In this episode of ADDBIBLE, we delve into Hosea Chapter 11, a passage that stands out for its tenderness amidst the harsh judgments of the earlier chapters. Our guest reader, Terri, brings to life the verses that reveal God’s unwavering love for Israel, even as they stray from His guidance. Through Allen J. Huth’s reflections from decades of personal Bible journaling, we explore the profound messages of repentance, compassion, and divine patience that resonate through this scripture.
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 are in Hosea chapter 11. We will listen to our guest reader, my wife Terri, as she reads the 12 verses of Hosea chapter 11.
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Hosea chapter 11. When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more they were called, the more they went away. They kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk. I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke of their jaws. And I bent down to them and fed them. They shall not return to the land of Egypt. But Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me. The sword shall rage against their cities, consume the bars of their gates, and devour them because of their own counsels. My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, He shall not raise them up at all. How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you? Like Adma. How can I treat you like Zebolim? My heart recoils within me. My compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my burning anger. I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not a man. The Holy One in your midst. And I will not come in wrath. they shall go after the lord he will roar like a lion when he roars his children shall come trembling from the west they shall come trembling like birds from egypt and like doves from the land of assyria and i will return them to their homes declares the Lord. Ephraim has surrounded me with lies and the house of Israel with deceit, but Judah still walks with God and is faithful to the Holy One.
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Chapter 11 is finally a little reprieved from the charges that Hosea and the Lord have been leveling against Israel. Here is a chapter of tenderness and love. In 1991, I actually wrote some things down about this chapter. I wrote, God yearns for his people. He took care of his people, yet they grew up and rejected him. But God does not want to give up on his people. He is faithful. In 2007, I was finally home from Riverton, Wyoming when I read chapter 11 and I wrote in my journal, God raises us up. If we could ever get this, we would never walk away. He weaves us in the womb. He gives us life and sustains us. When we die, he will show us all of this and every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that he is the Lord. There will be no doubt. For verse 9 says, For I am God and not a man. He loves us even in our obstinate disobedience. Though I got home from Riverton, Wyoming back in 2007, in 2012 when I read this chapter, it was Thanksgiving and we were celebrating in Breckenridge, Colorado. So even on Thanksgiving, I spent time in God’s Word when I wrote, God, when Israel was a child, I loved him, verse 1. But verse 2, but the more they were called, the more they went away. But God loved Israel tenderly, but Israel refused to return to me, and my people are bent on turning away from me. Yet God’s compassion grows warm and tender, something to be very clear about, for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst. A beautiful, very tender chapter of God’s love. Here in the middle of the book of Hosea, which is all about Israel’s unfaithfulness, is a chapter where God reminds them how much he’s loved them and continues to love them even in their unfaithfulness. So let’s look at some of the expressions of God’s tender love toward Israel and toward us. Verse 1 says, What a reminder of God like a father loving his children. the nation of israel and me and you verse three says yet it was i who taught ephraim to walk i took them up by their arms but they did not know that i healed them and ephraim is just another word or name for israel But what tender care God shows. He taught us to walk. He held us in his arms. He’s the one that heals us as children when we were sick. Verse 4 is so tender. I led them with cords of kindness, with bands of love. And I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws. And I bent down to them and fed them. Oh, the tenderness of God’s love for Israel, for God’s love for His children. Verse 8 says, Oh, can we sense the heart of God for His people, for us, compassionate, warm, and tender. Verse 10 says, They shall go after the Lord. He will roar like a lion. And when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west. They shall come trembling like birds from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria. And I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord. Praise God for His love toward Israel, for His love toward you and me. Praise God for verse 9 that reminds us, For I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst. Thank you, Lord. Thank you so much that you are God, that you don’t respond to us like a man, but that you love us with your tender, loving, compassionate mercy and grace. Thank you for your tenderness and your love extended to us even when we are unfaithful or unloving. Thank you for your demonstration of your love in this chapter to Israel and to us. We give you praise. We give you thanks. Thank you for your love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to these AdBible podcasts. May I encourage you to spread the word. Spread the word about these daily devotionals with your friends, with your family, with your church, with your Sunday school, with your home groups. Spread the word. People struggle to be in God’s word on a daily basis. And this is an easy, simple way for them to join you in spending time in God’s word each and every day. And you know what else? We know there are many, many listeners to AdBible, but we don’t hear from you. So it would be encouraging to us, to me and to Gwen, to hear from you about what you’re thinking and what you’re getting out of AdBible. So you can contact us through our webpage at EzraProject.net. Just go to Contact Us. Or you can even call us and let us know what you think about AdBible at 303-369-8001. That’s 303-369-8001 We’d love to hear from you. God bless you. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. We started on radio on October 1st, 2024. I hope you noticed some differences in AdBible from other programs. For example, we are fully committed to the Word of God. That’s why we play full chapters on the air, not sound bites. It takes a lot of our program time, but it’s my belief it’s more important for you to hear the Word of God than me. You may also have figured out by now I’m not a pastor, just a layman like most of you. So these recordings are not based on sermons. They’re based on my personal walk through the Bible over several decades of my life. Therefore, AdBible is a unique perspective of how the Bible impacts life, not a teaching series you get at your church. I share personal Bible reading journal entries from my life, from my journals, I’ve never thought would ever be shared with anybody. What I share are raw, authentic notes from Bible intersections of my own life. My life is no different from yours, so I hope the stories and applications I share are relevant to your life as well. I hope you are enjoying this unique radio program and therefore will help us stay on the air. We have so much more to share. Visit EzraProject.net and donate today. Or send a check to the Ezra Project 1399 South Havana Street, Suite 201E, Aurora, Colorado, 80012. That’s Ezra Project 1399 South Havana Street, Suite 201E, Aurora, Colorado, 80012. When you do, I will send you your first copy of a day-by-day through the Bible book. There are 11 books in the series, so I will surprise you with one of my choosing. Or, after you donate at EzraProject.net, look at our resource page, pick a book you want, and let me know your choice at the contact section on our website. We are happy to send you the book of your choice. You might wonder how I became a daily Bible reader. When I was 15 years old, a buddy and me stole his father’s car. We could steal his father’s car because his father was in Vietnam, serving in the war, so he was never home. So we took the car that day, neither one of us with a driver’s license, and we took off out east of Colorado Springs on a dirt road. We were flying down this dirt road at 60 miles an hour, and he lost control of the car. We began to spin, and we were going down the road, fishtailing, and he spun the wheel of the car 60 miles an hour. The car tumbled, crushed the top, tucked the wheels under, totaled the car. I was on a dirt road. I don’t know if I was thrown out of the car or crawled out of the car, but I looked at that car, and I thought, am I even alive? Am I broken? Am I bleeding everywhere? And I began to pat myself down, and I felt like I was okay. So I stood up, and I was uninjured, amazingly. The sheriff came to draw up the accident. He said, it’s a miracle you guys are alive. I got home that night, went down into my bedroom. My mother came to me and said, you ought to thank God you’re alive. I was laying on my bed, and I was thinking about the day’s activities. And I just thought, wow, I could have been dead today. I wasn’t the driver. I was the passenger. I wasn’t in control. But God was. At that moment, I figured out at 15 years old, God could take my life any time. He could have that day. So as I laid there, I thought, okay, you could take my life any day. So you saved my life today for a reason. For whatever reason that is, I’m going to live for you and that reason. As I said that, I heard a voice say to me, there’s a Bible on your bookshelf. Get it down and read it. I must have heard something, because I got up, I went over to the bookshelf, and I pulled down a Bible. I opened it to the first page, just like I would any other book, and I began to read God’s Word. I read Genesis chapter 1. The next day I read Genesis chapter 2. The next day I read Genesis chapter 3. And a chapter a day, I began to read God’s Word at 15 years old. If you do that, by the way, it’ll take you about three and a half years to finish reading the Bible a chapter a day. And that’s a good plan. So that’s how I became a daily Bible reader. And when I finished going through the Bible the first time, at 18 years or so, I just started over because I thought that’s what Christians did was read their Bibles every day. So that’s how I became a daily Bible reader.
