I couldn’t get past the heading of today's reading without falling under conviction. It bears repeating. "The LORD's love for unfaithful Israel." I immediately restated the heading, substituting my name for the name Israel: “The LORD's love for unfaithful Wendy."
Though I am saved, redeemed and forgiven, there are times when I am unfaithful to the Lord. How easily I identified with God’s beloved Israel. Several points grabbed me. Maybe you can relate.
- What have I exchanged for God's glory? "They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols." (Hosea 4:7b NLT)
- Where does my help come from? “They offer sacrifices to idols on the mountaintops." (Hosea 4:13a NLT)
- Am I hurting my testimony by sinning? The arrogance of Israel testifies against her." (Hosea 5:5a NLT)
- How am I spending my strength? “Worshiping foreign gods has sapped their strength, but they don't even know it." (Hosea 7:9a NLT)
- What have I built for myself that has become a place of sin in my life? “Israel has built many altars to take away sin, but these very altars became places for sinning!" (Hosea 8:11 NLT)
Our hope is in God’s faithfulness as shown in Hosea 2:14. I know this passage is a prophecy to Israel, but we are adopted children of the same God. Just as He proved faithful to unfaithful Israel, God will do the same for you and me.
He loves us and will win us back after He leads us to the desert. While we are there, He will speak tenderly to us and return what’s been taken. Oh, and my favorite part, He will transform our valley of trouble into a gateway of hope!
