In the beginning of the book of Hosea in chapter one and verse one, Hosea wrote, “the word of the LORD that came unto Hosea” where we read,
The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri,
in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahas, and Hezekiah,
kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
The verse begins, “The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri,...” Hosea began with the words, “the word of the LORD” which means “the speech, saying, utterance and commandment belonging to Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God” “that came unto Hosea” or “which happened, fell out, arose and appeared to Hosea whose name means salvation”, “the son of Beeri” which means “the male offspring and progeny belonging to Beeri whose name means my well”. Hosea, who was the male progeny of Beeri, declared that Jehovah God's speech and utterances drew near to Him.
The verse goes on to say, “in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahas, and Hezekiah, ...” Hosea continued with the words, “in the days” or “in the period or division of time” “of Uzziah” which means “belonging to Uzziah whose name means my strength is Jehovah and was the son of Amaziah of Judah and king of Judah for fifty-two years”, “Jotham” whose name means “Jehovah is perfect and was the son of Uzziah of Judah by Jerushah and king of Judah for sixteen years and contemporary with Isaiah and King Pekah of Israel”, “Ahas” whose name means “he has grasped” and was “the king of Judah, the son of Jotham and father of Hezekiah”, “and Hezekiah” whose name means “Jehovah is my strength and was the twelfth king of Judah, the son of Ahaz and Abijah who was a good king in that he served Jehovah and did away with idolatrous practices”. Hosea shared how he ministered during the time of “Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah” who were kings in Judah.
Finally the verse says, “kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.” The verse ends with the words, “kings of Judah” which means “royal leaders and rulers belonging to Judah whose name means praised and was the kingdom comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin which occupied the southern part of Canaan after the nation split upon the death of Solomon”, “and in the days” or “and in the time period” “of Jeroboam” whose name means and was “pertaining to Jeroboam whose name means the people will contend and was the eighth king of the northern kingdom of Israel”, “the son of Joash” or “the male offspring and progeny belonging to Joash whose name means given by the Lord and was the son of king Jehoahaz and the twelfth king of the northern kingdom of Israel”, “king of Israel” which means “ruler and royal leader belonging to Israel whose name means God prevails and was the name used and given to the northern kingdom consisting of the ten tribes under Jeroboam”. Hosea concluded this verse with another reference to the time when he ministered which was during the time when kings of Israel ruled and “Jeroboam”was the final king before Israel was overtaken by Assyria.
When we think through the words in this verse, we see how Hosea began his book by sharing how Jehovah God gave him the following prophecy during the time of the four kings in Judah but during the time of as many as six kings in Israel which was concluded by “Jeroboam” who was the final king of the northern tribes of Israel before they were conquered by the Assyrians at 721 b.c. Jehovah God inspired Hosea to write these words, and as his story unfolds, we shall see how much God loves Israel. He loves us as well, and He proved His love to us when He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind. He gives us an invitation to receive Jesus as our personal “Savior and Lord”, and when we yield to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and teach us the value of His love for Israel which brought about salvation through Jesus Christ into the world.
Next time Hosea says, “the beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea”, 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".
No comments:
Post a Comment