SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/26/2015
7:51 AM
My Worship Time Focus: He Will
Receive Us
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Hosea 14:5-9
Message of the
verses: “5 I will be like the dew to Israel; He will blossom like the
lily, And he will
take root like the cedars of Lebanon. 6 His shoots will sprout, And his beauty will be like the olive tree And his fragrance like
the cedars of Lebanon. 7 Those who live in his shadow Will again raise grain, And they
will blossom like the vine. His
renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and
look after you. I am like a luxuriant cypress; From Me comes your fruit. 9 Whoever
is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know
them. For the ways of the
LORD are right, And the righteous will walk in them, But transgressors will
stumble in them.
I think that it is safe to say that why Hosea is speaking
of in these verses will take place in the Millennial Kingdom, as none of these
things have happened since he wrote these verses.
Dr. Wiersbe writes “Hosea pictures the restoration of the
penitent as the emergence of new life in a dry field on which the refreshing
dew has fallen.” He the writes the
following endnote: “Biblical images must
be studied carefully and identified accurately, for the same image may be used
with different meanings in different contexts.
The dew is a case in point. In
Hosea 6:4, it represents the fleeting religious devotion of the hypocrites,
while in 13:3; it symbolizes the transiency of the people who think they’re so
secure. Both Jesus and Satan are
represented by the lion (Rev. 5:5; 1 Peter 5:8).”
The dew is heavy and is also greatly appreciated in the
summer in the Holy Land as the farmers look forward to having it when there is
not a lot of rain to help refresh the crops that they have planted and so in a
spiritual way the Lord will one day give that refreshment to the children of
Israel so that they will be able to once again please the Lord in their walk
with Him as they will spread His Word to others, something that was the desire
of the Lord since the people of Israel began.
Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary on the book of Hosea
and on this section by writing: “The
closing verse presents us with only two alternatives: rebel against the Lord and continue to
stumble, or return to the Lord and walk securely in His ways. The first choice is foolish; the second
choice is wise.
“I have set before you life and death, blessing and
cursing; therefore, choose life’ (Deut. 30:19).”
I feel that this has been a rather short trip through the
book of Hosea, but there are things from this first minor prophet that are just
as important as those found in the other prophets that we have studied which
are called the major prophets. Just
because of the smallness of the book does not mean that it is important, for
all the Word of God has something to say to us.
We will next begin looking at the second minor prophet,
the book of Joel which only has three chapters in it, but as in Hosea there are
many things in it that we can learn from.
7/26/2015 8:09 AM
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