Hosea 5-8
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As I was reading in Hosea the message from God to the Israelites,
I started thinking about how much of the Old Testament consists of this same
message. God used many prophets to
lead people into repentance, turning away from sin and turning toward God, and
warning people of God’s judgment because they had forgotten Him and His
ways. Along with warnings of
judgment there is also always a declaration of God’s love as well as His desire
for restoration. There have also
consistently been reminders that God wants our whole heart and our whole lives
… an intimate relationship, not just surface religion. When something shows up repeatedly in
the Bible it must be important to God.
God’s message in Hosea 6:4-7:
“Your declarations of love last no longer
than morning mist and predawn dew.
That’s why I use the prophets to shake you to attention, why my words
cut you to the quick: To wake you up to my judgment blazing like light. I’m after love that lasts, not more
religion.”
God wants the real deal.
He offers us His love, His forgiveness, and His presence. Hosea 6:3 says, “He will respond to us
as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.” But He wants our all. He sent prophets over and over to the
Israelites to shake them to attention and wake them up. And in the same way He gives us His
message through His Word to shake us to attention and wake us up.
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