"Hey, did you hear the latest? Gomer got married. . .( Part 2)

Barmaids giggled and merchants snickered as wedding bells rang across the valley. "Hey, did you hear the latest? Gomer got married—she got herself a preacher!"

 How humiliating it must have been. Everywhere they went on their honeymoon, she saw familiar faces. Insulting insinuations were uttered in smothered tones. 

Hosea must have bit his tongue until it bled. His marriage was an act of love . . . but to the public it was a joke. Before God, he stood justified and obedient. Before man, undiscerning and idiotic.

He must have replayed his memory hundreds of times, remembering God's directive:

"Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry." (Hosea 1:2) 

To be continued   > > > >Hope you are enjoying the story and discovering the Father's love for us . . .God bless You.

More Reading & Referencing: Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 1983, 1994, 2007 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com. Read the entire book of Hosea.

How humiliating it must have been . . . ( Hosea & Gomer's Love Tale -Part 1)

 

When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, " Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord." -(Hosea 1:2)

Hosea started a scandal in the parsonage. Why? Hold onto your hat . . . he married a prostitute. Talk about gossip! His name became a byword for "fool." Respect for him dropped to zero. His reputation was suddenly null and void. "Small wonder he is listed first among the minor prophets," some sneer .  .  ."He must have been some kind of a nut."

No. Wrong again, O critic. Hands down, Hosea was one of the most patient, tender, and loving of all the ancient prophets. Obedience to the core. Faithful to the end. "Then why in the world a man such as he fall for a woman such as she?" Keep holding onto your hat . .  .To be continued.

More Reading & Referencing: Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 1983, 1994, 2007 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com. Read the entire book of Hosea.

What has God told you to do? Put all aside and Obey Him.

Pressure, demands, expectations, and tasks push in from all sides and assault our schedules. Do this! Be there! Finish that! Call them! It seems as though everyone wants something from us - family, friends, employer, school, church, clubs. Soon there is little left to give, as we run out of energy and time. We find ourselves rushing through life, attending to the necessary, the immediate, and the urgent. The important is all too often left in the dust. Our problem is not the volume of demands or lack of scheduling  skills, but VALUES - what is truly important to us?

Our values and priorities are reflected in how we use our resources - time, money, strength, and talent. Often our actions belie our words. We say God is number one, but then we relegate Him to a lesser number on our "to do" lists.

Twenty-five centuries ago, a voice was heard, calling men and women to right priorities. Haggai knew what was important and what had to be done, and he challenged  God's people to respond.

In 586 B.C., the armies of Babylon had destroyed the temple in Jerusalem - God's house, the symbol of His presence with them. In 538 B.C. King Cyrus decreed that Jews could return to their beloved city and rebuilt the temple. So they traveled to Jerusalem and began the work. But then they forgot their purpose and lost their priorities, as opposition and apathy brought the work to a standstill ( Ezra 4:4,5). 

Then Haggai spoke, calling them back to God's values. "Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" (1:4). The people were more  concerned with their own needs than with doing  God's will, and as a result, they suffered.

Then Haggai called them to action: "This is what the LORD Almighty says: " Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored, says the LORD"  (1:7,8). 

And God's message through His servant Haggai became the catalyst for finishing the work.

Although Haggai is a small book, it is filled with challenges and promises, reminding us of God's claim on our lives and our priorities. As you read Haggai, imagine him walking the streets and alleys of Jerusalem, urging the people to get back to doing God's work. And listen to Haggai speaking to you, urging you to reorder your priorities in accordance with God's will. 

What has God told you to do? Put all aside and obey Him.