RE Verse reading–Hosea 1:1-11, 2:16-23, 3:1-5 (day five) “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you.” (3:3) In the Hosea story, we are Gomer. When she arrives home, her pride destroyed by the consequences of her sin, it is a picture of us when Christ first comes to adopts us, or when He comes to restore us after a period of disasterous rebellion. Humility is a good thing even when gained through painful experience. Gone is Gomer’s arrogance and independence. Pray ours gone as well. The rules are now simple and strict. She is to be sexually faithful. We are to have no other loves but Him. The promise is huge. He will live with us! May the Lord help us all to appreciate what a gift this offer is. May the hard years remind us to be happy that we are humbled and home.
Honestly, I have had no idea what you were referring to in this Book this week. Today I finally figured out that apparently translating chapter 3 is difficult, because if you look at the different translations they vary greatly. Makes a thinking person wonder….but at least now I can follow along.
Probably because of how I lived this week, I was exhausted last night and began to become sad. In my particular situation it was over a person who I used to consider a friend, but has changed so much after a period of stress that it is (to me) as if this person no longer exists. The Lord leads me to love and interact with the person they have become anyway and so I began last night to share with Him my pain. He was able to immediately tie it in with this Book…. how He loves, aches for and is unsettled about the people in our world, our country, our city, our church, our families that He longs to be in a restored relationship to, but is not. These are the times I feel closest to Him… when I can share His burden for the lost. I am very thankful for this time of fellowship.
No one is called to do everything, but we are all called to do something… that the lost might Live. Lord, show us the way. Amen.