In the book of Hosea, Hosea asked Israel, “What will you do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the LORD?”, and in chapter nine and verse six of Hosea, Hosea said of Israel, “they are gone because of destruction” where we read,
For, lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them:
the pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns shall be in their tabernacles.
The verse begins, “For, lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them:” Hosea began with the words, “for, lo, they are gone” or “because, since and on account that, behold, look and consider, they, the solemn and feast days of the Lord, are departed, moved away and carried off” “because of destruction” which means “since and on account of havoc, violence, devastation and ruin”. “Egypt shall gather them up” or “Egypt, whose name means land of the Copts and is a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows, shall collect, assemble and bring together them, the people of Israel”, “Memphis” whose name means “haven of the good and was a capital of Lower Egypt located on the western bank of the Nile about nine miles (15 km) south of Cairo” “shall bury them” or “will inter them, the people of Israel”. Hosea referred to how the sacrifices and festival gatherings of the people of “Israel” were departed because the people were assembled by “Egypt” and interred by “Memphis”.
The verse goes on to say, “the pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns shall be in their tabernacles.” Hosea continued with the words, “the pleasant places” or “the desirable, goodly and beloved locations” “for their silver” which means “on behalf of their silver metal”, “nettles shall possess them” or “thorny useless plants and thistles will seize, devour and dispossess them, the pleasant place”: “thorns shall be in their tabernacles” which means “brambles, briers, thorn-bushes and thickets will exist within their, the people of Israel's, tents, dwelling places, homes and sacred habitations”. Hosea shared how the desirable locations of the people of Israel for their “silver metal” will be overcome by thistles and thorns, and brambles would possess their sacred habitations and worship places.
When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn through Hosea how the places of worship of Jehovah God would be left in ruin and devastation after they forsook Jehovah God. The locations where they stored their silver utensils were to be overgrown with thistles, and their worship places would be filled with bramble bushes and briers. God did not want it to be that way, but when they abandoned Him, He not only sent them out of their country, but they were in “Egypt and Memphis” while their “pleasant places” and “tabernacles” were left alone. Thorns grew and bramble bushes flourished, and the sacred worship places became useless and unused. God loves people, and He sent His Son Jesus into the world to be crucified on the cross for the sins of all mankind. When we put our faith and trust in Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put within us a desire to continually worship Him and never be removed from our places of worship and our relationship with Him.
Next time Hosea says of Israel, “the days of visitation are come”, 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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