In the book of Hosea, Hosea shared how Jehovah God said of the nation of Israel, “and I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she has burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers and forgot me, says the LORD”, and in chapter two and verse fourteen of Hosea, Hosea said, “therefore, behold, I will allure her” where we read,
Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.
The verse begins, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, ...” Hosea began with the words, “therefore, behold” or “wherefore, then and on this account, lo, look and consider”, “I will allure her” which means “I, Jehovah God, shall attract, entice and persuade her, the nation of Israel”. Hosea shared how Jehovah God said He would entice and persuade the nation of Israel even through they were unfaithful to Him.
The verse goes on to say, “... and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.” Hosea continued with the words, “and bring her into the wilderness” or “and carry or lead her, the nation of Israel, into the the desert place or open field”, “and speak comfortably unto her” which means “and converse, talk and make heart felt and caring promises to her, the nation of Israel”. Hosea shared how Jehovah God would take the nation of Israel to an open field to have a loving, heart-felt conversation with her.
When we mediate upon the words in this verse, we discover through Hosea how Jehovah God did not condemn Israel for their infidelity but rather desired to persuade them of His goodness and to speak to them in a heart-felt and caring manner. God loves people, and it's His goodness that draws people into a relationship with Him. (See Romans 2:4) God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all people, and anyone who humbles themselves, repents of their sins and receives Him as their personal “Savior and Lord” will be forgiven of their sins and granted everlasting life with Him. God is for us and not against us, and even if we have abandoned Him, followed and served other gods and gone after false idols, He will attempt to persuade us that He and He alone is worthy of being worshiped and praised. Let us allow God to “take us into the wilderness, and speak comfortably to” us as He draws us near to Him. (See James 4:8)
Next time Hosea says, “I will give her vineyards from there”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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