What does God do when His children continually wander?

In the second half of Hosea (chapters 7–14), the marriage metaphor gives way to something equally beautiful: the heart of a loving Father. Through Hosea, we see God's grief over Israel's rebellion, His righteous discipline, and His unwavering desire to restore His people.

For Christian moms, these chapters are both convicting and deeply comforting. We often spend so much time helping our children know God that we can forget His invitation to us: "Press on to know the Lord." (Hosea 6:3)

God reminds us that our greatest need isn't simply better habits, stronger discipline, or more parenting strategies. Our greatest need is to know Him—to delight in Him above everything else.

In this episode of The Dwelling Place, we'll discover why God's discipline is always rooted in His love, how Hosea points us to Jesus, and why the knowledge of God transforms not only our hearts but the hearts of the next generation.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why God disciplines the people He loves
• The powerful images Hosea uses to describe Israel's wandering heart
• What it means that God desires "steadfast love rather than sacrifice"
• The beautiful picture of God's fatherly love in Hosea 11
• How Hosea's prophecy points forward to Jesus Christ
• Why worldly success can quietly become an idol
• The invitation to return to the Lord and find mercy
• Why knowing Scripture changes the way we parent, worship, and live

Key Scriptures

• Hosea 7–14
• Hosea 6:3
• Hosea 6:6
• Hosea 10:12
• Hosea 11:1–11
• Hosea 14:1–9
• Matthew 2:13–15
• 1 Samuel 8
• 2 Peter 1:2–8

A Truth to Hold Onto

God never disciplines His children because He has stopped loving them.

He disciplines because He refuses to leave them trapped in what cannot satisfy.

• Throughout Hosea, Israel repeatedly searched for security in political alliances, military strength, prosperity, and idols. Yet every false refuge ultimately failed.

The same invitation God extended then is still offered today:

"Return to the Lord your God."

His mercy is greater than our wandering.

His grace is stronger than our rebellion.

His love remains steadfast.

Encouragement for Moms

The world offers endless advice for raising children.

Books.

Podcasts.

Parenting methods.

Educational philosophies.

Healthy habits.

While many of these can be wonderful gifts, Hosea gently asks an important question:

Where are we ultimately placing our confidence?

Our children don't simply need more information about God.

They need parents who genuinely know Him.

As we faithfully open Scripture, pray, worship, and walk with Christ ourselves, we're teaching our children where true life is found.

The greatest legacy we leave isn't perfection—it's pointing them to the Savior who never stops pursuing His people.

Join the Journey

The Dwelling Place is the daily Bible podcast from Entrusted Ministries, helping busy moms read through the Bible one chapter at a time while growing in biblical wisdom, Christian parenting, and a deeper love for Jesus.

If this episode encouraged you, would you consider leaving a 5-star rating and written review? Your review helps more moms discover biblical encouragement and practical hope through God's Word.

• Be sure to follow the podcast so you can continue reading through the Bible with us every day.

Subscribe so you never miss another daily Bible reading as we journey through Scripture together.

Resources Mentioned:

• Entrusted With a Child's Heart
• The Again Podcast
• Full-Circle Discipline Resources

Commentaries Most Referenced: Moody Commentary, MacArthur Commentary

This is a Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Higgox.

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As we cover the second half of Hosea

today, we'll move forward from the

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husband and wife analogy, because

just as the Lord cannot be contained

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in an image, He also can't be limited

to one earthly relationship, and

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He'll describe His love for Israel as

a father who tenderly loves his son

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Because Hosea is known for

such literary sophistication

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and theological significance

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Most of our time today will emphasize

God's heart that He spoke through the

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prophet Hosea I'll let my words be few

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Because I think it's really important

that we understand exactly why the Lord

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disciplined Israel in the way that he did

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Let's begin in chapter seven.

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There's an interesting oven analogy.

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God says that Israel is like an

oven, and the baker doesn't even have

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to stir the fire to keep it going

because their sin, adultery, anger and

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mocking keep it burning all on its own

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Next, God says that Ephraim,

which is synonymous with

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Israel, is a cake not turned

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He explains that strangers are

devouring his strength and his hair

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is turning gray, but he doesn't see it

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the pride of Israel testifies to his

faith, yet they do not return to the Lord

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their God, nor seek Him for all this.

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They thought they would find their

strength in aligning with Assyria

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and Egypt, but instead it's been

to their demise, and that's why the

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Lord is determined to discipline them

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Ephraim is like a dove, silly

and without sense, calling

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to Egypt, going to Assyria.

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As they go, I will

spread over them my net.

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I will bring them down

like birds of the heavens.

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I will discipline them according to

the report made to their congregation.

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Woe to them, for they

have strayed from me.

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Destruction to them, for they

have rebelled against me.

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I would redeem them, but

they speak lies against me.

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They do not cry to me from the

heart, for they wallop upon

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their beds for grain and wine.

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For grain and wine they gnash

themselves, they rebel against me.

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Although I trained and strengthened their

arms, yet they devise evil against me.

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The Lord gives them the very breath

they have in their lungs, yet they're

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actually using their strength to defy Him.

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God continues to explain

their rebellious ways in 8:3.

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Israel has spurned the good,

the enemy shall pursue him.

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They made kings, but not through me.

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They set up princes, but I knew it not.

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With their silver and gold, they

made idols for their own destruction.

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I have spurned your calf, O Samaria

my anger burns against them.

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How long will they be

incapable of innocence?

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Isn't that a powerful phrase,

incapable of innocence?

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even the things God provided

for them as a blessing

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they turn into idols

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next, God condemns them, saying,

"Even if I gave them 10,000 laws,

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They wouldn't even recognize

how good my guidelines are

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As for my sacrificial offerings,

they sacrifice meat and eat it,

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but the Lord does not accept them.

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Now he will remember their iniquity

and punish their sins, and they shall

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return to Egypt, for Israel has forgotten

his Maker and built palaces, And

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Judah has multiplied fortified cities.

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So I will send a fire upon his cities,

and it shall devour her strongholds.

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Israel was to be set apart from

every other nation around them,

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And instead of following God's laws

and precepts, they have compromised

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and followed in the pattern of

the pagan nations around them

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And so God says, " Those palaces and

fortified cities I will bring to ruin

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so that you cannot find

strength in anything but me

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and God continues to be clear about

why the nation's judgment is necessary

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And how he'll do it.

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In 10:10, "When I please,

I will discipline them.

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The nations will be gathered

around them when they are bound

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up for their double iniquity.

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Ephraim was a trained calf that loved

to thresh, and I spared her fair neck.

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But I will put Ephraim to the yoke.

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Judah must plow.

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Judah must harrow for himself.

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Sow for yourselves righteousness,

reap steadfast love.

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Break up your fallow ground, for it is

the time to seek the Lord, that he may

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come and rain righteousness upon you."

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When it says that God spared her fair

neck, it means the Lord allowed her

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to have a light and easy existence

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he wanted to bless them, but because they

would not obey in a time of prosperity

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now they will receive the

yoke of serving the Assyrians

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But there's still that opportunity

to sow righteousness and steadfast

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love, and to acknowledge that

their hearts have been hard

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But if they seek God, he will

reign righteousness upon them.

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Sadly, that's not what they choose.

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But instead you have plowed

iniquity, you have reaped injustice.

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You have eaten the fruit of lies because

you have trusted in your own way and

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in the multitude of your warriors.

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What might be the things that you

and I are trusting in our own ways?

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What are the multitude

of warriors we rely on?

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Is it the books we read

that we get online?

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Is it the supplements we

purchase or the foods we eat?

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What are we finding our strength in?

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And now the Lord will relate to

Israel as a father in chapter 11.

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" When Israel was a child, I loved him,

and out of Egypt I called my son.

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The more they were called,

the more they went away.

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They kept sacrificing to the Baals

and burning offerings to idols.

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Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk.

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I took them up by their arms, but

they did not know that I healed them.

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I led them with cords of

kindness, with the bands of love,

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And I became to them as one who eases

the yoke on their jaws, and I bent

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down to them and fed them They shall

not return to the land of Egypt,

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but Assyria shall be their king.

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Because they have refused to return to me,

the sword shall rage against their cities,

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consume the bars of their gates, and

devour them because of their own counsels.

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My people are bent on turning away from

me, and though they call out to the Most

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High, he shall not raise them up at all

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God is allowing His

people to turn from Him.

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But we can still see that He has such

tender love and compassion toward them.

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Chapter 11 continues, " How

can I give you up, O Ephraim?

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How can I hand you over, O Israel?

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How can I make you like Admah?

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How can I treat you like Zeboim?

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My heart recoils within me.

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My compassion grows warm and tender.

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I will not execute my burning anger.

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I will not again destroy Ephraim.

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For I am God and not a man,

the Holy One in your midst,

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and I will not come in wrath.

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At the beginning of this chapter, God

said, " When Israel was a child, I loved

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him, and out of Egypt I called my son."

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This certainly corresponds to the Lord

leading the Israelites out of Egypt.

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But in Matthew, it's also

applied to Jesus's life.

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Because as King Herod was trying to

kill Jesus as a baby, an angel came

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warning Joseph, and Joseph took his

young family and fled to Egypt And

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it's this Messiah who submitted himself

to be the object of God's wrath.

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That is the reason God can say, " For

I am the Holy One in your midst,

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and I will not come in wrath."

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Israel will receive the discipline of God,

but his wrath will be poured down upon

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Jesus so that God can show mercy to those

who will humble themselves before the Lord

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And though God will scatter them in

discipline, he will bring them back

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They shall go after the Lord.

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He will roar like a lion.

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When he roars, his children shall

come trembling from the west.

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They shall come trembling like

birds from Egypt, and like

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doves from the land of Assyria.

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" And I will return them to

their homes, declares the Lord

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interestingly, the chapter ends saying

Judah has been faithful to the Lord, but

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one commentary suggests it would be better

translated, " Judah is unruly to God."

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Regardless of the original intent,

the rest of the book makes it

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clear that Judah's judgment

is different than Israel's

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Verse 12:6 reminds us of

the availability of God.

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God calls out to Judah, " So you,

by the help of your God, return.

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Hold fast to love and justice, and

wait continually for your God."

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And I always love to read what God

says about Himself in scripture.

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In 13:4 He begins,

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" but I am the Lord your God From the

land of Egypt you know no God but me,

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and besides me there is no savior.

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It was I who knew you in the wilderness,

in the land of drought But when

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they had grazed, they became full.

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They were filled and

their heart was lifted up.

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Therefore, they forgot me

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And in verse nine, he says He

destroys you, O Israel, for you are

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against me, against your helper.

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Even though God is their

savior and their helper

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The people have become filled by

other things it's easy to judge the

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Israelites for their wayward hearts.

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But if we're honest

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you and I also have things that

we're tempted to be filled by

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And God says to his people, "Where now is

your king to save you in all your cities?

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Where are your rulers, those of whom

you said, 'Give me a king and princes'?

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I gave you a king in my anger,

and I took him away in my wrath."

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Do you recall in 1 Samuel 8

when God warned them, " Really,

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you don't want a king.

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You're not gonna be happy

with how this ends up."

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But the people begged, and

God says, "Where are they now?"

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But thankfully, even when we fall into

these patterns of seeking worldly things

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over Jesus, who is the bread of life

and the living water, God so often

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extends His grace as He calls us back

In chapter 14, he says, " Return, O

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Israel, to the Lord your God, for you

have stumbled because of your iniquity.

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Take with you words

and return to the Lord.

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Say to Him, 'Take away all iniquity.

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Accept what is good, and we will pay

with bulls the vows of our lips.'

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Assyria will not save us.

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We will not ride on horses, And

we will say no more, 'Our

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God,' to the work of our hands.

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In you, the orphan finds mercy."

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And God says that when they do, He

will heal their apostasy and love them

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freely, His anger will turn from them,

and that they will flourish and dwell

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beneath His shadow And to ensure you

that this book of the Bible is for

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you as well, Hosea ends, " Whoever is

wise, let him understand these things.

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Whoever is discerning, let him know them.

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For the ways of the Lord are right,

and the upright walk in them, but

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transgressors stumble in them."

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It reminds me of the last episode when we

concluded with the charge, " Let us know.

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Let us press on to know the Lord."

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And 6:6 told us, " For I desire steadfast

love and not sacrifice, the knowledge

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of God rather than burnt offerings."

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It might strike you as odd if you

know from Corinthians that knowledge

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can puff up, but this isn't the kind

of knowledge we're talking about here

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and to give us greater clarity about

why knowledge is so pivotal, I'd like

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to read the beginning of Second Peter.

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" May grace and peace be multiplied

to you in the knowledge of

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God and of Jesus our Lord.

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His divine power has granted to us all

things that pertain to life and godliness,

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through the knowledge of Him who called us

to His own glory and excellence, by which

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He has granted to us His precious and very

great promises, so that through them you

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may become partakers of the divine nature,

having escaped from the corruption that

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is in the world because of sinful desire.

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For this reason, make every effort

to supplement your faith with

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virtue, and virtue with knowledge,

and knowledge with self-control, and

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self-control with steadfastness, and

steadfastness with godliness, and

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godliness with brotherly affection,

and brotherly affection with love.

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For if these qualities are yours and

are increasing, they keep you from

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being ineffective or unfruitful in the

knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

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Our goal is not to know the most about

God, but to be transformed by the

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truth of the goodness of the Lord.

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if you ever wonder, does it

really matter if I know the Bible?

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Does it really matter if I go to

church and listen to the sermons?

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Does it really matter if I

teach my kids Bible stories?

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It absolutely does so you, mama, as

you're raising your kids, keep pressing

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on to know the Lord for yourself and

keep encouraging them to do the same

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thing, to be faithful in the Word

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Because God says I desire steadfast

love and not sacrifice the knowledge

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of God rather than burnt offering.

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Heavenly Father, we come before you

thankful for the clarity in your Word

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That you desire to be known.

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And I thank you that when

we know your true character,

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we cannot help but love you

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So I pray you would help us

to order our days in a way

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that honors and glorifies you.

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Help us to turn away from

temporal earthly things

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Because we realize you

alone are our savior

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and to find our sufficiency in you in

the midst of so much busyness and chaos

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we want this clarity so desperately

for ourselves, but also for our

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families, that they would know the

goodness of your statutes and the

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delight of dwelling with you We pray

you would produce in them a steadfast

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love and that they would be good soil.

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May the pleasures of this earth not

tempt them, but rather help them to break

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up any fallow ground in their hearts

and sow seeds that bear eternal fruit.

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Thank you that you love us as a husband

and as a father, that you are our

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strength and our Savior and our helper.

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May we find our sufficiency in you, Jesus.

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It's in your name we pray, amen.