Praise the Lord! Let us be thankful and grateful to the Lord our God for being faithful to us and adding another week into our life on earth. God is faithful to each and every one of us as we are all created by Him in His likeness and image. David king of Israel praised the Lord, saying: Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things (Psalm 103:1-5a). Psalm 100:5 says that For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Form all what we learned from the Scripture and from all that we experienced in our own life, we can boldly testify that the Lord has been faithful to us, He remains faithful to us and He will continue remain faithful to us generation after generation (Deuteronomy 7:9; 1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalm 100:5; 119:90). In His faithfulness, the Lord God blessed Noah and his family, saying: As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease. Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” (Genesis 8:22-9:1; also refer to Genesis 1:28; 12:2; 17:6; 35:11; 48:4). Thus, the Lord our God whom we adore and worship has been a God who is gracious and compassionate (Psalm 103:8; 111:4; 116:5; 145:8-9) and it is for sure that He will continue to remain the God of compassion and comfort and faithfulness (Numbers 23:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; 2 Timothy 2:13; Hebrews 10:23). Apostle Paul stated: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

The Lord has blessed us with a very significant Scripture passage for our SftW meditation this week from the book of Hosea [the first book of the twelve minor prophets], which states Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth (Hosea 6:1-3). The book of Hosea is written by prophet Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of the Southern Kingdom Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of the Northern Kingdom Israel (Amos 1:1; also refer to 2 Samuel 5:3; 1 Kings 12:16). The historical factors of Hosea’s prophecies reveals that a vast majority of the children of Israel, whom the Lord God had chosen to be His people and who would later become a channel of blessing to the rest of the world (Genesis 12:3b), became unfaithful to Him and failed to follow the righteous laws and decrees and commands the Lord God gave to their forefathers through His servant Moses (Hosea 8:1; also refer to Judges 2:17, 20-22; 2 Kings 17:15, 19-20; Jeremiah 7:24-26; Ezekiel 20:13, 21; Psalm 78:10). By the time of prophet Hosea’s life-time, the religious and political and social and cultural situation in Israel was in chaos (Hosea 4:1-3, 16-18; 8:11). Also, the personal and communal life [both spiritual and moral life] in Israel had deteriorated to the lowest level ever and almost everyone lived a life that is self-centered and worked toward accomplishing their selfish desires, which indicates that while the righteous suffer the wicked flourishes in life socially, politically, culturally and mentally (Hosea 6:7-10; also refer to Psalm 73:5-9). Any one who experiences the love of God in their life can understand that the Lord God loved His chosen people [i.e., the children of Israel] and blessed them more than any other nations on earth but they turned their back on Him and behaved wickedly before Him, as prophet Hosea stated: My people consult a wooden idol, and a diviner’s rod speaks to them … they are unfaithful to their God. They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar and terebinth, where the shade is pleasant (Hosea 4:12-13a). It is not only during the time of prophet Hosea the Israelites acted wickedly and rebelled against the God of their fathers but even during the days of Judges they behaved in a similar situation, as it is mentioned in the book of Judges: They forsook the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the LORD’s anger, because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths (Judges 2:12-13). Prophet Micah prophesied and exposed the wickedness of Israel and Judah:

But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin. Hear this, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money (Micah 3:8-11a)

Thus, the unfaithfulness of the Israelites (both the nations of Israel and Judah combined together), the people whom the Lord God chose for Himself, ignited the start of the conflict between the holy God and His people – the sinful Israelites.

Prophet Hosea’s prophecy mainly focuses on revealing the sin of the children of Israel against the Lord, the God of their fathers, and the injustice and the unfair treatment they carried out against their own people (Hosea 7:1-2). In order to exemplify the unfaithfulness of Israel before their own eyes, the Lord commanded prophet Hosea to marry a woman who is immoral (Hosea 1:2-3) and love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods [the gods of the nations around them] and burn incense before them and worship them (Hosea 3:1b; Deuteronomy 29:24-28; 2 Kings 22:17). In a similar manner the unfaithful wife of prophet Hosea turns away from him despite his love and care for her, the nation of Israel also turns away from the Lord God to worship other gods like Baal, Asherah, and so on, despite God’s love and faithfulness towards them (Hosea 4:1-6:33). They repeatedly turned their back on the Lord God who redeemed them for Himself and failed to follow His righteous laws and decrees and commands wholeheartedly nor worship Him with sincere heart. The serious accusations the Lord revealed to prophet Hosea against the nation of Israel included: (i) their unfaithfulness to God (Hosea 9:1; also refer to Isaiah 1:14-17; Jeremiah 7:9-10; Amos 4:4-5); (ii) their rejection of God’s covenant (Hosea 6:7; 8:1, 12; also refer to Judges 2:20; 2 Kings 17:15); and (iii) their spiritual adultery (Hosea 2:13; 3:1; 4:12-1); (iv) their widespread practice of idolatry in the land (Hosea 4:12-13; Deuteronomy 6:14-15; 12:2; 31:16; 1 Kings 14:23; Jeremiah 2:13); and (v) their trust in their own strength instead of trusting in God’s strength (Hosea 14:9; also refer to Psalm 118:8-9; Proverbs 3:5-6; Jeremiah 17:5-8) and so on. Yet, despite their unfaithfulness against Him, the Lord God did not forsake them but He drew them closer to Himself and loved them and renewed the covenant with them time and time again (Hosea 2:19-20). The Lord did not treat them as their sins deserve or repay them according to their iniquities, as it is mentioned in the Scripture:

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust (Psalms 103:8-14)

God would definitely punish them [His chosen people] for their wicked deeds and their unfaithfulness towards Him but He will not forsake them utterly, rather He would redeem and restore them for Himself (Hosea 14:4). Although the Lord’s love for His people is steadfast and His heart never failed to heal their sick and save the strayed and wandered off, He does not leave the guilty unpunished (Exodus 34:7; Numbers 14:18).

Spiritual complacency in Israel during Hosea’s time (which, in fact, started a long time ago [Psalm 53:3; Proverbs 1:32; Isaiah 64:7; Jeremiah 10:21; Ezekiel 22:30; Amos 6:1-7:17; Zephaniah 1:12; James 4:8; Revelation 3:15-17]) was a driving force which made the people, who were called by Yahweh, the God of Israel, live a compromised and spiritually carefree-life and made them not find any fault in burning incense and worshiping the gods of the other nations around them along with worshipping Yahweh, the God of their fathers. God’s wrath burned against His people who were called by His name but did not follow His righteous laws and decrees and commands wholeheartedly. Also, God’s wrath burned against their priests who were supposed to lead and guide the people in the right path and instruct the people in the truth of God but they kept quiet even in the midst of so much corruption in Israel because of their greed and unfaithfulness (Hosea 4:7-13; 5:1; 6:9-10). In such a context, prophet Hosea urges the Israelites whom the Lord God has chosen for Himself to love their God and obey His commands and love others and care for each other, and keep oneself away from carrying out evil plans, as God spoke through prophet Hosea that For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6). Elsewhere it is written: The Lord God Almighty, the Lord is his name! But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always (Hosea 12:5-6).

Prophet Hosea also invited them knowing the fact that it was high time to return to the Lord, the God of their fathers, and acknowledge Him, and continue to acknowledge Him, as he prophesied to them: Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth (Hosea 6:1-3). Let us read and analyze and study the above mentioned prophecy of prophet Hosea for our understanding:

• • Let us return to the Lord (6:1a)
  • Let us come and present ourselves before the Lord (6:1b)
  • The Lord has punished us due to our unfaithfulness towards Him (6:1c)
  • The Lord has torn us to pieces (6:1d)
  • Yet, the Lord will heal us (6:1e)
  • The Lord has injured us (6:1f)
  • Yet, the Lord will bind up our wounds (6:1g)
  • The Lord will revive us (6:2a)
  • The Lord will restore us (6:2b)
  • The Lord will let us continue to live in his presence (6:2c)
  • Come, let us acknowledge the Lord (6:3a)
  • Come, let us press on to acknowledge him (6:3b)
  • If so, as surely as the sun rises, the Lord will appear to us (6:3c)
  • The Lord will come to us like the winter rains (6:3d)
  • The Lord’s comfort to us will be like the spring rains that water the earth (6:3e)

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, as we conclude our SftW meditation this week, let us know the reality that the Lord our God continues to remain faithful to us, despite all our rebelliousness and unfaithfulness against Him. Let every one of us, that is, all those who have accepted Christ Jesus as the Lord and Savior of their life, know the fact that even if the Lord punishes us because of our sin against Him, He will help us and heal us and restore us to Himself, as Apostle Paul stated: For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves (Ephesians 1:4-6). The Lord God Almighty accepts us as His dear sons and daughters and gives us His Spirit: Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6). It is time for us to hold fast unto Him who loves us and redeems us and saves us and gives us His Spirit – the Spirit that strengthen us and empower us, as it is mentioned in the Scripture: For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). Apostle Paul continues to say that The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). Therefore, let us submit and surrender our life before Him and live a life that is worthy of His calling. May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!