take time to pray:
Lord, I am beginning to realize that I thought I knew what I was supposed to do but I am not allowing your knowledge to be a part of my heart and soul as well as my mind. I see now that is just an excuse to not obey your word to me. Jesus, I repent (am sorry) of this attitude and ask that your Holy Spirit would lead me in all knowledge of you and your ways. Just as I long to love you with my whole heart, body, soul, spirit and strength, I also want to have that intimate knowledge of you in all areas of my life.
Now take time for some positive praise. Write down some things that you know that you know that you know about the Lord God. If you need inspiration go to the Psalms.
I will start: (you can add to this list as more things are brought to mind throughout this study)
I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you created the heavens and the earth.
I know that Jesus is God.
I know that the only way to God the Father is through Jesus.
I know that God’s plan will never fail.
I know that you created me uniquely and that I am called to follow you.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Day 1 Know the Lord
We read in Hosea 4:6a
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Let’s start our study here. Hosea was called by God for a specific time and a specific place. He was called to be a living example of God’s love to a people that had forgotten all about their Lord. God says that their destruction was coming because of their lack of knowledge. What was the knowledge that they have seemed to have forgotten? Let’s look at a few of the verses in Hosea that deal with this problem.
Fill in the blanks:
Hosea 4:1
Listen to the word of the LORD, O sons of Israel, For the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no faithfulness or kindness or¬¬¬______________of God in the land.
Hosea 2:8
“For she does not ¬¬¬¬_________that it was I who gave her the grain, the new wine and the oil, And lavished on her silver and gold, Which they used for Baal
Hosea 5:4
Their deeds will not allow them To return to their God. For a spirit of harlotry is within them, And they do not ________ the LORD.
Hosea 6:6
For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the __________________ of God rather than burnt offerings.
Hosea 7:9
Strangers devour his strength, Yet he does not __________ it; Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, Yet he does not ___________ it.
Hosea 11:3
Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in My arms; But they did not _________ that I healed them.
Hosea 13:4
Yet I have been the LORD your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to__________any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me.
So using these verses as a clue to the Israelites problems what do we see? First of all, they had forgotten who had blessed them in the first place. They were giving credit for their times of prosperity to the gods that the Canaanites had worshipped in the land before they came there. These were gods of fertility and the harvest and natural conditions, such as rain and sunshine. They were in essence taking the good things that the Lord God had given them and then and going and sacrificing these very things to the idols they had constructed. God called this spiritual adultery, because it would be like a wife enjoying what her husband had given to her as far as food, clothing and jewelry and then going to another man and thanking him for all she had by having sex (intimacy) with him instead of her husband.
Take a moment to write down any thoughts you may have about these verses and what spiritual adultery looks like. As we study further, it will be good to come back and look at what you have written here to see if there are any changes.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Let’s take a look at the definition The New Bible Dictionary has:
KNOWLEDGE. The Gk. ideal of knowledge was a contemplation of reality in its static and abiding being; the Heb. was primarily concerned with life in its dynamic process, and therefore conceived knowledge as an entry into relationship with the experienced world which makes demands not only on man’s understanding but also on man’s will.
The New Bible Dictionary goes on to give examples from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. If you have time, look up knowledge, understanding, and know (yada in Hebrew). You can find access to Bible dictionaries at websites such as biblegateway.com, bible.org, crosswalk.com, etc. Are you beginning to see the difference between our western idea of knowledge and the Biblical idea. In American Christianity I have heard it explained this way before. “I know in my head what the truth is, but it has not reached my heart”. This is usually said by someone that knows the Lord wants them to do or feel something but they have not. They usually feel that they will eventually have this truth reach their heart.
Think for a moment. Have you ever felt that way? Maybe you knew you were supposed to forgive someone who had hurt you, you may have even said the words, but you knew in your heart you had not forgiven them. According to the Hebrew way of thinking, you really did not KNOW this truth at all. You just had an idea that it was so.
Write down an example of something that is true but you do not yet fully know.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Take time to pray:
Lord, I am beginning to realize that I thought I knew what I was supposed to do but I am not allowing your knowledge to be a part of my heart and soul as well as my mind. I see now that is just an excuse to not obey your word to me. Jesus, I repent (am sorry) of this attitude and ask that your Holy Spirit would lead me in all knowledge of you and your ways. Just as I long to love you with my whole heart, body, soul, spirit and strength, I also want to have that intimate knowledge of you in all areas of my life.
Now take time for some positive praise. Write down some things that you know that you know that you know about the Lord God. If you need inspiration go to the Psalms.
I will start: (you can add to this list as more things are brought to mind throughout this study)
I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you created the heavens and the earth.
I know that Jesus is God.
I know that the only way to God the Father is through Jesus.
I know that God’s plan will never fail.
I know that you created me uniquely and that I am called to follow you.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Hosea is called...intro
Chapter 1 Hosea is Called
Hosea 1
1 The word of the LORD that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
2 When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea:
“Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
And children of harlotry,
For the land has committed great harlotry
By departing from the LORD.”
Can you imagine what Hosea must have been thinking when this happened? And it looks like this was at the very beginning of his ministry as a prophet; one of his first, if not his first prophetic duty. Here he is following the Lord. No mean task considering how everyone is acting around him. He is trying to be the example of a Godly Jewish man, maybe he had been thinking, “You know, I am not getting any younger. I probably should find a good Jewish woman and settle down and raise a family. Maybe I will go talk to my Mom and Dad and see if they have anyone in mind for me”
Instead, his heavenly Father tells him to go marry a wife of harlotry. Really??? A wife of harlotry? Why not an Assyrian or Moabitess? Maybe a stray Egyptian needs marrying. Can you just imagine his mind doing all kinds of flip flops trying to understand what is being asked of him? But with Hosea we see instant obedience.
3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim,
We do not see any hesitation. He went out and married Gomer. We do not even see him questioning God at all. That makes us ask a couple of other questions. Did he know of Gomer before this request? He certainly knew where to go find a prostitute…had she already been a prostitute or was she a prostitute in waiting.
Some questions to begin thinking about for this week:
1. What kind of things can expect the Lord to ask of us?
2. Is there anything that the Lord would not ask of his followers?
3. What does it mean to be a prophet of the Lord?
4. How would we react if God asked us to do something so unconventional?
5. How can we be more like Hosea?
Hosea 1
1 The word of the LORD that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
2 When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea:
“Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
And children of harlotry,
For the land has committed great harlotry
By departing from the LORD.”
Can you imagine what Hosea must have been thinking when this happened? And it looks like this was at the very beginning of his ministry as a prophet; one of his first, if not his first prophetic duty. Here he is following the Lord. No mean task considering how everyone is acting around him. He is trying to be the example of a Godly Jewish man, maybe he had been thinking, “You know, I am not getting any younger. I probably should find a good Jewish woman and settle down and raise a family. Maybe I will go talk to my Mom and Dad and see if they have anyone in mind for me”
Instead, his heavenly Father tells him to go marry a wife of harlotry. Really??? A wife of harlotry? Why not an Assyrian or Moabitess? Maybe a stray Egyptian needs marrying. Can you just imagine his mind doing all kinds of flip flops trying to understand what is being asked of him? But with Hosea we see instant obedience.
3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim,
We do not see any hesitation. He went out and married Gomer. We do not even see him questioning God at all. That makes us ask a couple of other questions. Did he know of Gomer before this request? He certainly knew where to go find a prostitute…had she already been a prostitute or was she a prostitute in waiting.
Some questions to begin thinking about for this week:
1. What kind of things can expect the Lord to ask of us?
2. Is there anything that the Lord would not ask of his followers?
3. What does it mean to be a prophet of the Lord?
4. How would we react if God asked us to do something so unconventional?
5. How can we be more like Hosea?
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Hosea and Gomer--just wondering
After Hosea took Gomer to be his wife, it reads like boom, boom, boom, she had three babies; one right after the other. One would get weaned and then another would be on its way. Can you just imagine her, like so many women; all of a sudden her whole life is consumed with motherhood. She was young and desirable one minute and the next she is up to her eyeballs in diapers. Not the glamorous life she had thought marriage would be.
Let’s make Gomer human and think about her without finger pointing.
• Did Gomer know why Hosea had picked her to be his wife
• Did she want to get married or was she even part of the transaction
• Was motherhood difficult for her or what she had always wanted
• Did the stress of three babies prove to be too much for her
• Did she desire to feel beautiful again
• Was being desired by men more important than fulfilling the desires of her children
• Was she searching for her youth or fleeing from feeling old
• Did she ever see the error of her ways and come to her senses
• When she was bought back by Hosea, what then was her attitude to husband and children
• Did she finally find love and fulfillment with Hosea
In Gomer then, we see a woman not too different from many young ladies around us, even ourselves at times. Our society values youth and beauty over just about everything. The only thing that is close is wealth, but that carries a double edged sword. Wealth from being young and beautiful is OK, but wealth from hard work is not fair to those that did not get the chance.
We all know that in order to sell products, advertisers go out of their way to make the product look like it will be fun, exciting and cause us to be youthful and beautiful and exciting as well. Sex sells and keeping us young sells. Millions are spent to entice us into buying products and services that will give us that edge. How often do we compare ourselves to the models and feel like a failure because there is no way we can ever be that beautiful or young or thin or wealthy or whatever…..
I was thinking the other day about modern day whoredoms in the church. For the most part, churches themselves do not have sexual orgies although members may be involved in sex sins. But what the church has recently sold them over to is the prosperity religion. The name it and claim it crowd has brought their brand of religion into the church and sold its members a bill of goods that has caused many to stumble.
We have made God our Genie who will bring us the money we need as long as we make our wish properly. Just like Israel, we expect God to take care of us financially and keep us healthy when we call out to Him, because, after all, we are called by His name.
If idolatry is putting anything or anyone before God and spiritual adultery is giving credit to someone or something for what God has done, how does that affect us in our daily walk with God? Is it even necessary to know the difference or to understand this concept?
God says over and over in His Word, “Let those that have eyes to see, see and ears to hear, hear”. So I feel that I am here to bring some of these things to light so that they can be seen and dealt with; that the truth can be heard, so that the lie no longer has any power. Is it necessary to know the difference? Not really. What is important is that we realize that there is something holding us back and the only way to have victory is with the power of the Holy Spirit. We can never let anything be more important in our life than Jesus. We must always realize that it is God that is in control and all things come under His command. That is what this study will strive to teach.
• God is God
• There is none like God
• God is in control
• We are not God
• We will never be God
• Only God can satisfy
• All is for the glory of God
• God will do whatever it takes
• God’s goal is to show His glory
Let’s make Gomer human and think about her without finger pointing.
• Did Gomer know why Hosea had picked her to be his wife
• Did she want to get married or was she even part of the transaction
• Was motherhood difficult for her or what she had always wanted
• Did the stress of three babies prove to be too much for her
• Did she desire to feel beautiful again
• Was being desired by men more important than fulfilling the desires of her children
• Was she searching for her youth or fleeing from feeling old
• Did she ever see the error of her ways and come to her senses
• When she was bought back by Hosea, what then was her attitude to husband and children
• Did she finally find love and fulfillment with Hosea
In Gomer then, we see a woman not too different from many young ladies around us, even ourselves at times. Our society values youth and beauty over just about everything. The only thing that is close is wealth, but that carries a double edged sword. Wealth from being young and beautiful is OK, but wealth from hard work is not fair to those that did not get the chance.
We all know that in order to sell products, advertisers go out of their way to make the product look like it will be fun, exciting and cause us to be youthful and beautiful and exciting as well. Sex sells and keeping us young sells. Millions are spent to entice us into buying products and services that will give us that edge. How often do we compare ourselves to the models and feel like a failure because there is no way we can ever be that beautiful or young or thin or wealthy or whatever…..
I was thinking the other day about modern day whoredoms in the church. For the most part, churches themselves do not have sexual orgies although members may be involved in sex sins. But what the church has recently sold them over to is the prosperity religion. The name it and claim it crowd has brought their brand of religion into the church and sold its members a bill of goods that has caused many to stumble.
We have made God our Genie who will bring us the money we need as long as we make our wish properly. Just like Israel, we expect God to take care of us financially and keep us healthy when we call out to Him, because, after all, we are called by His name.
If idolatry is putting anything or anyone before God and spiritual adultery is giving credit to someone or something for what God has done, how does that affect us in our daily walk with God? Is it even necessary to know the difference or to understand this concept?
God says over and over in His Word, “Let those that have eyes to see, see and ears to hear, hear”. So I feel that I am here to bring some of these things to light so that they can be seen and dealt with; that the truth can be heard, so that the lie no longer has any power. Is it necessary to know the difference? Not really. What is important is that we realize that there is something holding us back and the only way to have victory is with the power of the Holy Spirit. We can never let anything be more important in our life than Jesus. We must always realize that it is God that is in control and all things come under His command. That is what this study will strive to teach.
• God is God
• There is none like God
• God is in control
• We are not God
• We will never be God
• Only God can satisfy
• All is for the glory of God
• God will do whatever it takes
• God’s goal is to show His glory
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