Nathan Neighbors
Follower of Christ, Husband, Father, & Youth Pastor
On this Monday we’re in the book of Hosea. And honestly, it’s hard to make it past verse two. I’m sitting here trying to imagine what it would be like if the Lord told me to go and marry an adulterous wife. That’s not what you hope for as a young man. That’s not the kind of marriage you plan for or dream about. Who says to themselves...I sure wish I could marry a filthy prostitute? This ranks right up there among the craziest things people have done in scripture. But, Hosea loves the Lord and obeys Him by taking Gomer as his wife. They get married and it’s not too long before she is back to her old ways. She strays away from him to run back to her life of prostitution. Does Hosea leave her in that pit? No. He runs to her and takes her back again (Hos. 3:1-3). In fact, scripture says he buys her back. He has to pay the people who are prostituting her to have her back as his wife. This says a lot for Hosea. He was a man of integrity. He was a man of honor. He was a man who loved unconditionally.
The truth of this story is so much bigger than Hosea and Gomer. Hosea is teaching us through his love for Gomer about the Lord’s love for His people. We are just like Gomer, “For you have been unfaithful to your God.” (Hos. 9:1) The Lord himself tells us exactly why he had Hosea marry Gomer. It’s back in the second verse of chapter one that I struggled with so much. The Lord tells Hosea to take Gomer because, “…the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord.” (Hos. 1:2b) As crazy as it might sound for a prophet of God to take a prostitute as a wife, imagine how much crazier it is for Christ to take us as His bride. We are filthy. We are unholy. We serve other gods on a daily basis. Were it not for the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross we would all be lost. We would continue to be that adulterous wife if he had not paid our ransom. Praise the Lord for his unfailing love and compassion on us. We’ve been bought at a high price, brought home and washed clean of the life we once lived.
Guest Blog written by: Molly Watkins
One of the most famous stories of the Bible is about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the furnace. I remember growing up and always learning about that story in church and being fascinated with it. I don’t know if I just thought their names were silly or what. Looking back, I never really understood what God was trying to tell me with this story, I had heard it so many times it just became routine. I mean, I got the message that God will protect me and all but I never read deeper into it. Now that I’m older and read it again I can understand it more. God loved these three men so much because they were willing to step up for what they believed in the die for it. He protected them from that fire so everyone in the nation would see that if you trusted their God, and not some gold statue, that you too would be protected and loved.
One of my favorite songs reminds me of this story, “I Am Not Alone” by Kari Jobe. The chorus says, “I am not alone, I am not alone. You will go before me, you will never leave me.” God is there for us every single day no matter what we face in our lives. He walks with us through the good and the bad. He protects us in anything we go through, just like he protected those three men.
Right now in my life these words mean so much to me. I’m watching many of my friends start their freshman year of college and I’m starting to apply to places. The unknown scares me so much right now. I’ve had to stop so many times and just pray because I’ve stressed too bad about it. This story is God’s way of reassuring me that he has a plan and I just have to trust him. He will protect me and keep me safe with whatever life throws my way.
Guest Blog written by: Brad Kempson
One thing that is repeated in the reading is “Sovereign Lord” not just Lord, but Sovereign. Sovereign means having complete power or authority. God should have complete power over our lives.
The Israelites had defiled God’s name. God told the people that he wasn’t going to help them for their sake, but so that His name would be seen as good again. God says that he will make the Israelites clean. He will do the same for us. No matter what we do, he will always make us clean and pure again.
One major passage is in the valley of dry bones. There are many dead people in the valley. Then God says to prophesy to the bones and tell them to get up. Skin and tendons appear on the people. We are all like the people. Some of us are dry bones, and some of us have skin, but neither have the breath of life in them. Then, God says to prophesy to the breath. So the breath comes and fills up the people and gives them new life.
That is how we should be. We should all receive the breath and get a new life in Christ. God will never leave us to be dry. He will always give us new breath.
There is a passage that talks about Israel coming back together into one nation under one ruler. With everything going on today, this passage can also relate to us. There is so much separation in America today. We need to all turn back to God and become one nation again with one ultimate Sovereign ruler.
Over all, today’s reading was a good reminder for me that God should be number one day in what I do. He should be the one ultimate Sovereign Lord and ruler in my life.
Nathan Neighbors 