Devotions
Compassion Stirred (Hosea 11:1–11)
Our time in Hosea has helped us to see God’s anger at the religious whoredom of his people. He has expressed time and again his commitment to punish his people for their idolatry. Chapter 11 peels back the curtain a little to reveal God’s heart in punishing his...
The Dangers of Dominance (Hosea 10)
The Minor Prophets frequently make the case that God’s people do not need power to prosper. Habakkuk argued that even utter socioeconomic ruin would not prevent God’s faithful people from enjoying his faithfulness (Habakkuk 3:17–19). Hosea 10 highlights the other side...
What You Want (Hosea 9)
S. Lewis famously stated that, at the final judgement, there will be two groups of people: those who say to God, “Your will be done” and those to whom God says, “Your will be done.” In other words, those who want nothing to do with God in this life will receive...
Pretended Piety (Hosea 8)
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...
Taking Sin Seriously (Hosea 6:11–7:16)
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....
Hesed (Hosea 6:1–10)
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...