Dear Friends in Christ:
The first selection of the Hebrew scriptures in this season after Pentecost follows the rise of the prophets. Hosea was a contemporary of Amos, warning of the destruction coming to the northern kingdom of Israel, whose sayings and writings were later shared among the southern kingdom of Judah as a warning against the same fate. In the first chapter, Hosea and his family are used as a metaphor of God’s relationship with Israel. Hosea married a sex worker named Gomer, a metaphor for Israel’s unfaithfulness to the One God. Gomer bore children, each one given a name that alludes to God’s relationship with Israel. Jezreel, “God Sows,” was named for a valley of crossroads where battles were fought. Lo-ruhamah, “No Compassion,” was named because God no longer had compassion for the northern kingdom (however, God did still have compassion for Judah). Lo-ammi, “Not My People,” symbolized how Israel had broken the covenant with God. Yet still, God did not break the covenant, and as promised to Abraham and Sarah, the people of Israel would be like the grains of sand, uncountable, and they would once again be known as “children of the living God.” Hosea 1:2-10 New International Version Hosea’s Wife and Children 2 When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.” 3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5 In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.” 6 Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”), for I will no longer show love to Israel, that I should at all forgive them. 7 Yet I will show love to Judah; and I will save them—not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the Lord their God, will save them.” 8 After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. 9 Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God. 10 “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ Contradiction and confusion, a metaphor for life, but through it all, God's faithfulness is constant, God's love sincere. Life doesn't always have to always make sense, yet the heart- knowledge that 'I am a child of God', can sustain us through the most difficult of circumstances. Do you have examples of rejection that brought you closer to God, or challenges that informed your faith? How did they work for good? (*All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ~Romans 8:28) Why don’t you take some quiet time today and think about, pray about your journey of faith... Are you willing to share your insights with a trusted friend or mentor? Be blessed, P Jim ♥️⚓️ Special thanks to Rev. Mindi and Hope for the Broken Hearted, for their contribution to this effort of Daily Prayer and Study. All scripture is taken from the Revised Common Lectionary. Comments are closed.
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September 2023
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