A friend asked me to do some devotionals on the Book of Hosea.  So, this is the beginning of a Daily Devotional series on the Book of Hosea.  Prayerfully I seek God's voice in writing this series...

A Whisper

Scripture:
Hosea 1:1-5 (ESV)

The word of the Lord that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

Devotional:

Hosea was a profit of God in the time frame of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.  His mission field was Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  He was a profit in a time of unrest.  God was getting ready to Isolate Himself from Israel.  Exile was coming.  In our first few verses we are told that Hosea was to take a wife who was a prostitute.  This was a simple of Israel’s prostitution to other gods.  Israel was not faithful to God.  Baal worship had become significant for the Israel nation.  They lost favor in God’s eyes.  Jazreel and the breaking of the bow is a simple of God’s defeat over Baal.

In the opening of the book of Hosea God is using Hosea’s family and his life to symbolize Israel and how the nation was not faithful to God.  Take a moment in your life to reflect on moments, people, places or things God has tried to show you where you have fallen short.  God gives us a chance to correct our ways.  He will help us to refocus on Him.  God’s profits in the old testament were used to warn His people.  To help them see their mistakes and to once again follow Him.  God does the same for each one of us.

We are given the chance and opportunity to refocus on Him.  He will give us messages along the way to try and get our attention.  The question to ask yourself, am I listening?  Do I hear Him speaking?  We can ignore God.  We can get so distracted with things, even things we think are for God, we cannot hear Him.  That is why it is so important to pause, be still and know that He is God.  Psalm 46:10 “’Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!’”

I am guilty of not being still.  Often times I miss hearing God speak because I am busy and it is too loud to hear his soft voice…  I urge you to pause, take time out to be quite and listen.  You might be surprised to hear a small voice whispering…