by Stuart | 5 Jan 2022 | Devotionals, The Minor Prophets
The first post-high school job I had was working behind the counter at a dry cleaning and shoe repair shop. I quickly discovered that shoe repair is not a job for those plagued with OCD. Often, when repairing heels or adding rubber soles to leather shoes, the edges...
by Stuart | 4 Jan 2022 | Devotionals, The Minor Prophets
Hosea ministered to a people who had forgotten what sin means. They had so redefined their behaviour that sin had become acceptable. God’s desire to restore his people depended on their recognition of sin. Sadly, the people seemed not to recognise sin’s reality....
by Stuart | 3 Jan 2022 | Devotionals, The Minor Prophets
Hosea is a difficult book to digest. The prophecy highlights time and again that, for all their external adherence to temple rituals, Israel and Judah were far from God. The Lord’s expressed displeasure comes to a head in chapter 6, where we read, “For I desire...
by Stuart | 31 Dec 2021 | Devotionals, The Minor Prophets
Reformed Christians talk a great deal about grace. This is understandable, given the Reformation’s emphasis the truth that God’s salvation comes to us by grace alone. Our preaching, rightly, does not tip the theological scales in the direction of sin but always points...
by Stuart | 30 Dec 2021 | Devotionals, The Minor Prophets
Hosea 4 presents a turning point in the prophecy. From this point, the Lord delivers a series of prophetic pronouncements against his people. There is less narrative than in the opening three chapters. Some interpreters have gone so far as to suggest that the...
