Ephraim is described as “gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, and he knows it not.” He has lost the strength of his youth, but does not yet realize it. It is very easy to let one’s spiritual life go, and then (like Samson) be caught unprepared when a challenge comes.
LORD, keep us strong spiritually, so that we are prepared for the challenges which will come.
My daughter, choose a relationship with the LORD above all other goals, and you will find yourself protected when trouble comes. You will not have a trouble-free life … no one does. What you will have is the confidence that nothing you face can destroy you. You have a blessed life by virtue of your connection to the blessed one. You can give to the needy because you are not relying on your money to preserve you. You can live at peace with people because you are not dependent upon them. A God-centered life will be your confidence.
LORD, give us a God-centered life.
The sexual sins of male and female prostitution that Hosea describes here are listed because they are the results of the spiritual prostitution that Israel and Judah had committed. It is not so much that God is condemning his people for their sexual sins, but that he is condemning them with the sexual sins. The apostles Paul made the same point in Romans. When a society rebels spiritually, one of the first things to go is sexual purity.
LORD, restore us to a right relationship with you, and restore our relationships with each other.
My daughter, if you are looking for something to pursue, if you need a target for all of your life’s energies, let me suggest that you seek wisdom. If you aim for riches, you might gain them, and then find them not enough to satisfy. If you pour out yourself for a cause, even if it a good cause, you might succeed, and ruin your health doing it. Then, what good will you be to those who depend on you. Wisdom will never let you down. You will never find yourself saying “what a waste of time that was.”
LORD, give us the wisdom to pursue wisdom.
Hosea’s wife had left him for another man, and her adultery had apparently led to her eventually becoming a slave. Hosea could have said “good riddance” and assumed that she was getting what she deserved for being unfaithful to him. But God tells Hosea to buy her back. The LORD wants you back too. There is nothing you have done or could do to make the LORD stop loving you.
LORD, take us back.
My daughter, look at the “celebrities.” They are popular and you might be tempted to be like them. But look at the mess they have made of their lives. They are not truly successful. If you want to be successful, here is the secret: cultivate your relationship with God. Fear him, follow him, trust him, honor him with your wealth, and when he disciplines you, do not reject him for it. That is the secret to true success, and you can live with it.
LORD, give us wisdom to keep you first in our hearts.
The good news was that God was going to undo the damage to the relationship caused by his people’s rebellion. He would replant what the rebellion destroyed, and bring mercy and relationship back. Restoration would happen at the LORD’s initiative.
LORD, restore what we have allowed to be destroyed. Return to us.
Seeking wisdom from God is not just an attempt to get smarter. It is a life-or-death struggle we are in. The temptation to fall in with deceptive and violent men, or to be lured into the passion trap by a flattering woman – both of these lure a man to his grave. Wisdom is not just for the religious. It is the most practical means of self defense available.
LORD, give us the wisdom to follow your ways of life.
The prophets had a very difficult job. They had to say what God wanted them to say. It was tempting just to say what the people wanted to hear. There were plenty of “prophets” who did that. The Bible calls them false prophets. Jesus said that this age in which we are living now would have a lot of false prophets. The false prophets are big on good news, but never get around to the bad news. True prophets, like Hosea, said both. It was usually bad news first. For Hosea, the message was that God’s people were going to divorce themselves from him. God knows that, and reveals it to Hosea’s listeners.
LORD, give us the courage to listen to the whole story, even the bad parts.
We are introduced to four characters today, each of whom we will see developed in the chapters that follow: Wisdom is the voice calling in the streets. The others (the simple ones, the scoffers, and the fools) are the people who need wisdom, but choose to ignore her invitation. They are all idiots in the technical definition of the term. They need help from the LORD to live their lives rightly, but choose to ignore his help. They want to do it themselves. They each say “I can handle this.” So, when disaster comes, wisdom will say “you refused me then, I will refuse you now.’
LORD, we need your wisdom. Forgive us for being such idiots.
Hosea 6-7
Proverbs 3:21-35
Hosea 4-5
Hosea 3
Proverbs 3:1-12
Hosea 2:2-23
Proverbs 2
Hosea 1:1-2:1
Proverbs 1:20-33
