HOLINESS AND GRACE
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, I confess that there are times when I do not understand what you are doing. Use your Word to teach me and enable me to trust you in those times.
Read HOSEA 6:11b–7:16
11 “Also for you, Judah,
a harvest is appointed.
“Whenever I would restore the fortunes of my people,
7 1 whenever I would heal Israel,
the sins of Ephraim are exposed
and the crimes of Samaria revealed.
They practice deceit,
thieves break into houses,
bandits rob in the streets;
2 but they do not realize
that I remember all their evil deeds.
Their sins engulf them;
they are always before me.
3 “They delight the king with their wickedness,
the princes with their lies.
4 They are all adulterers,
burning like an oven
whose fire the baker need not stir
from the kneading of the dough till it rises.
5 On the day of the festival of our king
the princes become inflamed with wine,
and he joins hands with the mockers.
6 Their hearts are like an oven;
they approach him with intrigue.
Their passion smolders all night;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven;
they devour their rulers.
All their kings fall,
and none of them calls on me.
8 “Ephraim mixes with the nations;
Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over.
9 Foreigners sap his strength,
but he does not realize it.
His hair is sprinkled with gray,
but he does not notice.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against him,
but despite all this
he does not return to the Lord his God
or search for him.
11 “Ephraim is like a dove,
easily deceived and senseless—
now calling to Egypt,
now turning to Assyria.
12 When they go, I will throw my net over them;
I will pull them down like the birds in the sky.
When I hear them flocking together,
I will catch them.
13 Woe to them,
because they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them,
because they have rebelled against me!
I long to redeem them
but they speak about me falsely.
14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts
but wail on their beds.
They slash themselves,[a] appealing to their gods
for grain and new wine,
but they turn away from me.
15 I trained them and strengthened their arms,
but they plot evil against me.
16 They do not turn to the Most High;
they are like a faulty bow.
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of their insolent words.
For this they will be ridiculed
in the land of Egypt.
Footnotes
- Hosea 7:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts They gather together
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
How do you understand God’s holiness and grace? Where do you see Jesus at work helping you to grow in his image?
Think Further
There is no doubt that we live in times that are similar to Hosea’s. We may not be in Jerusalem or Israel, we may not be looking for help from Assyria or Egypt, but the underlying theme is the same. Here we read that the kings and princes ‘delight’ in the sins of the people (v. 3). The word translated ‘delight’ is regularly used for ‘rejoice.’ So, the key leaders and influencers rejoice in the sins of the people and their response encourages continuing sin. We can imagine similar things being said about some influencers and leaders of our day—but, as Paul tells us, where sin abounds, grace abounds more.1
We often have to deal with the difficulty of living as Christians in the world. We are not called to remove ourselves but, like Jesus, to be friends of sinners.2 However, as we reach out to those who do not know Jesus, we must make sure that we are neither approving of sin, nor sinning. While Jesus managed to find this balance, I have to work hard at keeping it: either I stay away from people, or I try to fit in by being similar. Jesus neither rejoiced in nor approved of sin; that is our guide.
As we see in our passage, God’s heart is to redeem the people. In this instance they do not respond. There is only so much that Hosea can do. He has to deliver the message and let them respond. We too are called to be faithful in our witness of Jesus’ grace in our lives. How people respond is ultimately up to them. Start with yourself and make sure that you are open to all that God has for you. Then, in faithfulness, demonstrate that, in all you say, think, and do.
Apply
Consider the influencers of your life: are they encouraging you to grow in your faith? How are you influencing others? Can they see the grace of God through you?
Closing prayer
Almighty God, tune my mind and heart to yours. Help me to trust in your work that is always for my good and for your glory.
1 Rom 5:20, AV 2 Matt 11:19
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