I have had many mountain-top moments of faith through the years. God has delivered in some big ways. My response to these moments is always a string of renewed promises: I will pray more often, I will worship God more vulnerably, I will feast on the Word of God daily without fail. But hours turn to days, weeks, and suddenly I realize I’ve already forgotten the promises I have made to God. In Hosea 13, we are told how the people of God experienced the ups and downs of their forgotten promises to God.
After God’s people were rescued from Egypt, they promised to worship no other god except the Lord. But as you might guess, it wasn’t long before they began to fashion idols for themselves and give credit where credit was not due. Their punishment for breaking their covenant with God was to wander in the desert for forty years, with none of the adult generation to see the Promised Land! The peoples’ time of wandering is marked by many times of complaining against God, hunger, and thirst, but all the while God remembered them and provided for them again and again. Each time, the people would praise the Lord, and rededicate themselves to serving Him again. But along the way, they would forget of His great deeds, grow unfaithful and proud, and neglect God’s provision (Hosea 13:5–6).
I often remark on how ungrateful Israel’s response was to God’s loving-kindness. It is seemingly impossible for these people to be faithful to their promises, yet the more I reflect on my own spiritual habits, I realize I act much the same way. Just like Israel, I give credit to myself, forgetting all the victories God has won. I trade God’s invitation to come and be with Him for a cheap imitation of intimacy with my phone on the couch. I overlook the amazing thing God has done for me, what feels like seconds after His blessing has manifested.
But how does God respond to this ungratefulness? Well, I really have no reason to fault Him if His response is to “be like a lion,” but remarkably He chooses to “redeem them from death” (vv.7,14). Though He is rejected by His people, He still chooses to rescue them.
There truly is no one like our God. His forgiveness is not dependent on our ability to follow the law, “for no one alive is righteous in [God’s] sight” (Psalm 143:2). Instead, God’s forgiveness is dependent on the death and life of Jesus paying the debt of our sin. The God who rescued the Israelites from Egypt is the same God rescuing us today. Despite our failed promises to Him, God will keep us from death. Despite our unfaithfulness, God is mighty to save.
Oh how precious is our Lord! He provides. What a blessing @Maura!
Today’s readings were challenging. Hosea 13:4-6 really reminded me of what I struggle with as a Christian. Verse 4 and 5 talk about God saving the Israelites from their struggles. Verse 6 says “when I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied they became proud; then they forgot me. So true! I get in a hard spot and cry out to God to help me; but once I am saved I go about my life business as usual with little acknowledgment of what the Lord has done.
Lord help me to be faithful to you in the good times and the bad.
Thank You, God, for Your unfailing love and faithfulness no matter what ❤
I like what you live by, Lisa, “my feelings get to ride, but they don’t get to drive”.
When i found out my son was dating an author of a book riddled with witchcraft, i was overwhelmed. I had to remind myself to breathe. I did not feel like praying. I felt like curling up in an infant pose, and come out of it to start again. But i know prayer works, and drove myself to it. Others prayed too. I also shared here. Perhaps you ladies prayed too. (I don’t know how to get all the comments.)
All glory and honor to our Lord who hears are prayers and acts on our behalf. The God who parts the sea, blinds an army, falls a thick city wall and raises the dead, also worked in that beautiful ladies heart to realize, after re-reading the book again, the anger she had against God when writing it. She went as far as to say she’s glad now it did not win awards and get lots of attention. She has no idea the power of darkness in the book but her ties to it have been broken. There is more to pray since my son did not realize the red flag at all, i am assuming he has ties to witchcraft himself, probably through video games and Japanese comics (nothing against Japanese comics – only those that have witchcraft). My prayer is that they will give up their entertainment on screen time altogether and gain back a godly innocence. And i command in Jesus name that all ties they have to witchcraft be broken; any spirit of witchcraft to be bound; their eyes opened to the truth in God’s Word. And i pray they will not hold against me that i at first told my son to leave her. This is before i knew her heart for God. What I’m saying is, I’m so glad for those times i put God in the driving seat. He knows way better than me what to do. And if He acts as a lion, I know He is also the one who saves.
@Sidney S. and @Lisa…Hosea as well as many of the O.T. prophet books are sometimes hard to bear, especially when God speaks of all the judgements He would and did bring on the nation of Israel for their disobedience. For me, when I’m reading these hard passages, I try not to focus on the negative, but the positive… before God ever brings judgement He always gives an opportunity for repentance. This shows me God’s mercy. When Israel cries out to Him because of all their oppression due to their sin – God forgives them, this shows me His grace. They sin, God calls them to repentance, they refuse – God judges, they cry out (time and time again) and He rescues them (time and time again!) this shows me God’s never ending love.
Just like Israel we sin (time and time again) and God always redeems us when we cry out to Him. What a merciful, gracious, loving heavenly Father we have!
I hope this has been helpful …praying that God will show you each (as well as myself) what He wants me to learn and apply from this passage and from the book of Hosea.
Blessings to all my dear SRT sisters!
Hey Sydney, Thank you for your vulnerability! What is hard for me in connecting with these books is that I just don’t easily or at all understand the dialect. So I am thankful for the reviews after each reading and the weekly podcast talking it through. Your dedication to keep moving forward and praying for the breakthrough is inspiring…stay with it! Thanks again for sharing ❤️
11 This Jesus is
the stone rejected by you builders,
which has become the cornerstone. 12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12
I highlighted these verses. I want to remember them as I go through my day, tempted by idols.
11 This Jesus is
the stone rejected by you builders,
which has become the cornerstone. 12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12