HALLEUYAH! HALLELUYAH!! HALLELUYAH!!!
RELEASE DATE: May 23, 2022
WEEK 19: (May 23 – May 29, 2022)
WEEKLY BIBLE READINGS:
Hosea 14: 1, 4 – 7 (NIV)
1 Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall!
4 “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; 6 his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. 7 People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the grain, they will blossom like the vine— Israel’s fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.
INTERPRETATION
The time is now!
In the scripture above, Hosea preached to the people of Israel about sin and about repentance. Israelites at different points left God and have gone through different cycles. They drifted from God because of their sin. He sent prophets to them to preach repentance and to remind them of their covenant promises and of their identity as God’s people.
In the history of the children of Israel, we see the perverseness and ingratitude of man and the forbearance and goodness of God. Israel’s sins were peculiarly aggravated despite the repeated and wonderful deliverances. At the period of Hosea’s prophecy, Israel’s continued rebellion against God and God had nearly exhausted His patience toward that people. This is the case with many today. Many have neglected God and have consistently dwelled in sin, giving themselves up for lust.
This passage in Hoses focuses not only on how to repent but also on what will happen as a result of turning back to Him. That is to say, there are blessings and benefits attached to returning to God – “heal the backsliding…; loved freely and anger turned away…; dew unto Israel…; grow as the lily…; dwell under His shadow…;” among other blessings. Aside from the aforementioned, returning to the Lord means salvation is guaranteed, sustenance is assured, satisfaction prevails, safety, strength and super economy become easily accessible. What then do you need to do?
Listening to God’s words, discerning them and walking in His words. This means a repentant lifestyle that is dependent, and obedient – living a life of discipleship, knowing Him as the only God who can guarantee the right path to what we want in life especially when the battle is tough. Let us not stumble and fall when nothing in this world is guaranteed.
Beloved, this is a reminder to return to God; a call to repentance to pursue and live a just and righteous life. God is disappointed when we chose the sinful path because He desires us to walk with Him each day. God is ever ready to accept us and we need to return to Him. The time is now!
PRAYER
Jehovah, Jesus Christ, Holy Michael, thank you for your love and mercy. Father, we pray to you to forgive all our iniquities. We present ourselves before you, clean us and come into our hearts; come into our lives today and come to stay. We tap into the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, we receive salvation, we receive deliverance, and we receive forgiveness because we are the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus. This and many more we ask for through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Thank you and God bless. Shalom.
Footnote: “A life without Christ is full of crisis but life in Christ is a great life full of peace. Let that be your Guide & Guard”
Isaiah 59:1 – Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear”