In this episode of ADDBIBLE, we dive deep into Hosea Chapter 9, a powerful reminder of divine justice and mercy. Allen J. Huth guides us through the chapter as we explore the consequences faced by Israel for turning away from God. Through reflections from his decades of personal Bible reading journals, Alan brings forward poignant insights on the timeless lessons we can draw from these ancient scriptures. Join us as we contemplate God’s unwavering standards balanced with His enduring mercy, providing guidance for our own spiritual journeys.
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.
SPEAKER 01 :
Today we are in Hosea chapter 9 and we’ll listen to Faith Comes by Hearing’s rendition of Hosea chapter 9, the 17 verses. Hosea 9
SPEAKER 02 :
Rejoice not, O Israel! Exult not like the peoples, for you have played the whore, forsaking your God. You have loved a prostitute’s wages on all threshing floors. Threshing floor and winebats shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail them. They shall not remain in the land of the Lord, but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean food in Assyria. They shall not pour drink offerings of wine to the Lord and their sacrifices shall not please him. It shall be like mourners bread to them. All who eat of it shall be defiled for their bread shall be for their hunger only. It shall not come to the house of the Lord. What will you do on the day of the appointed festival and on the day of the feast of the Lord? For behold, they are going away from destruction. But Egypt shall gather them. Memphis shall bury them. Nettles shall possess their precious things of silver. Thorns shall be in their tents. The days of punishment have come. The days of recompense have come. Israel shall know it. The prophet is a fool. The man of the spirit is mad because of your great iniquity and great hatred.” The prophet is the watchman of Ephraim with my God, yet a fowler snares on all his ways and hatred in the house of his God. They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their iniquity. He will punish their sins. Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. Like the first fruit on the fig tree in its first season, I saw your father’s. But they came to Belpior and consecrated themselves to the thing of shame and became detestable like the thing they loved. Ephraim’s glory shall fly away like a bird. No birth, no pregnancy, no conception. Even if they bring up children, I will bereave them till none is left. Woe to them when I depart from them. Ephraim, as I have seen, was like a young palm planted in a meadow. But Ephraim must lead his children out to slaughter. Give them, O Lord. What will you give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. Every evil of theirs is in Gilgal. There I began to hate them. Because of the wickedness of their deeds, I will drive them out of my house. I will love them no more. All their princes are rebels. Ephraim is stricken. Their root is dried up. They shall bear no fruit. Even though they give birth, I will put their beloved children to death. My God will reject them because they have not listened to him. They shall be wanderers among the nations.
SPEAKER 01 :
In 1992, I read Hosea 9 through 11, and I did not make a particular note on this chapter. So again, we’ll look at my journal from 2007. In 2007, I was still in Riverton, Wyoming at that Gideon State Convention when I quoted verse 7, “…the days of punishment have come, the days of retribution have come. Yes, God is a God of mercy and grace, and He is a God of justice and fairness.” And I quote verse 9, he will punish their sins. And verse 15, because of their wickedness of their deeds, I will love them no more. And I continue to write, these are very sad words, but they remind us the sinful will be punished, the wicked judged, and without grace and mercy, we would be condemned to hell. Father, don’t do this to me. Don’t cast me aside. Don’t stop loving me. Forgive me and restore me. And I want to share the prayer I wrote right after reading this. I wrote, Hosea is very convicting. Lord, it keeps me on my knees pleading for forgiveness before you. It reminds me of my sin nature, my sinfulness, my wandering tendencies. and causes me to beg for forgiveness and grace and mercy. Without the cross, I am doomed, lost. Though I don’t like the reminder of Hosea, I thank you for mercy, grace, and forgiveness. So I was very moved by reading this chapter, and maybe you have been moved the same way today. I think most of us understand the God of the New Testament, Jesus, loving, merciful, kind, forgiving, but we forget about the God of the Old Testament. But my Bible says He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. In 2012, after reading Hosea 9, I wrote, It’s over. God has had enough. No more rejoicing in Israel. No more provision. Crops fail and they will be uprooted from the very land of milk and honey God gave them. I quote verse 7. The days of punishment have come. The days of recompense have come. Israel shall know it. And I quoted verse 9. He will remember their iniquity. He will punish their sins. And on to verse 12, woe to them when I depart from them. And verse 15, I will drive them out of my house. I will love them no more. And I finished my entry with this, harsh words, harsh punishment for rebellion. Why has it come to this? Why is God so angry with Israel? Well, he reminds us once again in this chapter. From the very beginning of verse 1, he says, That means Israel has chased after other gods besides the one true God. And it happens many times in our lives today. We chase after everything but the one true God. Verse 9, it reminds us, they have deeply corrupted themselves. It goes on to say, he will remember their iniquity. He will punish their sins. To me, that reminds me, God does not corrupt me. I corrupt myself. I’m caught in my own iniquity. I’m caught in my own sins. This is not his fault. And finally, verse 17 says, my God will reject them because they have not listened to him. Oh, how so true that is in American life, in Christian life, often in my own life. We don’t listen to Him. We don’t know the Word of God. We don’t know His commandments. And we follow after our own ways. god tolerates this for so long he tolerated with israel he tolerates it with us he tolerates it with our churches and yet finally at some point he’s had enough he says in verse 15 i will love them no more and in verse 7 the days of punishment have come the days of recompense have come Israel shall know it. Hosea challenges us to take stock of our own lives. It reminds us of God’s grace and love and mercy. It reminds us that He continues to call us back. But it also reminds us that there will come a day when God has had enough and He will judge you and me. As I wrote back in my journal in 2007, Without the cross, I am doomed, lost. Hosea reminds us of our sinful condition, which reminds me of my need for a Savior. I need to be saved from my own sin. Israel was guilty, and so am I. Father, forgive me. Thank you for Hosea crying out to Israel to come back to you. May I heed that cry myself today and come back to you. Extend your mercy and your grace to me, and I will thank you for it. In Jesus’ name, amen. According to a recent Barna Research study entitled Bible Reading, A New Year’s Resolution, most Americans are not satisfied with their current level of Scripture reading. A majority express a desire to read the Bible more than they currently do. Born-again and practicing Christians are the most likely to desire more Bible reading in their day-to-day lives. It should not come as a surprise that the majority of Americans wish they read Scripture more than they do, says Roxanne Stone, editor-in-chief of Barna Group. After all, two-thirds of Americans agree that the Bible contains everything you need to know to live a meaningful life. Why wouldn’t you want to read such a book more often? The study continues. However, like other New Year’s resolutions, such as exercising more and eating healthier, Scripture reading is often an aspirational goal. It’s the goal that for most people probably doesn’t feel necessary to survive and so can easily get swamped by the day-to-day demands of a busy life. Scripture reading takes time and focus, two things that feel like scarcities in today’s fast-paced and on-demand culture. Like exercise, like dieting, regular Bible reading does not offer instant payoff. It’s a discipline whose rewards are reaped over the long haul. And the study continues, when people go from feeling they should read the Bible more to needing to read the Bible more, they find the time. Access to the Bible is not the issue in the USA, is it? We all have Bibles. According to another study done a few years ago, 88% of Americans own a Bible. We have 3.5 Bibles in our homes. And this is amazing. 59% of people who have no faith or are atheists even own a Bible, probably just in case. So if you have a smartphone, you have access to the Word of God. My Gideon Bible app has over 2,100 languages. Access to the Bible is not the issue. The issue is changing our beliefs about the Bible to behavior with the Bible. So where are Christians with the Bible today? Christians are well-intentioned when it comes to the Bible. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. We believe, we just don’t behave. Our belief in the Bible and our behavior with the Bible are inconsistent. The middle ground related to the Bible seems to be disappearing. The decrease of Bible-neutral and Bible-friendly people and the increase of Bible antagonists suggests that more people are picking a side. Which side are you on? Are you a Bible antagonist questioning the Bible? Are you Bible-neutral? I just don’t know. Or are you Bible-friendly? I love the Bible. Wherever you are, pick a side. Because of our neglect of God’s Word, we are becoming biblically illiterate. For example, in a private religious elementary school, kids were asked about the Old and New Testaments. Here are some funny things that they had to say. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat that apple. Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by night. What kind of man was Boaz before he married? Ruthless. The epistles were the wives of the apostles. Christians have only one spouse. That’s called monotony. So, if we think about Bible literacy or illiteracy, we think about it this way. If God decided to come down from his throne in heaven, become an author here on earth, you’d think his book would be on the bestseller list. And the fact is, the Bible is the number one bestselling book of all time. 2.5 to 5 billion, according to research. It’s also the most read book of all time. Praise the Lord, that alone might be evidence that the Bible, not any other so-called writing, is God’s Word. According to a weekly World News report, here are a few other Bible facts. About 50 Bibles are sold every minute. The Bible is the world’s best-selling book. It’s also the world’s most shoplifted book. That’s interesting. And that doesn’t even count all the Gideon Bibles stolen out of those hotels. So I encourage you to enjoy a portion of God’s Word every day. Make it a daily spiritual habit. And so until next time, I’m Alan J. Huth, and this program is sponsored by The Ezra Project, with support from listeners like you. Visit EzraProject.net to keep AdBible, connecting God’s people to God’s Word, on the air.
SPEAKER 04 :
The ESV Bible, the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, ESV, text edition 2007, all rights reserved. English Standard Version, ESV, and the ESV logo are registered trademarks of Good News Publishers, used by permission.
