Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / February 26 - Hosea 8

Transcript

February 26 - Hosea 8 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

• 0:11
  Hello friends. It's Sean here.
• 0:13
  It's Thursday. It's the 26th of February, the
• 0:16
  26th of February. The month is almost over, which
• 0:19
  means it's almost going to be March.
• 0:21
  That is outrageous, but here we are.
• 0:24
  Time continues to move forward and you my friends, you continue
• 0:29
  to invite me into your day each day so that we can do this.
• 0:33
  We can read God's word together. Lovely to have your company as
• 0:37
  that is exactly what we will be doing.
• 0:39
  And today we will continue on this journey listening to Hosea
• 0:44
  call out on behalf of God, trying to call these people back
• 0:49
  to faithful life serving Yahweh who has saved them and set them
• 0:53
  up in this life of abundance and peace.
• 0:57
  But alas, it is not going so well.
• 0:59
  So let us hear the next stage of this journey as God cries out
• 1:04
  and Holy Spirit cry out to us. And may we be convicted of you
• 1:10
  and your truth as we read your word today.
• 1:15
  Well, that sounds like something amazing that we get to do
• 1:18
  friends. So let's dive in and read
• 1:20
  together Hosea Chapter 8. Sound the alarm.
• 1:34
  The enemy descends like an eagle on the people of the Lord, for
• 1:38
  they have broken My covenant and revolted against My law.
• 1:42
  Now Israel pleads with me. Help us, for you are our God.
• 1:47
  But it is too late. The people of Israel have
• 1:50
  rejected what is good, and now their enemies will chase after
• 1:54
  them. The people have appointed kings
• 1:56
  without my consent and Princess without my approval.
• 2:01
  By making idols for themselves from their silver and gold, they
• 2:05
  have brought about their own destruction.
• 2:08
  O Samaria, I reject this calf, this idol you have made.
• 2:13
  My fury burns against you. How long will you be incapable
• 2:17
  of innocence? This calf you worship, O Israel,
• 2:21
  was crafted by your own hands. It is not God, Therefore it must
• 2:26
  be smashed to bits. They have planted the wind and
• 2:31
  will harvest the whirlwind. The storks of grain wither and
• 2:35
  produce nothing to eat, and even if there is any grain,
• 2:39
  foreigners will eat it. The people of Israel have been
• 2:43
  swallowed up. They lie among the nations like
• 2:46
  an old discarded pot, like a wild donkey looking for a mate.
• 2:51
  They have gone up to Assyria. The people of Israel have sold
• 2:56
  themselves, have sold themselves to many lovers, but though they
• 3:00
  have sold themselves to many allies, I will now gather them
• 3:05
  together for judgement. Then they will writhe under the
• 3:09
  burden of the great king. Israel has built many altars to
• 3:14
  take away sin, but these very altars became places for
• 3:18
  sinning. Even though I gave them all my
• 3:21
  laws, they act as if those laws don't apply to them.
• 3:26
  The people love to offer sacrifices to me, feasting on
• 3:29
  the meat, but I do not accept their sacrifices.
• 3:33
  I will hold my people accountable for their sins, and
• 3:37
  I will punish them. They will return to Egypt.
• 3:41
  Israel has forgotten its maker and built great palaces, and
• 3:46
  Judah has fortified its cities. Therefore, I will send down fire
• 3:52
  on their cities and will burn up their fortresses.
• 4:06
  Our Lord, it seems so clear when we read it in your word how US
• 4:10
  humans have this tendency of, as you've said, planting the wind
• 4:16
  and trying to harvest the whirlwind.
• 4:18
  We just invest so much time and energy in these things that we
• 4:22
  think are so important for our well being, but they are not.
• 4:27
  And when it comes time to seek the fruits of that labour, it'll
• 4:31
  be like trying to harvest a whirlwind.
• 4:34
  There is nothing there for us. Our Lord.
• 4:38
  Help us not spend our time chasing after these winds,
• 4:43
  trying to plant them to grow a whirlwind, chasing after our own
• 4:48
  achievement, our own wealth, satisfying our own ego and our
• 4:53
  own desires. Lord, put all of that aside and
• 4:58
  let us focus on you and your Kingdom of kindness and love and
• 5:04
  inclusion, all hinged on this incredible love of Jesus who
• 5:10
  changes everything. Help us be true to you, our Lord
• 5:16
  Jesus, and let you be the labour of our lives, which will bring a
• 5:22
  harvest of such richness and a crop of such great juicy fruit
• 5:27
  as we just live in your glorious presence forever and ever.
• 5:34
  So we commit ourselves to you as that living sacrifice, day by
• 5:38
  day, but particularly today, for you, our Lord Jesus, in whose
• 5:43
  name we pray, Amen.