Daily Devotional for January 13, 2015
Hosea 1
Scripture:
Hosea 1:1–5 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel: 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.” So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 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. In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel” (NIV).
Observation:
Have you ever felt God ask you to do something that just seemed weird? Maybe you brushed off that feeling, thinking it was indigestion from supper the day before. God’s directives don’t always make sense at the moment; nonetheless we’re called to obey.
It could be easy to imagine Hosea’s confusion when God called Him to marry a “promiscuous woman.” Maybe his mind filtered through Levitical law regarding out-of-wedlock relations. His mind could have gone a different direction and listed all the things his friends would say about his marital selection. We may never know what Hosea’s thoughts were, but we can learn God’s unusual plan—to use the marriage of Hosea to demonstrate the unfaithfulness of Israel and His response to it.
Had Hosea ignored God’s unusual request, we may have never even heard of this minor prophet. Instead, he chose to obey and was used in writing one of the most compelling love stories between God and His people recorded in the Bible. It’s no different for us. If we want to be a part of our Father’s work, we have to be open to His commands for us, as unusual as they may be!
Application:
- Personal Application: Remember that God sees the end from the beginning. While we may be confused by what He asks of us, there is always a reason. And the proper response is always obedience.
- Family Devotional: Read this passage to your family. Discuss that Hosea was used in a very unique way because he chose to obey God’s call for his life. Pray for your family.
Prayer:
- Personal Prayer Focus: Ask God to remove doubt from your life and to give you an attitude of complete trust and obedience to Him.
- Family Prayer Focus: Pray that every member of your family will be open to hearing and obeying God’s commands for their lives.
Three-Year Reading Plan for Sunday, January 10 – Sunday, January 17:
- Sunday, January 10: Psalm 70-71
- Monday, January 11: Psalm 72-73
- Tuesday, January 12: Psalm 74-75
- Wednesday, January 13: Hosea 1
- Thursday, January 14: Hosea 2
- Friday, January 15: Hosea 3-4
- Saturday, January 16: Hosea 5
- Sunday, January 17: Hosea 6
—Gene Crawford is an editor for the Assemblies of God Division of Publishing.
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