June 2, 2011 – Hosea 1-2

Here we have the beginning of the book of Hosea, that what I found interesting was in Chapter 2 the description of the harlot in what she does to attract her other lovers. " While she decked herself out with her rings and her jewels and in going after for lovers for got me says the Lord ". 2:15. I was thinking about this and the way that we go after material things to fill our lives, to fill our hopes and dreams, and the effect that this has on us in the end. The fact the we are never satisfied by these things is so clearly understood by God and we're so clearly warned that these things will never satisfy us, and here we see it made very clear in this analogy of the harlot and Israel and what is going to happen. Israel had gone after other lands, other gods, had ceased worshiping the Lord so that they could achieve what they felt were better things then what God will provide. And God tells them that because of this they will lose everything that they've achieved. They will be taken down to a desert where they will realize what they did and they will go back to their first husband,. This is a very blunt prophesy of what will happen in the exile.

Do we you really understand that this can happen to us, do we understand that our obsession with obtaining material goods the objects of this world will come to nothing. Do we read this chapter and these prophesies and see God talking to us about the way we're living our life. Do we look to our country and the lack of morality and the want of possessions in the struggles that appear to be on the horizon and not see a connection between what God said is going to happen if you make the world your focus. At the same time we're going over Romans which goes into detail about the transition to preaching to the Gentiles. And that when Christ died He died for all, not just Jews, not just Israel, but for every living human. Here we see the harlot is Israel and that Israel is exiled or taken out to the desert to see that they're making poor decisions. During this period of Church History, Israel was the focus. Now that the whole world is the focus of God's salvation what will the desert have to look like in order for us to turn back to God. How do you exile the world from the world?