Pastor Steve has personally written a daily devotional of every chapter of the Bible.
Move your relationship with the Lord beyond weekly church attendance to include a
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through these chapter-by-chapter Bible teachings.
“O Israel, you are destroyed, but your help is from Me. I will be your King; where is any other, that he may save you in all your cities? And your judges to whom you said...”
“O Israel, you are destroyed, but your help is from Me. I will be your King; where is any other, that he may save you in all your cities? And your judges to whom you said, ‘Give me a king and princes’? I gave you a king in My anger, and took him away in My wrath.” Hosea 13:9-11 (NKJV)
God’s utmost desire is to save sinners rather than punish them. (Ezekiel 18:23; 2 Peter 3:9) Yet, He is a God of justice and will, ultimately, “…by no means, clear the guilty”. (Exodus 34:7; Numbers 14:8) In a world that seeks to elect “kings” to make nations great, the “God who elects” also runs as a candidate for election. It helps us to remember the leadership drought before Israel sought their first king.
“Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, ‘Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.’ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day - with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods - so they are doing to you also. Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the King who will reign over them.’” 1 Samuel 8:1-9 (NKJV)
We must remember that God is not against kings, only kings who refuse to make Him King of their own lives. **Messiah Jesus is the “King of Kings” and “Lord of Lords.”
“When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’ Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.” Deuteronomy 17:14-20 (NKJV)
"But I am the Lord your God, ever since the land of Egypt; I will again make you dwell in tents..."
“But I am the Lord your God, ever since the land of Egypt; I will again make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the appointed feast.” Hosea 12:9 (NKJV)
I love to watch documentaries, especially the ones about rock bands. My favorite part of every documentary is “the early years.” I like knowing how bands got together, how they struggled to make it, and how they overcame the odds to become successful. Once a band reaches success, I’m really not interested in most of their stories, nor am I particularly interested in their music. I would rather watch VH1’s “Behind The Music” than MTV’s “Cribs.”
Somehow, I relate more to a person’s struggle than their achievement. Perhaps that early era resonates with me because I learned most of my important life lessons during hard times.
I get the same feeling when I read the story of Israel. When they were wandering the desert, living in tents, God taught them to RELY on Him. When He miraculously provided for their needs, He taught them TRUST. Then, as He brought more challenges, they began to respond in FAITH.
Once Israel was settled into Canaan, their story took on a more unappealing perspective. Everyone cheers for the underdog long shot. Nobody has sympathy or empathy for the unappreciative kid who was born into blessing. The Lord recognized that the spiritual condition of Israel could not be cured with more “abundance.” If Israel was going to amount to anything, as a “nation of priests,” God was going to have to take them back to their roots.
Israel would have to wander again as a people. If the Hebrews were bent on forsaking God’s festivals, He would make them suffer those same conditions of Egyptian-style oppression again. If they were to undergo the same oppressive conditions, perhaps the children of Israel would again cry out to God for deliverance.
There was one exception: Israel would not wander as a nation, as in the Exodus. This time, they would be in small communities, families, and individuals. God was sending a message that Israel’s sin was not so much at the national level but rather the personal one.
God cares as much about the process of our faith as He does the product of it. Do not despise the day of small things, those initial faithful attempts to return to God. (Zechariah 4:10) From our humbled states, meekness sprouts roots. When we have been rebuked for our rebellion, God graciously allows us to repent and submit again to His Lordship. We learn our greatest lessons amid our most difficult hardships. And by virtue of His holiness and great love for His children, the Lord will ordain hardship so we can reach the end of ourselves, realize the futility of rebellion, and return with the remembrance of how bad sin feels and how wonderfully restoration resounds.
"When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. As I called them, so they went from them..."
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. As they called them, so they went from them; they sacrificed to the Baals, and burned incense to carved images. I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.” Hosea 11:1-4 (NKJV)
It is important to note that the name “Ephriam” is used in the Bible in three senses. First, Ephriam was one of Joseph’s boys (along with his brother Manasseh) fathered with his Egyptian (not Jewish) bride. (A foreshadowing of spiritual intimacy) Still, Jacob blessed them as if they were his own sons.
“And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.” Genesis 48:5 (NKJV)
Secondly, “Ephriam” is associated with the land of Ephriam, a territory given to the tribe of Ephriam by the Lord when Israel crossed the Jordan 40 years after leaving Egypt. We must also remember that the only two faithful reports about the Promised Land (from the 12 tribal spies) came from Caleb (the tribe of Judah) and Joshua (the tribe of Ephriam). (Joshua 16-17)
Thirdly, “Ephriam” is synonymous with apostasy and idolatry (spiritual adultery). After the death of King Solomon, his son, Rehoboam, acted foolishly, and an Ephraimite named Jeroboam arose and persuaded 10 of the 12 Israelite tribes to follow him. To keep the people from uniting in worship (in Jerusalem) with their Israelite brothers of the tribes of Judah & Benjamin, Jeroboam set up two golden calves for the people to worship in Dan & Bethel. Henceforth, in Old Testament Scripture, the Jewish people are a divided kingdom known as “Israel” (aka Northern Kingdom/Ephriam) and “Judah” (Southern Kingdom), collectively. (1 Kings 12)
Hopefully, understanding “Ephriam” in its proper Biblical context (and specifically God’s continuing love for them in Hosea 11) helps you understand this often passed-over passage in the Christmas story “Wise Men” narrative.
“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.’ When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son.’” Matthew 2:13-15 (NKJV)
Of the tribe of Judah, Jesus’ Egyptian “exodus” signaled a firm faithfulness (conquering death and sin) that Caleb’s heroism only partly showed. Yet, He gracefully redeems the idolatrous route Joshua’s tribe (Ephraim/Israel) eventually pursued.
“Ephraim is a well-trained calf that loves to thresh, but I will place a yoke on her fine neck. I will harness Ephraim; Judah will plow..."
“Ephraim is a well-trained calf that loves to thresh, but I will place a yoke on her fine neck. I will harness Ephraim; Judah will plow; Jacob will do the final plowing. Sow righteousness for yourselves and reap faithful love; break up your unplowed ground. It is time to seek the Lord until He comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain.” Hosea 10:11-12 (HCSB)
As we move into the latter half of the Tanakh (Old Testament), the name “Ephraim” is used frequently among the prophets. “Ephraim” is synonymous with idolatry, primarily because Jeroboam, the Ephraimite, led Israel astray. He did so by dividing the kingdom politically and spiritually.
Jeroboam set up two golden calves: One in Bethel and the other in Dan. The fashioning of these idols was intended to prevent the people from worshipping in Jerusalem. In doing so, Jeroboam significantly diminished the chances of the people’s hearts returning to the Lord.
Eventually, idolatry spread throughout the whole nation, hardening hearts. This is the generation that Hosea is primarily writing to. This generation was about to be crushed and expelled from the land, dispersed among the nations.
Hosea’s comparison of Ephraim to a cow is possibly an allusion to their calf idol worship. The largest Israelite tribe, Ephraim, prided itself on treading upon Israel with what they believed was more open-minded and enlightened worship (because of its worldliness), crushing and dividing the Hebrew nation as a farm animal would tread out grain.
God is telling Ephraim (aka Israel in the divided kingdom) that He is about to re-purpose their “bull-headedness,” as it were. God will make them disciplined and meek by subjecting them to the yoke of His rebuke. Eventually, Ephraim will be “broken,” as a horse must learn to obey its rider.
Today’s passage contains some beautifully simple agrarian imagery. With Ephraim harnessed and out of the way, Judah takes the leadership role in Hebrew restoration. Judah was more accustomed to challenging works of faith, so they plowed the hardened land. The rest of Israel follows Judah’s example by further breaking up the clods that Judah broke up.
In simple terms, Israel’s national heart was like hardened earth. By driving Israel out to live among (and be subject to) the Gentiles, God maximized their potential to turn back to Him. They would have no other choice but to turn to Him eventually. Like the turning of soil, God was softening their hearts to receive someday the chosen “seed” of Abraham, Messiah Jesus. Have you chosen the God who has chosen you? Or are you continuing to rebel against Him, hardening your heart toward Messiah Yeshua, like Pharaoh, Korah, Ephraim, and a host of others who suffered the Lord’s rebuke?
"The days of punishment have come; the days of retribution have come. Let Israel recognize it! The prophet is a fool, and the inspired man is insane..."
“The days of punishment have come; the days of retribution have come. Let Israel recognize it! The prophet is a fool, and the inspired man is insane, because of the magnitude of your guilt and hostility. Ephraim’s watchman is with my God. The prophet encounters a fowler’s snare on all his ways. Hostility is in the house of his God! They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their guilt; He will punish their sins.” Hosea 9:7-9 (HCSB)
To comprehend Israel’s moral & spiritual depravity at the time of Hosea, we must understand what the prophet means by the term “days of Gibeah.” The answer is found in Judges, chapter 19.
A Levite living in the hill country of Ephraim, was traveling with his concubine to go and worship in Jerusalem. On their journey, the Levite and his concubine spent the night with an elderly gentleman in the city of Gibeah. Gibeah is in the territory of Benjamin.
It was there that the following incident took place:
“While they were enjoying themselves, all of the sudden, perverted men of the city surrounded the house and beat on the door. They said to the old man who was the owner of the house, ‘Bring out the man who came to your house so that we can have sex with him!’” Judges 19: 22 (HCSB)
The older man offered his virgin daughter to the mob, and the Levite offered his concubine. This scene mirrors the one that brought judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah, except it directly involved tribes of Israel instead of pagan Gentiles. The Levite awoke the following morning to find his concubine dead in his doorway. She had been raped repeatedly. He cut her dead body into 12 pieces and sent them throughout Israel to rally the rest of Israel against the tribe of Benjamin.
The event is known as “The Outrage in Benjamin” because the tribe of Benjamin would not admit any wrongdoing or punish those directly responsible.
Hosea tells us that Israel had corrupted themselves “as in the days of Gibeah.” Do you feel the gravity of his statement?
Consider the culture we live in today: legalized abortion, legalized homosexual marriage, liberal judges, and scandalous clergy. There is even opposition in many congregations toward Biblical preaching and anyone who holds the Bible as the infallible, authoritative Word of G_d. Is Hosea not warning our generation, along with his own?
Let’s join together in prayer for revival: personal, corporate, national, and global.
"They have installed kings, but not through Me. They have appointed leaders, but without My approval. They make their silver and gold into idols for themselves..."
“They have installed kings, but not through Me. They have appointed leaders, but without My approval. They make their silver and gold into idols for themselves for their own destruction. Your calf-idol is rejected, Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? For this thing is from Israel – a craftsman has made it and it is not God. The calf of Samaria will be smashed to bits!” Hosea 8:4-6 (HCSB)
When people hear the word “innocence,” they may have varied definitions of what that means. As a matter of fact, “innocence” in the Bible has various meanings. When the Bible was translated into English, “innocence” became a “catch-all” term for several Hebrew words. As one could imagine, each Hebrew word bears a subtle yet distinct difference in definition.
In the book of Daniel is the word “ZAKHU,” meaning “absence of guilt of disloyalty to God.” Then, in 1 Kings 2:31, there is “CHINNAM,” denoting “undeserved or without cause,” i.e., “victims of murder.” Job 33:9 uses “CHAPH” to describe “clean, by scraping or polishing” and refers to “forgiven sin,” which leads to moral purity. In all other places, the word “NIQQAYON” is found. It means “The absence of pollution,” connected with blood, and carries the idea of divine acquittal or forgiveness. In the New Testament, it is used twice in connection with blood. (Matthew 27:4, 24)
In Hosea 8 and 10, the word “niqqayon” is used. It means. “absence of pollution.” Hosea is referencing Israel’s pollution due to idolatry. Hence, Israel was incapable of innocence as long as they worshipped idols.
We all remember the “golden calf” that Israel had made in direct defiance of God’s command to “not make any graven images” in Exodus 32. No doubt, every Hebrew child would have been taught this story. Yet, by Hosea’s generation, the Hebrew kingdom was split (two kingdoms, two kings). The pedestrian Jewish indifference to Adonai (the Lord) had reached the point where two more “golden calves” had been forged and were being worshipped.
Today’s challenge is for us to ask God to reveal our “idols.” Where are those we ascribed power (ergo, worship) to - power and worship that belongs only to God?
In the eyes of God, Christians remain in a constant state of “CHAPH” through the enduring atonement of the Messiah. That said, we may incur severe rebuke whenever we find ourselves lacking “NIQQAYON.” Thus, we find ourselves in the crosshairs of God’s righteous rebuke due to our allowing idolatry to creep back into our lives.
"At the appointed time he will come again to the South, but this time will not be like the first. Ships of Kittim will come against him..."
“At the appointed time he will come again to the South, but this time will not be like the first. Ships of Kittim will come against him, and being intimidated, he will withdraw. Then he will rage against the holy covenant and take action. On his return, he will favor those who abandon the holy covenant. His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation.” Daniel 11:29-31 (HCSB)
I was 14 when I got my first job, working for a country club. We used to videotape important tennis matches and re-ran them throughout the day on the big screen TV in the men’s locker room. Once, during the U.S. Open, I watched a club member win hundreds of dollars off another club member, betting on the outcome of a match he had seen the end of earlier in the day. That’s what we call “cheating.”
There are theological skeptics who try to late-date Daniel’s prophecies. That is, they claim the prophecies were written after the events prophesied had unfolded and then attributed them to Daniel. The reason they give for their allegations is purely the fact that Daniel’s prophecies are so accurate. Basically, they accuse the Bible’s compilers of cheating, knowing the outcome, and then writing the prophecy.
Prophecies yet to unfold, can be trusted because of prophecy fulfilled. Of course, that is exactly what irks the skeptics! Not only were Daniel’s prophecies accurate for the events close to his day & age, but they are also predicting apocalyptic events of the end times. Daniel’s prophecy about the coming of the Greek king, Antiochus Epiphanes, was also predicting the coming of the anti-messiah (aka antichrist) and is echoed in Revelation, Matthew’s gospel, and other places in the Bible.
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that leads to desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel – let the reader understand…” Matthew 24:15 (NIV)
“And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’ And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.” Revelation 13:3b-6 (NKJV)
“Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering. Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue. And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.” Daniel 11:32-35 (NKJV)
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