6/10/2025
"Sow for yourselves righteousness;
Reap in mercy;
Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the Lord,
Till He comes and rains righteousness on you."
Hosea 10:12
The prophet Hosea was sent by the Lord to minister to the northern kingdom of Israel, which by outward appearance was enjoying the fruits of her labor with fertile lands, abundant crops, bringing prosperity to the nation. However, inwardly, they were languishing in sin and idolatry under the leadership of wicked King Jeroboam. Back then God used prophets as object lessons many times, as in the case of Isaiah who walked around naked for a number of years to demonstrate what Egyptian captivity would look like. Hosea was required to marry a prostitute named Gomer, who bore him three children. The first son was named Jezreel, prophesying the end to the kingdom of the house of Jehu. Then she bore him a daughter, Lo-Ruhamah (meaning No Mercy), saying He would no longer have mercy on Israel. Next, she bore Lo-Ammi, a son, saying "For you are not My people, and I will not be your God."
In marrying the prostitute, Gomer, God would use her harlotry as a demonstration of Israel's idolatry with other nations, putting aside their God and His commandments. Gomer was unfaithful to Hosea, as Israel had been repeatedly unfaithful to Him, until the day Hosea ransomed Gomer back for himself. Until then she had to endure the hardships of her chosen life. She, like Israel, realized how good she had it, so in the midst of her and their misery, each called out for help, when they could no longer help themselves. Many times in history ruin would come to Israel, but there was always a remnant of faithful followers, and God always showed unending mercy and grace at any sign of repentance. In spite of Israel's repeated sins, God offered a way out, a chance to come back and be reconciled to Him. He offers the same opportunity to all who are estranged from Him, the lover of our souls.
I don't think I have to point out to anyone how badly things are in this world. One has only to turn on the television or radio or chat with the neighbor over the fence, if that still happens. We try to blame it on this leader or that, or on this group of people or race or this or that, but honestly, the blame is on all of us. Throughout history Presidents, evangelists, prophets, and even lay people, anyone who answers God's call have been used to carry the message of hope to the world. When people fall short, and lawlessness once more enters our nation, there has always been a call for prayer in our nation. Now is such a time. As we gather to pray, our first duty is to seek God's forgiveness for the way we have rejected Him in so many ways. No one is exempt, although there are those who feel they never do anything that requires repentance. I guess the point would be well made in such situations, but we are all to blame for allowing things to get to this point. We gather in our daily prayer calls, praying for the countries we represent who have fall so far from God's glory. We seek Him in repentance and to seek His mercy, so He will put an end to this shame.
What will it take to turn this nation around? How much blood has to be shed? Murder is on each person's lips when they ridicule or chide another.
"A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
from the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruit."
Proverbs 18:20-21
But when we walk according to His ways loving our neighbor as ourselves, walking in love and obeying His commandments, then we will fare much better.
"My son, give attention to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
For they are life to those who find them,
and health to all their flesh."
Proverbs 4:20-22
The word of the Lord holds many promises for His children, and I have never seen them to fail me yet. I've failed, but God, never. He goes on in this Proverbs to give more attention to how to conduct our lives.
"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.
Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you.
Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.
Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.
Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil."
Proverbs 4:23-27
In other words, stay the course with your mind fixed on the purpose to which God has called you. It is time to plow up that fallow ground in your life, come back to the Lord, seek Him, call out to Him, and re-build our broken and torn nations. Make them fertile grounds again where we thrive together, become productive, peaceful, and prosperity will follow. If we spent as much time helping each other as hating and arguing with each other, imagine what life could be. I realize that things will never be perfect, not until Jesus returns and imprisons the evil one who is behind it all, but we can do the best we know to do when Jesus is our focus and not on ourselves.
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