Hosea 10

Prospering Does not Always Mean Closeness with God

In Hosea chapter 10 we see God talking to Hosea about the condition of Israel. He compared Israel to a vine that produces a lot of fruit and then says in verse 1, “The more his fruit increased the more altars they built.” We see the example Hosea was giving was that Israel was prosperous nation but pushed harder and harder away from the Lord. The truth is, many people may have the same mind set when it comes to their relationship with God.

You know, they may think, “If I only I had this thing or money and then I would follow after you, God.” It may be more subtle than this but do you think if you were prosperous with things or money than you can get closer to God?  Do not be like Israel in their thinking. What happened was even though they were prosperous they grew further and further from God. Having things and being wealthy isn’t necessarily bad but it also isn’t good. Think about it, if you had everything that you always wanted all the time, how can you be dependent upon God for his provisions? Sometimes we need to be in a place of restlessness and need to depend on Christ. Hebrews 13:5-6 says, “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not fear; what can man do to me’?” See it is not about stuff, but about the heart. If you have a lot or a little what matters is the heart. May we allow the Lord control over our stuff, money, everything as he cares about our heart being given over to him.

Hosea 1

Hosea’s Obedience

Today we begin Hosea. Hosea contains the story and prophesies of the prophet of Hosea. Hosea was the last prophet before the northern kingdom was fell to Assyria in about 722 B. C.

In the 2nd verse God tells Hosea to marry a wife of “whoredom.” This means that she was either a prostitute or a woman that had many sexual partners. Not only that but God commands Hosea to have children with this woman. Think about the position that Hosea was placed in. Typically you would try and  find someone that has been faithful and has remained pure when you look for someone to marry, not someone who has lived a lifestyle of impurity. This was for sure not Hosea’s ideal situation.

In  the very next verse Hosea chooses a woman named Gomer to be his wife. Hosea was obedient to the Lord even though God called him to do something that was not easy or pleasant. What if God called you to do something as difficult as this? What if God called you to do something that was going to hurt later on in life? Would you do it? Hosea did and it cost him dearly. But in the end God was glorified and Hosea was blessed.

Gomer’s disobedience

Not only did they get married but they had children as well. Notice  that in verse 4 it says “she bore him a son.” That is the only time it says those words about Gomer. In verse 6 and 8 it does not say that she bore him(Hosea) a son but that she bore a(no father mentioned) a daughter and a son. Gomer went right back into her old ways. She committed adultery and had 2 children because of it. Gomer’s infidelity is going to have it’s consequences(chapter 2) but no sin, no matter how bad, can seperate us from the love our father.

God is uses this story as an example of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God and God’s love and mercy toward His people. In those days Hosea had the right to have Gomer killed for her unfaithfulness to him. But he did not exercise that right. He loved her. He cared for her. In the next chapter he even has to show her some very tough love but he NEVER gave up on her. The same is true for us and God. When we sin, when we turn our backs on God, we are committing adultery against God. God has the right to let us die in our sin but He doesn’t. He peruses us. He chases us and He NEVER gives up on us.

I hope you are excited to see the story of Hosea unfold. It is a beautiful story for us to learn from.

Daniel 7

The rest of the book of Daniel is all about visions that the Lord gives him. Through his these visions Daniel is given a glimpse of the apocalypse. Throughout the rest of the book of Daniel you will read a lot of intense things but one theme that will always be present is that no matter what happens God is still in control.

This chapter is full of prophesy that has already been fulfilled and others that have yet to be fulfilled. It speaks of the rise and fall of four different kingdoms, the rise and fall of the antichrist, and the establishment of the millennial kingdom. Through this chapter we see that God is in control of the world powers. He is the one that allows kings, kingdoms, and nations to rise and fall.

Daniel see’s four beast’s and each one represents a different nation or empire. The lion with Eagles wings represents the nation of Babylon, the most powerful nation during Daniels life. The bear represents the Medo-Persian empire that rose to power after Babylon. The leaopard that came next with the wings of eagles represents the Greek empire which was led to greatness by Alexander the Great. The fourth and final beast which Daniel could not describe represents the Roman empire that rose to power after the Greek empire. The small horn that came up among the other horns represents the antichrist who has yet to be revealed.

Not only is God in control over empires and nations but He is also in control of what is happening in your life. He cares for you and watches over you. Sometimes you may face something that does not make any sense at all but you must remember that God is in control and He knows what He is doing. When the storms of life hit remember Romans 8:28-29. God is working things out for good and transforming you into the likeness of Jesus.

Daniel 6

Daniel and the Lion’s Den

Of all the Bible stories, the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den would definitely be in the top 10 of well known Bible stories. Anybody who has gone to church or Sunday school for any significant amount of time has heard this story. You could probably even tell me this story from memory without even reading the chapter. What can we learn from this chapter? Pray and ask the Lord to reveal something new to you as you read this great chapter of the Bible.

God’s Faithfulness in the Darkness

Because of his passion to praise and thank the one true God, Daniel was sentenced to death by being thrown in a lions Den. This was a common practice during the time and it was a horrible way to die. Imagine being thrown in a dark pit that is home to very hungry lions with no possibility of escape. All you can see is a tiny bit of light reelecting off the eyes and teeth and of the hungry lions. This is exactly where Daniel found himself. One minute everything was great, the next minute he was cast into the darkness awaiting a painful death. But the story does not end there.

The next morning the king had the pit opened and he called down to his friend Daniel, who replied “O king, live forever!” Kind of a shocking reply when you consider that it was because of this kings foolishness that Daniel was thrown in the den. But God saved Daniel from certain death. In the Darkness an angel came and shut the mouths of the lion’s. The Lord was faithful to Daniel.

Maybe you find yourself in a dark place today.  A person hurt you. A situation came up that you had no control over. Someone or something has turned your life upside down. You feel like Daniel may have felt; alone and scared. How did Daniel get through this trial without freaking out completely and ending up on anti-depressants? He trusted God! Verse 23 tells us that no harm was done to him, because he trusted in God.

So what are you doing in your Lion’s den? Are you freaking out? Are you worried about what is going to happen? What if Daniel had done what you are doing now, would he have made it through the night? Do what Daniel did and trust in God.  Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Daniel 2

True Faith

The book of Daniel is exciting and fun to read. We see some great insight on being bold for the Lord. We see God’s complete control over the lives of these men and we also see some prophetic events that will take place. Daniel has it all as a narrative. Nebuchadnezzar was the king over Babylon at this time and Daniel and his budies were taken from Jerusalem and brought to Babylon. In this particular chapter, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. .

The Dream

King Nebuchadnezzar had this dream that bothered him so much so that he could not sleep. He then gathered all his magicians and enchanters to tell him the dream and the meaning of the dream but they could not. The king became angry and wanted to kill all the wise men because they were useless. When word reached Daniel he told them to tell the king that he could interpret the dream.

Daniel prayed to God and God revealed the dream to Daniel and he told the king about the dream and the meaning of it. As a result of Daniel telling the king about the dream and the meaning of the dream Daniel was promoted to a high position.

For Us:

As this chapter is fun to read we see the act of faith completely demonstrated in it. Did you notice in verse 14, Daniel before even knowing what the dream was about and before the Lord revealed it to him told the captian of the kings guard to appoint a time to meet with the king. Daniel had faith that God would show himself in a mighty way. He acted before even knowing what to do.

I am amazed at this type of faith. We usually will act on faith after we have some type of security, some promise of a future but Daniel leaped before knowing about his landing.

We also see God’s faithfulness in this chapter. God brought them to Babylon for a reason. Daniel and his friends were used for God’s glory. Having faith in God’s faithfulness is so important. If you were in Daniel’s shoes and the threat of being killed over this, what would you do? Would you respond like Daniel,  out of faith knowing that God will reveal it in his timing? I pray you are challenged to act out in faith. To know that God is faithful in his promises (See 2nd Timothy 2:13).

Ezekiel 40

As we move into Ezekiel 40 we begin to read of a vision Ezekiel had of the future temple in the Millennial kingdom. This vision is explained from Ezekiel 40-48. “The Millennial what”, you may say. Well let me explain the timeline. The next event to take place for us as Christians will be the rapture of the church. This is where Christ appears to grab us up to be in heaven with Him for a 7 year period, sort of like a honeymoon period where believers will be with the Lord in Heaven. At that same time on Earth, God will be pouring out His wrath on a Christ rejecting sinful world. After that 7 year period, Christ will return, with us, to reign in Jerusalem for 1000 yrs. This period is known as the Millennium or Millennial Kingdom. During this time “Christ will throw the Antichrist in the lake of fire, and God will begin to serve their eternal sentences. Satan will be confined in the bottomless pit, and there will be none of his minions to torment and tempt the millennial earth-dwellers. It will be a time much like the times of Eden, with the earth restored to its pristine beauty. (Read Rev. 20-10.) After the 1,000 years, the devil will be released from the pit for a short space of time. He will lead millions of those who have been born during the millennium in an assault on Christ at Jerusalem. God will send down fire and consume them all. Satan will be cast into the lake of fire. The lost dead will be resurrected (their eternal bodies joined to their souls), and all will stand before the great white throne of Christ to be judged. All will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity. (Read Rev. 20:10-15.) God “Jesus Christ” will remake the heavens and the earth in preparation for everlasting, ever-growing ecstasy in God’s presence. (Read Rev. 20:16-22: 16.)”

This all may sound so crazy and hard to follow, but know this – in the end we end up with Christ in a new Heaven and new Earth. Being in God’s presence forever. As Adam went to Israel this past week he saw how the Jews worship at the western wall. He told me they did this because it was the closest they could get to the holy of holies, God’s “presence”. How sad I thought, because in the future we are promised to be in God’s presence because of the atonement made by Christ on the cross for our sins.