Thursday August 1st, 2019 Hosea 11:1-11
How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. (verse 8)
In this Old Testament lesson, we find God speaking to us through the prophet Hosea. In the earlier chapters, God expresses disappointment with the people of Israel.
Disappointment is a part of life, especially when we as parents look at the many challenges in raising our children. There are bumps in that road, including expectations about behaviour, school grades and our children’s choice of friends.
So it was with God. The Israelites were turning away from God and had taken to worshipping idols like Baal. God was disappointed. But in the second part of the verse, we see again God’s love for the people. And God’s compassion is restored.
It is the same today. There are times when we turn away from God, especially during times when we suffer a loss for which we hold God responsible. But God will not abandon us, even when we become distant. As God loved Israel when they turned away, so God loves us even when we become distant.
Gracious God, help us see you when we are drawn away from you by situations in our life. May we always know your love for us, your people. Amen. — MB
Contributed by God loves us!!
In this Old Testament lesson, we find God speaking to us through the prophet Hosea. In the earlier chapters, God expresses disappointment with the people of Israel.
Disappointment is a part of life, especially when we as parents look at the many challenges in raising our children. There are bumps in that road, including expectations about behaviour, school grades and our children's choice of friends.
So it was with God. The Israelites were turning away from God and had taken to worshipping idols like Baal. God was disappointed. But in the second part of the verse, we see again God's love for the people. And God's compassion is restored.
It is the same today. There are times when we turn away from God, especially during times when we suffer a loss for which we hold God responsible. But God will not abandon us, even when we become distant. As God loved Israel when they turned away, so God loves us even when we become distant.
