Join us in this episode of ADDBIBLE as Allen J. Huth delves into Hosea Chapter 8, offering insights from his personal Bible reading journals spanning over 30 years. This episode reflects on the spiritual decay of Israel and its parallels to our modern-day spiritual journey. Are we pushing God’s patience too far? Tune in to find out.
Welcome to ADDBIBLE, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
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Today we begin the second half of the book of Hosea with chapter 8. The 14 verses will be read by our guest reader, my wife Terry. Hosea chapter 8.
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Hosea chapter 8. Set the trumpet to your lips. One like a vulture is over the house of the Lord because they have transgressed my covenant and rebelled against my law. To me they cry, My God, we, Israel, know you. Israel has spurned the good. The enemy shall pursue him. They made kings, but not through me. They set up princes, but I knew it not. With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction. I have spurned your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? For it is from Israel. A craftsman made it. it is not god the calf of samaria shall be broken to pieces for they sow the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind the standing grain has no heads it shall yield no flower If it were to yield, strangers would devour it. Israel is swallowed up. Already they are among the nations as useless vessels. For they have gone up to Assyria, a wild donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has hired lovers. though they hire allies among the nations i will soon gather them up and the king and princes shall soon writhe because of the tribute because ephraim has multiplied altars for sinning they have become to him altars for sinning were i to write for him my laws by the ten thousands they would be regarded as a strange thing as for my sacrificial offerings they sacrifice meat and eat it but the lord does not accept them Now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins. They shall return to Egypt, for Israel has forgotten his maker and built palaces, and Judah has multiplied fortified cities. So I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour her strongholds.
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I begin our recap of Hosea chapter 8 by reminding us that back in 1992, one of the journals I was using, I was reading chunks of Hosea at a time. So I read all of Hosea in four days. So there’s not a specific entry for this chapter. So we’ll move on to my journal in 2007 when I was reading Hosea a chapter at a time. On the day in 2007 when I read Hosea chapter 8, I was in Riverton, Wyoming for a Gideon State Convention. I only mention these travels just to remind us that even though I travel quite a bit, it doesn’t keep me from God’s Word. It’s important to maintain a consistent daily time in the Scriptures, regardless of what’s happening in our lives. And so on this day, in Riverton, Wyoming, I wrote, God turns a deaf ear toward us. Israel went too far, too long. They, quote, transgressed my covenant and rebelled against my law, end quote. They had set up kings but not by me. They had made idols for themselves. They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. I wrote, they regard my law as a strange thing. Israel has forgotten his maker. Many charges Hosea levels against Israel, most of which would apply today to the Christian church. Then when we’re in so much trouble, we finally cry out to God. We risk his wrath before his grace. And I quote, my anger burns against them. Quote, it yields no grain. Israel swallowed up. They will begin to diminish. The Lord has taken no delight in them. Now he will remember their iniquity and punish them for their sins. And I continue to write, don’t play games with God. He is merciful, but why suffer the consequences of sin to test the limits of his grace? Are you acting like Israel of old? Have you transgressed God’s covenant and rebelled against His law? Have you set up rulers or authorities in your own life, but they’re not of God? Have you forgotten your Maker? What, if anything, have you set up that keeps you from worshiping the Lord, the Almighty God, the King of kings and Lord of lords? Israel had pushed God far enough. Have you? In 2012, I had a little bit different take on Hosea chapter 8. In my journal, I wrote… christians often say god places leaders over us i’m not so sure israel wanted a king not god but he gave them their desire saul here hosea says one like a vulture is over the house of the lord and they made kings but not through me they set up princes but i knew it not they also made idols for worship My anger burns against them, and it is not from God. Those were quoting verses 5 and 6. Israel has economic and political problems and wonders why. So with the USA. Now, you may or may not agree with me. You may think that God ordains every leader of every nation all over the world. And I have said before that I believe people cannot be in positions of leadership without God’s approval. But I’ve made the argument here that it doesn’t mean it’s his desire. God wants to reign in Israel. He wants to be the king. But the people rejected him, so he gave them the desire of their heart. He says, they made kings, but not through me. They set up princes. I knew it not. So in the United States or in your country, is our leader or your leader God’s person for the job? Maybe and maybe not. Maybe God just gives people the desire of their heart, whether it pleases Him or not. So it’s important for us to pray for our leaders, though, because Scripture tells us that God can move the heart of a leader like He can move the water in a brook. So let’s recap Hosea chapter 8 with the two key principles. First, have you pushed God far enough? Are you pushing Him too far? And if so, it’s time to stop. It’s time to repent and come back to the Lord. That’s the cry of Hosea to the nation of Israel. Stop. Repent. Come back. And it’s the cry of God’s heart for us today. And secondly, as we think about our leaders, Let’s understand that God may or may not be pleased with the leaders that we have, but we need to pray for those leaders. And I’m going to close with the prayer that I wrote in my journal back in 2007 when I read Hosea 8. I wrote as my prayer, Driven to my knees again by your word, forgive me for all the same charges against Israel. Cleanse my heart, O God. Check my motives and be pleased with my heart for you. You saved me. I want to give back to you. You are my Father. Help me be a kingdom builder. May that be your prayer today. Amen. Thank you for listening to AdBible. Though the Bible can be read at the speed I’m speaking in about 78 hours, surveys show we don’t read it. How many of you have ever read the Bible cover to cover? How many have tried and failed? I want to encourage you to try it again. I want to share with you what I call the Triple I Doctrine and some powerful reasons to stay in your Bible daily. I begin with a verse from 2 Peter 1.21. But holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. That’s how we got the Bible. The Holy Spirit moved holy men of God to write it, all of it. Because He did, we can now look at the Triple I Doctrine, the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. What do these terms mean? Inspired means God-breathed. 2 Timothy 3.16 says, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. What does infallible mean? It means no potential or ability to err. Totally reliable. It cannot contradict itself. And Hebrews 6.18 says, It is impossible for God to lie. And the last one is inerrant. What does that mean? It means it’s technically correct. It’s free from falsehood and deceit. Wholly true. It’s doctrine. It’s history. It’s science. It’s geography. And Matthew 5.18 says, For assuredly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. And Revelation 22, 18 and 19 say, For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the book of life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. So the Triple I Doctrine is reason enough to be in God’s Word each day. But in case you need more encouragement, here are three more thoughts. First, improve your spiritual maturity. According to Barna Research, of the seven dimensions in which Americans were asked to rate their faith maturity, Bible knowledge ranked dead last. So if you want to improve your spiritual maturity, stay in God’s Word daily. Number two is develop a dynamic relationship with God. Dr. Woodrow Kroll, former president of Back to the Bible, wrote a book called Taking Back the Good Book. He said, When people tire of reading the Bible, it’s because they read it for the wrong reasons or in the wrong way. They read the Bible to gain knowledge, store facts, or pick up a few principles to live by. When you see the Bible as a means to a dynamic relationship with God, you can’t get enough of it because you can’t get enough of Him. And the third thought is to be transformed. Don’t read the Bible to be informed. Read it to be transformed. And I’m going to share a fun little story with you about being transformed by the Word of God. It’s about an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early, sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible. His grandson, who wanted to be just like him, tried to imitate him in any way he could. One day the grandson asked, Papa, I try to read the Bible, just like you, but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do? The grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water. The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, You’ll have to move a little faster next time and send him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, I don’t want a bucket of water. I want a basket of water. You can do this. You’re just not trying hard enough. And he went out the door to watch the boy try again. At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got far at all. The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather, the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, See, Papa, it’s useless. So you think it’s useless, the old man said. Look at the basket. The boy looked at the basket, and for the first time, he realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean. Son, that’s what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it will change you from the inside out. So read the Bible so you can improve your spiritual maturity, develop a dynamic relationship with God, and be transformed, not informed. The Bible came to us from the Holy Spirit, directed by holy men of God. The triple I doctrine reminds us it’s inspired, God-breathed, infallible, without error, and inerrant, technically correct, and wholly true. Read it to grow spiritually, develop a dynamic relationship with God, and be transformed.
