Hosea – Chapter 11

I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them. Hosea 11:4 – The language in this chapter feels different than the previous for we see the compassion of the Lord shine. The Lord remembered and reminds His people how it was Him who rescued them from the hands of Egyptian slavery. He compared His faithfulness and help to them like a parent gently holding a child’s arms so they can begin to walk for the first time. In verse 4 God says He led them, but not with whips like their previous slave masters, but with cords of kindness and bands of love. Meaning He went before them, guiding them forward gently, and encouraging their faithfulness after Him with kindness and love. What a picture for the people in Hosea’s day, and also a picture that works for us. God isn’t behind us with a whip forcing us to follow His ways. Our God instead has come before us, is walking ahead of us, and gently guiding and encouraging our following of Him. He invites us to follow with loving kindness, but He also allows us to reject the guiding cords. We can have God’s word and God’s help in our life, but chose to not listen and walk our own path. That “freedom” is available to us, just know such a path doesn’t lead towards freedom. Listen then to the gentle words and obey the gentle tug from the Lord. He is calling you out of love for you and desiring your best life, which is a life of following Him. Examine how God has guided you well in the past and examine where rejection of His ways has gotten you. Follow today the One who is seeking to lead you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2950

I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath. (v.9) “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” Isaiah 55:8 illustrates for us why God would respond this way. He’s had an entire nation that He has rescued, healed, poured into, and loved continually turn away from Him. They would credit the rescues and blessings to fake gods and give pieces of wood their love and devotion rather than God Himself. How would you respond to treatment like this? You pour everything you have into the wellbeing of someone else and in return they use the blessing you gave them to run away from you. Then they credit all you did for them to someone else, never even thinking of you till they need something again. It’s easy to expect God to be angry and it even says He is. Yet even in His anger, He responded with love. That’s the challenge that us as His followers need to imitate. He is going to respond different to those who have hurt Him than what’s expected in the world. So should we. People are going to walk away, use, and hurt you; God showed us though that it’s possible with Him to respond to those people in love. If we claim to be His followers, let’s actually follow Him even when it’s not easy to. – Daily DEVO 34

I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath. Hosea 11:9 – I love that phrase, “For I am God and not a man.” God is saying He handles things differently than we do. He is in complete control of His emotions and self. He doesn’t let His anger or feelings direct His actions like we so often do. He also doesn’t let sin rule at all in His life so things like unforgiveness are absent in His heart. So you must remember when you mess up, don’t expect God to deal with you the way you would or someone else would handle it. God is forgiving and loving, but also serious about sin. Seek more time with Him in His Word to find out more of who He is and how He’ll react to things. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 561

The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. Hosea 11:2-3 – This makes me think of a dog who watches for the moment when their owner isn’t looking and they bolt out the front door. The owner could be calling their name over and over yet it just makes the dog run harder away. Doesn’t the dog know the one calling it’s name is the owner who feds it and takes care of it? Why would it run so hard away? Don’t we realize it’s God who provides for us and takes care of us? Why would we run so hard away? Maybe our run isn’t as dramatic as the dog in our example or the people in our passage. Has though God been calling your name to stop entertaining a certain sin or destructive mindset? Maybe it’s not a full run away but any path away from Him is one He’ll be calling us back from. Where then has God been calling you back from? Where is the place we’ve run to that God never led us to? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1679