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...
by Stuart | 29 Dec 2021 | Devotionals, The Minor Prophets
“Does God still love me?” Have you ever heard anyone ask that question? Have you perhaps asked it yourself? The premise that lies behind that question is that love is, in some way, a response to loveliness: God loves us when we are lovable, but perhaps not when we are...
