Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / March 4 - Hosea 11

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March 4 - Hosea 11 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's a Wednesday.
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It's the 4th of March. How good is it to have your
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company today? I can tell you it's very good.
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Thank you for tapping on play. Thanks for inviting me in so
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that you and I can continue beyond this terrible judgement
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that God has for his people that we know is going to be enacted
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through the nation of Assyria as they well decimate and drag away
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the population of Israel to be lost to history as they just
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spread them, scatter them throughout the Assyrian Empire
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and we lose them. Yeah, it's pretty, pretty awful
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and tragic stuff. And today and tomorrow we are
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going to be reading about not just God pronouncing judgement,
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but it's this beautiful insight that we get through Hosea of the
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wrestle that goes on inside God as he's torn between his deep
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love and, ah, the things that they've done, the, the promises
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they've broken. And how does he deal with that
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as a loving father? So oh, it's this beautiful,
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beautiful wrestle that we get to see through what Hosea shares.
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Ah, Lord, thank you for what you revealed.
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Tell us about your character. Help us know you more through
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this reading today. All right, friends, let us dive
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in and read together. Hosea Chapter 11.
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When Israel was a child, I loved him, and I called my son out of
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Egypt. But the more I called to him,
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the farther he moved from me, offering sacrifices to the
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images of Baal and burning incense to idols.
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I myself taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the
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hand. But he doesn't know or even care
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that it was I who took care of him.
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I LED Israel along with my ropes of kindness and love.
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I lifted the yoke from his neck and I myself stooped to feed
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him. But since my people refused to
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return to me, that will return to Egypt and will be forced to
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serve Assyria. War will swirl through their
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cities. Their enemies will crash through
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their gates. They will destroy them, trapping
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them in their own evil plans. For my people are determined to
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desert me. They call me the Most High, but
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they don't truly honour me. Oh, how can I give you up,
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Israel? How can I let you go?
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How can I destroy you like Admira or demolish you like
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Zeboim? My heart is torn within me and
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my compassion overflows. No, I will not unleash my fierce
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anger. I will not completely destroy
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Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal.
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I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to
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destroy, for someday the people will follow me.
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I, the Lord, will roar like a lion, and when I roar, my people
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will return, trembling from the West like a flock of birds that
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will come from Egypt, trembling like doves that will return from
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Assyria, and I will bring them home again, says the Lord.
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Israel surrounds me with lies and deceit, but Judah still
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obeys God and is faithful to the Holy One.
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Ah, Father, you are indeed slow to anger and swift to love, rich
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in mercy and compassion. Thank you for these writings of
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poetry that show us your heart, your heart of such love for us,
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your heart of love for your people and where your nature
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truly lies. Thank you for giving this
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insight behind these words of judgement to see what goes on
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inside of you. And we see this expressed
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through what you did for us in Jesus.
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And we see your mercy and your compassion every day as you love
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us and you walk with us. You restore us.
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And you are our God and we are indeed your people.
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Thank you for who you are, for your nature, your very essence,
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your being of love. And we just lean into your love
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today, loving, saving God all in the name of Jesus we pray.
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Amen.