Lord I am so unworthy but only say the Word and my soul will be healed. We are washed as white as snow in the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Restoration will be complete when Jesus reigns at His second coming.
Hosea 13:4
“Yet I am the LORD your God
Ever since the land of Egypt,
And you shall know no God but Me;
For there is no savior besides Me.
Through the deceitfulness of sin we are all guilty and there is no one righteous. Our only hope is Christ, the righteousness of God revealed to mankind.
God's Word has transforming power. It softens hard hearts, pierces through pretenses, and shifts our perspectives, habits and thoughts. We are transformed when we hear the gospel through God's Word and place our faith in Jesus, but our salvation is only the beginning. God intends for His Word to continue transforming us every day after our salvation as well, conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29).
James tells us to "receive with meekness the implanted word" of God (James 1:21). The Greek word translated as "meekness" is prauteti, which can also be translated "humility." In the Greco-Roman culture of James' day, pride was generally viewed positively, connected with honor and personal victory. To be humble or meek was viewed negatively, representing defeat, failure or shame.
But Jesus taught and lived differently, as did His followers. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). Jesus also said, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11). First 5
Our prayer this week will be Rabbi Chaim Stern’s affirmation, “Days pass and the years vanish, and we walk sightless among miracles. Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing; let there be moments when Your Presence, like lightning, illumines the darkness in which we walk. Help us to see, wherever we gaze, that the bush burns unconsumed. And we, clay touched by God, will reach out for holiness, and exclaim in wonder: How filled with awe is this place, and we did not know it!” (From the Mishkan T’filah, “A Prayer for Shabbat”)
I love Pope Francis’ invitation, "Take care of the now for the sake of tomorrow.” Sabbath Moments
The congregation is a microcosm of God’s plan. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. And when we do, “God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them” (Acts 4:33–34 NLT). You see, those who suffer belong to all of us. And if all of us respond, there is hope. Max Lucado
Hosea 2:14-18
14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her. 15 I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. 16 “And it shall be, in that day,” Says the Lord, “That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’ 17 For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more. 18 In that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely. 19 “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; 20 I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the Lord. The New King James Version
Bring her into the wilderness alludes to the wilderness wanderings—Israel was more dependent on Yahweh before being settled in the land of Canaan. The Valley of Achor means “valley of trouble.” The site east of the Dead Sea where Israel was in trouble for disobedience during the early days of the conquest of Canaan.
Coming out of the land of Egypt refers to the exodus and Yahweh’s act of salvation, in which He brought Israel out of slavery. The text depicts the restoration as a reenactment of this central salvation event from the formation of Israel as a nation.
The Hebrew text for My husband here can literally be rendered “my man.” In Hebrew, a woman’s husband can be described as her man. The verse contrasts this term with the Hebrew word ba’al, meaning “lord” or “master,” which also can refer to a woman’s husband. The Hebrew text here uses the term ba’al. If Israel used the generic title ba’al for Yahweh, this would have caused confusion about which deity they were worshiping.
The renewal of the covenant restores the relationship between Yahweh and Israel. Jeremiah takes this idea further, emphasizing the need for a completely new covenant. The restoration is accompanied by total peace in the human and natural world.
The four virtues listed in this verse, combined with the faithfulness mentioned in Hosea 2:20, form the essence of Yahweh’s character. Biblical writers frequently mention these virtues together. In righteousness and in justice are the central ethical principles of the old testament.
Faithlife Study Bible
Having separated Israel from her lovers, the Lord would seek to win her back by making romantic overtures and wooing her with tender words of love.
The coming Exile from the land is compared to the wilderness wanderings of Moses’ time. The Valley of Achor, meaning “Valley of Trouble,” was a reminder of the sin of Achan and God’s discipline of the nation of Israel for his sin. This place would be transformed into a door of hope when the returning exiles passed through it on their return to the land.
Israel would call the Lord her Husband, not her Master, because the latter title might have reminded the people of their former devotion to Baal. The word Baal can mean “Master.”
Betrothal was a binding commitment, the last step before the wedding and consummation. The Lord emphasized that the new marriage between Himself and Israel would be permanent. Lovingkindness means “devotion, commitment.” Israel would respond positively to the Lord’s love and acknowledge that He is her husband and benefactor. The NKJV Study Bible
Ezekiel 34:25 “I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.
Job 5:22–23
You shall laugh at destruction and famine,
And you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field,
And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
Jeremiah 2:1–3
Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying,
‘Thus says the LORD:
“I remember you,
The kindness of your youth,
The love of your betrothal,
When you went after Me in the wilderness,
In a land not sown…
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