I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

In the year 2000, on the 23rd day of this month, my wife married me.  So here we are on day 17 of the 20 days that I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary for 20 years of marriage.  Happy Anniversary Darling!

Today, I am reading and commenting on Hosea 1-7.

When I read Hosea I feel sorry for both Hosea and for his children; Hosea because God commanded him to marry a prostitute, his children because of the names he gave them.  That was the point of this.  We should feel sorry for God, and we should feel shame.  God has offered us faithful love and we have been unfaithful.  Yet despite our unfaithfulness, God has redeemed us, has bought us back from the slavery into which we sold ourselves, just as Hosea bought his wife back from wherever it was that she had sold herself.

However, the place where Hosea’s prophecy truly strikes home comes in Chapter 4.  Hosea starts the chapter by speaking about the violence, dishonesty, and lack of knowledge of God in the land, and its consequences.  As a result of those evil behaviors people are wasting away, but not just the people, the animals and plants are disappearing (sound familiar?).  The important point he makes is that we don’t get to blame others for this state of affairs.  People do not know God because those of us who have been called into what my faith tradition calls the priesthood of believers has refused to know Him, and thus teach others about Him.  We need to recognize how we may benefit when others sin.  Are we like the priests whom Hosea mentions here who profit from the sin offerings people make to gain forgiveness for their sins?  Or, do we gain a sense that we are better than those “wicked sinners”?

Whatever our answers to those questions, we need to look address our own failings rather than point out the failings of others.  God would rather we show love to our fellows than offer Him sacrifices.  It is more important to know God than to follow religious rituals.  Rather than pointing fingers at others for what is wrong in this world, let us strive to know God and show His love to those around us.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Hosea 8-14.

Hosea writes here about those who reject God and that which is good, then cry out to God for help.  He tells us that those who plant the wind will reap the whirlwind.  I find that an interesting metaphor because almost everyone can understand it even though it does not reference something which is physically possible.  For any of my readers who do not know what it means, it references when people encourage rules or laws to be ignored when those rules or laws interfere with their goals.  When you do that rules and laws will not be able to protect your interests later.  If you encourage chaos and confusion to further your own ends at the expense of others (and ultimately, that is the only reason to do so), do not be surprised when everything becomes confused and chaotic.

Later Hosea writes that God calls for us to plant the good seeds of righteousness.  Initially I viewed that as a separate message from his reference to sewing the wind and reaping the whirlwind, but as I started to compose my thoughts on this part I realized they are closely connected.  In fact, Hosea holds planting the seeds of righteousness in direct contrast to cultivating wickedness and sewing the wind.  Now is the time to plow up the hard ground of our hearts and seek the Lord.  If we plant the seeds of righteousness we will harvest a crop of love.  Using lies and power to get your way will not generate anything good.  Let us do what is right so that we can spread God’s love to all and sundry.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Hosea 1-7.

There are two ways to read the account of Hosea marrying a prostitute.  One way is to believe that God told Hosea to find a prostitute who would marry him.  The other is to believe that Hosea sought God’s guidance in choosing a wife and the woman he thus chose became a prostitute (or, maybe was a prostitute but Hosea was unaware of it when he married her).  The second makes more sense to me, and fits with the way I have seen God communicate his message to people.  Hosea’s experience in his marriage thus influenced his ministry.  Hosea separated from his wife because of her infidelity.  Then at some time later, he bought her back and made her his wife once more.  But he did not just buy her back, he won her back, just as God wishes to do with us. This suggests that she had fallen on hard times and been sold into slavery.  I believe that Hosea truly loved his wife and God used the pain he felt over her unfaithfulness to show people how God felt about their unfaithfulness.

The whole of today’s passage is a condemnation of society.  Hosea condemns a society where people break their vows, kill, steal, and commit adultery.  Instead of leading the people to do what is right and good, the leaders, both religious and secular, encourage them to be selfish and do wrong because they, the leaders, profit from the wrongdoing of the people.  This reminds me of today where most, if not all, of our political and religious leaders encourage people to focus their attention on their own desires rather than on the good of all, dividing people rather than uniting.  However, the most important part of Hosea’s lesson in today’s passage is in chapter four, verse four: 

Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame!

All too many of us try to blame what we see as wrong with society as someone else’s fault.  Don’t blame someone else for what is wrong in your life, not your parents, not your pastor, not the governor, not the president, nor anyone else.  Recognize that what is wrong in your life is a result of your sins and turn to God for forgiveness and change.