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Devotional
Weekly Bible Devotion By Books
July 10-15, 2023
Enter the Presence of the Lord
(All) The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
(Psalm 19: 7-14)
Confession
O. Lord, the center of our lives, thank you that your steadfast love holds us. You word nurtures our life. Your presence brings in light and peace. Draw us nearer to you day by day. We need you. Help us in the world where people pursue and glorify everything except you. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray, amen.
Scripture Reading: Hosea 4:5b-6a; 6:3
Hosea 4:5b-6a my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests;
6: 3 Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”
Thoughts to share Return, press on to Know the Lord!
In the age of “felt-able Charisma” is elevated, we tend to downplay the knowledge of God. However, the book of Hosea teaches us that the knowledge of God is fundamentally important. Hosea became a prophet around the looming destruction of Israel Kingdom and the beginning of Judah Kingdom standing alone.
The biggest problem back then was not the marital infidelity, lying, stealing, murder. These things were only the fruits of their greater problem:They left from God. They rejected the knowledge of God. They forgot the law of their God. They even devised evil against their God. They welcomed and devoted to foreign gods and Bali and idols. They gave sacrifices and burning offerings to them. They inquired to a piece of wood. They sought oracles from those walking staff. They turned the tops of mountains, hills, shades under oak and poplar to become their altars, temples. They played whores and prostitutes. They had the spirit of whoredom in them.
Notice that the priest-multiple priests- did the same things. That was the background which prophet Hosea was raised. The priest was supposed to instruct people the knowledge of God, to pray for people, to give counsel to the seekers, to offer sacrifices and burning offering to Yahweh, their Lord. They failed to carry their holy duties. They stumbled in their guilt. The foundation institution for Israel and Judah kingdoms was gone!
Hosea teaches us that “Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” The failure of the Israel and Judah kingdoms was in their lack of knowledge of God. The knowledge of God gave them understanding of what was true, noble, pure, good, real in life and for life existence. So that they had vision to what to turn away and what to follow on. A good life and existence came from knowing God!
We live in a land that idols are not so visual at once. But the idols that compete or take away the place of our Lord are many out there. When we ponder our lives, where shall we find our bright future? Where is our life water when we are thirsty in dry land? After all, where does our life wisdom come from? The book of Hosea tells us the stories of two kingdoms and their people. The book has pointed a way to us now:
Return, press on to know the Lord!
To know our Lord truly has an intellectual component- knowledge of God. Nearer we are drawn to the knowledge of God, clearer we see God, deeper we love God, more willing to obey and follow him.
Prayer suggestions
In every age and every culture, we will encounter visible and invisible idols that blur our understanding of God, distort our passion, and distract the focus of our life. The process is often subtle. Do you have any? Do a checkup on your deep thought, feelings and careless acts.
O Lord of our knowledge, open our appetite for you- more you so that we will know you better, deeper, and wider. Lord, walk into our being and our existence. Reveal our conscious or unconscious fault, sin, mistakes. We desire to be cleansed by you. Give us a clear vision and clean heart so that we will see you better and become more like you. We pray, Amen.
Prayer Request
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