Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / March 2 - Hosea 9

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March 2 - Hosea 9 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's Monday.
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It's the 2nd of March and I hope that you are going awfully
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splendidly as you have tapped on place so that we can do some
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reading of God's Word. Today.
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I have finished my role of 10 years at Calvary Hospital.
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Oh what a a sad ending it was to have to say goodbye to so many
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wonderful people and such a rich space for the last decade of my
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life. But that is to make way for this
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new chapter where I get to be a part of the Saint Clements
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community and to be a part of that ministry team as a pastor.
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How exciting. But I have a long weekend in
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between the old job and the new job, which means today and
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tomorrow, well, I get to study and, and do some things that
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need doing before starting on Wednesday.
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So that's very exciting. But Speaking of very exciting,
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we are continuing in this book of Hosea, which I don't know
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about you, but I'm really enjoying.
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And did you realise that this book, particularly this back end
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of the book that we're into now, this is actually considered the
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most poetic of all of Israel's prophets.
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So we are reading gold class poetry.
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Unfortunately, today and tomorrow will be the last of the
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the poetry of judgement. And then we'll move on to the
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poetry of God's love and faithfulness for his people.
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But that is what this is all about as God speaks through
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Hosea desperately calling his people back into faithfulness to
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him. So let's read that together.
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Holy Spirit, open us up to hear your words and your truth and to
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learn more about you as we read this today.
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All right friends, let us read together.
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Hosea Chapter 9. O people of Israel, do not
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rejoice as other nations do, for you have been unfaithful to your
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God, hiring yourselves out like prostitutes, worshipping other
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gods on every threshing floor. So now your harvests will be too
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small to feed you. There will be no grapes for
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making new wine. You may no longer stay here in
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the Lord's land. Instead, you will return to
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Egypt, and in Assyria you will eat food that is ceremonially
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unclean there. You will make no offerings of
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wine to the Lord. None of your sacrifices there
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will please him. They will be unclean, like food
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touched by a person in mourning. All who present such sacrifices
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will be defiled. They may eat this food
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themselves, but they may not offer it to the Lord.
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What then will you do on festival days?
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How will you observe the Lord's festivals?
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Even if you escape destruction from Assyria, Egypt will conquer
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you and Memphis will bury you. Nettles will take over your
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treasures of silver. Thistles will invade your ruined
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homes. The time of Israel's punishment
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has come. The day of payment is here.
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Soon Israel will know this all too well because of your great
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sin and hostility. You say the prophets are crazy
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and the inspired men are fools. The prophet is a watchman over
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Israel for my God, yet traps are laid for him wherever he goes.
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He faces hostility even in the House of God.
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The things my people do are as depraved as what they did in
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Gibeah long ago. God will not forget.
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He will surely punish them for their sins.
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The Lord says, O Israel, when I first found you, it was like
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finding fresh grapes in the desert.
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When I saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the first ripe
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figs of the season. But then they deserted me for
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Baal Peor, giving themselves to that shameful idol.
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Soon they became vile, as vile as the God they worshipped.
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The God of Israel will fly away like a bird, for your children
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will not be born or grow in the womb, or even be conceived.
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Even if you do have children who grow up, I will take them from
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you. It will be a terrible day when I
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turn away and leave you alone. I have watched Israel become as
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beautiful as Tyre, but now Israel will bring out her
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children for slaughter. Oh Lord, what should I request
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for your people? I will ask for wombs that don't
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give birth and breasts that give no milk.
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The Lord says all their wickedness began at Gilgal.
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There I begin to hate them. I will drive them from my land
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because of their evil actions. I will love them no more because
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all their leaders are rebels. The people of Israel are struck
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down, their roots are dried up, and they will bear no more
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fruit. And if they give birth, I will
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slaughter their beloved children.
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My God will reject the people of Israel because they will not
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listen or obey. They will be Wanderers, homeless
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among the nations. Our Lord, our modern ears can
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hear this judgement as just so incredibly harsh.
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Yet we know that you are a God of love and mercy, but you are
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also a God of justice, and you demand that your people love you
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and you alone. But at the same time, you know
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that we are just broken and inadequate in our own right.
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And that is why you sent us Jesus, and that is why you
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executed this rescue mission so that you could make a way for us
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to be able to come back into Your presence with your Spirit
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inside of us and your Son beside us, made clean once again.
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White as snow, we stand before you and you love us, and you
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lavish on us this title of your children, your most precious
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possession, and we thank you even though we do not deserve
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it. This is what you call us, and
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this is how much you love us. So we love you and we thank you
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and we're so grateful for who you are in your mercy and all
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that you have done for us. And we pray this all in the
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wonderful name of Jesus, Amen.