Hosea 8, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: FORGIVE YOUR ENEMIES

Ephesians 4:26-27 says, “Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity!”  The word “opportunity” in this verse means territory or ground.  In other words, anger gives “ground” to the devil. Bitterness invites him to occupy a space in your heart, to rent a room.  Believe me, he’ll move in and stink up the place!  Gossip, slander, temper— anytime you see these, Satan has claimed a bunk. Don’t even give him the time of day.  Tell him to pack his bags and hit the road.

Begin the process of forgiveness.  Keep no list of wrongs.  Pray for your antagonists rather than plot against them. Outrageous as it may seem, Jesus died for them, too.  If he thinks they’re worth forgiving, they are.  Does that make forgiveness easy?  No.  Is it quick?  It seldom is.  Forgive your enemies?  Well, you can try.  Forgive them.  You’ll get through this!

Hosea 8

Israel to Reap the Whirlwind

“Put the trumpet to your lips!
    An eagle is over the house of the Lord
because the people have broken my covenant
    and rebelled against my law.
2 Israel cries out to me,
    ‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’
3 But Israel has rejected what is good;
    an enemy will pursue him.
4 They set up kings without my consent;
    they choose princes without my approval.
With their silver and gold
    they make idols for themselves
    to their own destruction.
5 Samaria, throw out your calf-idol!
    My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of purity?
6     They are from Israel!
This calf—a metalworker has made it;
    it is not God.
It will be broken in pieces,
    that calf of Samaria.

7 “They sow the wind
    and reap the whirlwind.
The stalk has no head;
    it will produce no flour.
Were it to yield grain,
    foreigners would swallow it up.
8 Israel is swallowed up;
    now she is among the nations
    like something no one wants.
9 For they have gone up to Assyria
    like a wild donkey wandering alone.
    Ephraim has sold herself to lovers.
10 Although they have sold themselves among the nations,
    I will now gather them together.
They will begin to waste away
    under the oppression of the mighty king.

11 “Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings,
    these have become altars for sinning.
12 I wrote for them the many things of my law,
    but they regarded them as something foreign.
13 Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me,
    and though they eat the meat,
    the Lord is not pleased with them.
Now he will remember their wickedness
    and punish their sins:
    They will return to Egypt.
14 Israel has forgotten their Maker
    and built palaces;
    Judah has fortified many towns.
But I will send fire on their cities
    that will consume their fortresses.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:

Psalm 32:5–11

Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.

6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
    while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
    will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place;
    you will protect me from trouble
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
    which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
    or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
    but the Lord’s unfailing love
    surrounds the one who trusts in him.

11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
    sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Insight
Psalm 32 is one of seven penitential psalms (also Psalms 6; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143), so-named because they contain confession of sins and a plea for God’s mercy and forgiveness. Many scholars believe David wrote Psalm 32 after he committed adultery with Bathsheba. For about a year afterward, he refused to repent of his sins of covetousness, adultery, deceit, bearing false testimony, and murder. Then the prophet Nathan confronted him (2 Samuel 11–12).

In Psalm 32 David speaks of the heavy burden of guilt he experienced when he denied his sins (vv. 3–4) and the joy of receiving God’s forgiveness when he confessed and repented (v. 5) and became receptive to God’s rule in his life (vv. 7–11). David contrasts the blessedness of repentance (vv. 1–2) with the anguish of refusing to confess his sin (vv. 3–5).

Navigating Life’s Rapids
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalm 32:8

“Everybody on the left, give me three strong forward strokes!” our whitewater raft guide shouted. Those on the left dug in, pulling our raft away from a churning vortex. For several hours, we’d learned the importance of listening to our guide’s instructions. His steady voice enabled six people with little rafting experience to work together to plot the safest course down a raging river.

Life has its share of whitewater rapids, doesn’t it? One moment, it’s smooth sailing. Then, in a flash, we’re paddling like mad to avoid suddenly swirling whirlpools. Those tense moments make us keenly aware of our need for a skilled guide, a trusted voice to help us navigate turbulent times.

In Psalm 32, God promises to be that voice: “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go” (v. 8). Backing up, we see that confessing our sins (v. 5) and prayerfully seeking Him (v. 6) play a role in hearing Him too. Still, I take comfort in the fact that God promises, “I will counsel you with my loving eye on you” (v. 8), a reminder that His guidance flows from His love. Near the end of the chapter, the psalmist concludes, “The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts him” (v. 10). And as we trust Him, we can rest in His promise to guide us through life’s rockiest passages. By:  Adam R. Holz

Reflect & Pray
What circumstances in your life right now feel like whitewater rapids? How might you seek God’s guiding voice about how to respond?

Father, thank You for Your promise to be my Guide. Help me to seek You and listen to You as You direct the course of my life.

 For help in navigating the storms of life, read discoveryseries.org/hp061.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Do It Now!

Agree with your adversary quickly… —Matthew 5:25

In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ‘till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.

Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?

Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).

“Agree with your adversary quickly….” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The truth is we have nothing to fear and nothing to overcome because He is all in all and we are more than conquerors through Him. The recognition of this truth is not flattering to the worker’s sense of heroics, but it is amazingly glorifying to the work of Christ. Approved Unto God, 4 R

Bible in a Year: Job 17-19; Acts 10:1-23

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Smaller Than it Looks - #8732

Skiing to the North Pole - now that's an adventure. Apparently, a documentary producer thought so, too. That's why I got to learn about that adventure a little was watching it on TV. Needless to say, Skier Man had many unpredictable and perilous moments as he encountered weather challenges, terrain challenges and, of course, some really big animals. Like the polar bear he suddenly came upon with her babies. Mama Bear wasn't too happy to see this strange creature coming in her direction and her little ones. No, Skier Man had to think fast, and he did. He raised his ski poles over his head; held them up over his head like some gigantic metal antlers. Even though the polar bear was much bigger and more powerful than he was, she backed off. Skier Man had succeeded in creating the illusion that he was bigger than the bear!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Smaller Than it Looks."

There have been times when I have believed that same kind of illusion the polar bear fell for; that a problem coming at me was much bigger than it really was. There are times we should stand and fight, and instead we run away from something that looks too big for us to face. It may be that you're facing a problem right now; it could be financial, medical, relational, parental, a family problem, a failure...something that looks so huge you're paralyzed; you're panicked.

God's got a word for you today from the Word of God in Nehemiah 4, beginning with verse 10. Nehemiah has been leading God's people in the amazing rebuilding of the walls and the gates of God's city, Jerusalem, surrounded all the time by enemies who are determined to stop that rebuilding. The problems are looking just about overwhelming as maybe yours look to you right now.

Here's what it says: "The people in Judah said, 'The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble we cannot rebuild the wall.' Also, our enemies said, 'Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.' Then the Jews who lived near came and told us ten times over, 'Wherever they turn, they will attack (you).'" That's a pretty daunting list of problems right there. They're running out of strength, there's a huge pile of junk in the way, their enemy is threatening to attack and kill them, and they've got people telling them ten times over (Who needs that?) how much trouble they're in. Those people always seem to show up by the way.

But God's man Nehemiah has a message for them. And it's for you and me, too I think, as we cower before challenges that seem so massive. He says, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and daughters, your wives and your homes." Yeah, the problems look big. But (He says) you've got a God who is so much bigger than they are. The problems aren't great and awesome; your Lord is great and awesome!

And as Nehemiah said moments later, "Our God will fight for us!" The issue isn't how big the problem is compared to you. It's how big the problem is compared to your God! The only thing that should ever overwhelm a child of God is the awesomeness of their Lord. If you're afraid, if you're defeated, it's probably because you've forgotten who's in charge here. It won't be what's looming in front of you that will decide the outcome for you. Your Lord's going to decide the outcome. You're His child!

That's why Isaiah could say, "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You" (Isaiah 26:3). This is no time to fear. This is no time to flee. It's time to fight! Because the God of heaven is fighting for you!