Author: Christine Wyrtzen

Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone. Hosea 4:17 

Ephraim was the largest tribe of the nation of Israel. Because of that, the prophets often referred to Israel as Ephraim. They were considered one in the same. God is clear that judgment is coming against them. They have forsaken the ways of God for so long that He will step back and they will have to handle life on their own. When the Assyrian army comes, they will face them in their own strength.  And, they will lose. 

My prayer this morning is this ~ “Father, don’t let me become unresponsive to You. Keep working on me.” As long as God is on my side, whom shall I fear? 

Jesus revealed to Peter that Satan had demanded permission to sift him like wheat. Jesus did not leave him alone to face the attack. He supported him by praying for him. 

He continues in that role today if you are one of His disciples. Right now, because He has knowledge of the future, He is praying for you. He knows how you will be tempted to fail. He sees the ones who will set out to discourage you. He foresees the threats on all sides, both internally and externally. He hears the rumblings of hell, the whispers of plots to erode your faith and steal your joy. Aren’t you moved beyond words about such a faithful friend in prayer?  He is not going to leave you alone to fend for yourself.  

As a woman, I can often feel like the one who nurtures everyone else. Women are great caregivers, the ones who establish the emotional climate of the home, and sometimes, even the church. Oftentimes, it’s easy to feel that there are few to look after us. Not true. Jesus is praying round the clock for every single thing that concerns each of us. Why would we ever allow ourselves to grow cold and unresponsive!

When I closed my eyes this morning, I could actually perceive Your lips moving silently in prayer. I am bent low with gratitude. Amen 

Do not let Judah become guilty; may they not go to Gilgal or go up to Beth-aven. Hosea 4:15 

During Hosea’s lifetime, God’s people were divided into two nations. Israel was to the north and Judah was to the south. Israel had strayed farther from God’s ways than Judah. In this verse, God gives a cautionary word to Judah so that the purity of her faith will not deteriorate further. His encouragement was this ~ Do not go to Gilgal or Beth-aven. These cities, both in Israel, were the centers of idol worship. If a citizen of Judah traveled there, most likely he would be drawn to partake in some kind of idolatrous activity. 

I must also be careful to avoid situations that put me in vulnerable places. Being near what causes me to stumble is poor planning because I underestimate its allure. It could be that God is doing a new work in me and because it has just been birthed, it is fragile.  Suppose there is a person in my life who withholds their support. Their words unnerve me and erode my confidence. Listening to them and seeking their input correlates with going to Gilgal. 

God wants me to use common sense. If I am an alcoholic, I will avoid places where there is social drinking. If I thrive on gossip, I should steer clear of coffee circles that make a sport of finding fault with those who can’t defend themselves. If I am self- critical, I should limit the company of those who delight in tearing me down. I am not invincible and I can often be like the toddler standing in front of a plate full of warm cookies. Once I taste one, I will have no restraint until I get sick from over-indulgence. 

May God make me a strategic planner so that I can see danger ahead of time.  Give me the strength to change course. In Jesus’ name, Amen 

A spirit of harlotry has led them astray and they have played the harlot, departing from their God. Hosea 4:12 

Did Israel turn away from God to pursue other gods? Not at all. They weren’t attempting to leave the God of their fathers. They just wanted to add the worship of pagan gods to their holy rituals. They expected God to share His glory with other deities. It would be like saying to a spouse, “You won’t mind if I take on a few other lovers besides you, will you?” 

To add to the tension, in Hosea’s day, pagan gods were worshipped by hiring a ritual harlot. This was far more enticing to them than just praying to a statue. Their sin was not just one of the heart, but of the flesh as well. 

We are all born idol makers.  Everyday, I can pressure someone nearby to make me feel good. I can buy things that promise to make my life seem more complete.  I can be beguiled by the promise of approval, success, significance, and even respect if I just sell my soul and perform to meet others’ expectations. 

I wonder if God wraps His arms around Himself, heart aching, when He watches me trade His glory for something cheap in comparison. The picture of that today will make me think twice before being reckless with my affections. 

No wonder Your servant, Paul, described sin as trading in Your glory for anything or anyone else.  Write this on my heart, Lord.  Amen 

And it will be, like people, like priest. Hosea 4:9 

We often expect pastors and people in ministry to be more holy than we are, even to be holy in place of us. But since our religious leaders arise from among us, if we are lukewarm then it stands to reason that many spiritually compromised people will seek to become religious leaders.  A godless culture pollutes the purity of the church and a lukewarm church is unaware that there is even anything wrong. 

But once in a while there are exceptions. A Christian leader can arise out of obscurity, untainted by the world. Though he was raised in our times, God cupped His hands around his spirit and preserved his conscience. He may have tasted of this world, even sinned in a big way, but once he met Jesus, he only had eyes for the Savior. He immediately saw the disparity between this world and the kingdom where Jesus reigns. There was no turning back. Once he heard the compelling voice of Jesus say, “Come, follow me,” everything else paled in significance. 

This kind of man or woman is heaven’s magnet, attracting those who look for God and repelling those who hate Him. Their brilliant witness resembles that of Jesus. His words did one of two things; they entered the heart of the listener and transformed him, or it penetrated the environment, bringing a sword instead of peace. Because the road to ultimate destruction is wide, most rejected Him. 

We often believe that a pastor or Christian leader will be nice, well respected in town, and well-liked by most everyone. But actually, especially in today’s culture, that may be a warning sign. Jesus did not blend in with His contemporaries. He was distinctive. He loved well but He was also confrontational.  He was willing to be despised by those who fell under the conviction of His words. May we pray for our priests, our spiritual leaders, that in our post-Christian era, they will be the way Jesus described John the Baptist. “John was like a lamp, burning and shining.” John 5:35

Forgive me for all the times I failed to rock the boat.  Amen 

Since Israel is stubborn like a stubborn heifer, can the Lord now pasture them like lamb in a large field? Hosea 4:16 

A stubborn heifer will not be penned in without a fight.  He will break through fences to be free.  God said that Israel is like that; obstinate, rebellious, and unwilling to be tamed.   Submission is far from their intent.

Christ died for lost sheep and promises to shepherd us in His fold. When someone nearby begins to stray, we should call out, “Where are you going? Jesus is going this way!” Still, there will be casualties because a sheep often behaves like a heifer, believing that he can go his own way and prosper. Despite the warnings, he forages in pastures where food will not agree with him.  And tragically, he didn’t notice the tears in the shepherd’s eyes as left. 

Jesus always knows what awaits those who leave the safety of His fold.  Heifers crave distant fields and, for awhile, everything goes well. They relish the exhilaration of autonomy.  They don’t understand that they will be devoured by something. It’s just a matter of time. 

I must be wary of taking the path of the heifer.   I can not live anyway I want and expect to be free of the consequences of a sheep who wanders off.  If I suffer hard times, I shouldn’t yell at Jesus like it’s His fault.  Our poor Lord!  Many thousands of times a day, He is blamed for things that are not of His doing. These accusations comprise the ‘tale of the sheep who have gone astray’. 

Jesus is unpredictable and leads us to new pastures without advance notice.  Nothing stays the same.  I need to listen and then align my path accordingly.  I also need to stick close to other sheep who are listening and following Him. We have each other’s backs.  If I am temporarily dull or distracted, they will tap me on the shoulder and make sure I stay with the group. There is safety in numbers when I join the fold of true disciples.

How can I not follow You, Jesus? You paid with Your own blood for the privilege I enjoy to be one of Your flock. Thank You. Amen 

“I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me; For now, O Ephraim, you have played the harlot.” Hosea 4:3 

Idolatry is instinctive to our fallen natures. We fight a spiritual battle daily.  Even with the Holy Spirit inside, we are still bent to substitute our need for God for other people and other things.  They promise to satisfy for a while and we’re unaware that spiritual prostitution leads to a dead-end.  We will end up somewhere we didn’t want to go, though temptations promise otherwise.  

Have you ever ended up lost and far from home? God seemed so distant.  But our circuitous path was not hidden from God. Though we were off course and disoriented, He had memorized every turn on our wayward excursion. He remembered each fork in the road and which way we chose to go.  Though we ended up feeling like a rat in a maze that couldn’t find its way back, God knew the map.  He took us in reverse to each intersection in the road; allowing us to review our choices. Wisdom was birthed!  And, oh the joy we felt as the lights of home slowly came into view. 

Maybe you and God are estranged because you’ve excluded Him from your life.  You don’t think of moving toward Him because you fear you have strayed too far.  Remember, God’s arm is long and His mercy is deep. He’s calling you home and offering another chance.  It doesn’t matter how far from your roots you have traveled. The way back starts with humility. The author, Brennan Manning says, “I cannot receive what the crucified Rabbi has to give until I stretch out my arms till they ache.”  This is not the time for stoic, half hearted apologies.  This is the time to abandon reservations and cry out.  Going home is always a momentous, emotional event.

Though I often stop reaching for You, You never put Your arms down.  Oh how You love!  Amen 

The Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land because there is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. Hosea 4:1 

God’s people had become like children who have had poor parenting.  The neighbors say of his poor manners and bad behavior, “Poor kid.  He doesn’t know any better.”   

God verbalized His legal complaint.  He said there was no knowledge of Him, no truth, and no mercy.  This knowledge God speaks of is not the kind where a person becomes informed.  It means ‘to know’ God like people know each other through walking in intimacy.  Through a deep familiarity, they know what the other loves and hates.  They can guess what their counterpart might do in a hypothetical situation.  They know how deep the other’s convictions are about certain issues.  They know each other’s moods, even the meaning of a look that comes over their partner’s face.  

If Israel knew God like that, they would have automatically known Truth, and they would known Mercy, because God is both.  The very fact that they lived recklessly, and the very fact that there was no justice in the land, no compassion for the poor, no mercy extended by those who sat in the seats of power and influence, proved that they were far from God.  

We are living in this reality too.  In our godless society, marriages are hanging on by a thread as each partner tries to figure out how to make things work. Without the Word, there is no insight. Without intimacy with God, there is no cure for the pain of intimate relationships out of sync with their Creator. 

The relationship between children and parents has also deteriorated.  Without intimacy with God, lawlessness and disrespect breed like wildfire. Their hearts want what isn’t good for them and their behaviors prove it. Only the mirror of the Scriptures can show any of us where our faces are dirty.  A well-behaved society, even if it were possible, would not fix anything.  Knowing God and being willing to be transformed from sinners to saints is the only cure for this sin-sick land. 

Let not mercy and truth forsake you.  Bind them around your neck.  Write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:3-4

After the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days. Hosea 3:5 

Have you ever come to realize that a love you once spurned was really precious? That often happens. I can decide how love should look and in so doing, I close myself off from other ways love can be expressed. It isn’t until it’s gone that I look back with a bigger and better perspective.  Then I am humbled as I remember one tender gesture after another and think, “How could I have been so blind?” 

Hosea revealed that Israel will one day return to the Lord and they will come trembling because of His goodness toward them. 

Trembling becomes a child of God.  It’s good to take a deep breath and exhale with wonder and humility.  But trembling has an enemy.  It’s entitlement.  With arrogance, we decide how God should function in His role as a Father.  We decide what He should give us and from what things He should save us.  

I remember a family friend saying to me, as he watched his wife suffer from a debilitating disease, “I take better care of my dog than God takes care of my wife.” Perhaps you’ve felt this level of disappointment with God.  I have.  Hindsight and wisdom prove to be effective teachers. We look back and are usually able to see the ways God loved and cared for us. 

How do we surmount the obstacle of disappointment so that we can tremble again at His goodness?  We pursue God relentlessly, even through our tears. The glory of Jesus will surprise us again. An ordinary day will be turned upside down again as the eternal penetrates the temporal.  God’s glory will fill our field of vision again.  We’ll know it is a holy moment.  We’ll take our shoes off.  And, in the afterglow, we’ll tremble in the memory of it.

I review, I remember, and I tremble as I finger the hem of Your garment. Amen 

Then I said to her, “You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man, so I will also be toward you.” Hosea 3:3 

At this point in the story of Hosea, the harlot is brought home, forgiven, and loved.  It’s the last thing she would anticipate.  Expecting revenge, there’s grace upon grace. 

It’s pretty easy to love when nothing threatens it. I can be gracious with a stranger. I can love others who haven’t hurt me.  But, if I am in relationship with someone who is cruel, who makes promises and breaks them, my desire to be gracious will be eroded by the memories of their treacherous behavior. Revenge, not forgiveness, is the natural response to pain.  I may even be subtle in how I make others pay.  I’ve discovered that there are many ways to exact retribution.   I can even do it with a smile. 

God’s love is not flawed.  It is not layered with mixed messages.   No matter how many times I stab Him in the back, he does not pay me back in revenge. He remains faithful.  He is upfront, gracious, and uncomplicated.  As I trust the mercy He extends, I will be changed to begin loving others as I have been loved.  Perfect love can be cultivated in the heart of the God’s beloved people by the power of the Spirit. 

One of the hardest things God ever called our family to do was to stay in a certain city for  three years. It had been a place of great ministry betrayal and we all wanted to escape.  We dreamt of moving to another place so I could be free from the memories.  (Me, most of all.)  

The Spirit of God spoke to me one morning while reading through Psalm 37. “Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.” Psalm 37:3  He needed to teach me how to thrive in the middle of the wilderness.  He needed to show me that it was possible to live in Egypt without a trace of bitterness.  At the end of the three years, we were called to a new place to live.  We celebrated the move but didn’t feel like we were fleeing.  

Who needs undeserved grace today?  It’s probably the first person who just came to your mind. 

I review how You’ve loved me.  What does that look like as I give it away in strength, not weakness? Amen