Week 36: Daniel 10-12; Hosea 1-14

This week's reading completes the book of Daniel and moves into a new section of Scripture, which some have called "The Book of the Twelve" and others have called the Minor Prophets. The books of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi are called "minor" only because of their length. Compared to Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, the works of the Minor Prophets are comparatively brief. However, the messages they share are as power packed as the larger prophetic works. In the next few weeks, we will sometimes be covering two or three books per week...in stark contrast to the long stretches in Isaiah and Jeremiah.

This week's reading comes together like this:

* Weekend: Daniel 10-12
* Monday: Hosea 1-3
* Tuesday: Hosea 4-6
* Wednesday: Hosea 7-8
* Thursday: Hosea 9-11
* Friday: Hosea 12-14

The book of Hosea, the first Minor Prophet in The Book of the Twelve, is unique in a couple of ways. It is the only book written by a prophet from the northern territory of Israel (referred to simply as Israel after Solomon's day, when the kingdom was divided between "Judah," which lay to the south and was ruled by descendants of King David, and "Israel," the northern territory, which was ruled by an assortment of wicked kings).

The book of Hosea is also unique because all the dating references are linked to the kings of Judah (rather than Israel - even though he prophesied to Israel). Some scholars take this to mean that scribes in Judah compiled the prophet's writings after the northern territory was taken over by Assyria, which deported the Israelites and replaced them with people it had taken from other lands.

The prophet Hosea had the grim task of prophesying Israel's doom and deportation. Even though God loved Israel and wanted nothing but its redemption and salvation, Israel for its part was bent on rebellion and disobedience. Israel wanted nothing more than to do its own thing...without God.

Hosea's marriage to an unfaithful woman - and his love and forgiveness of her - powerfully illustrates God's unending love for Israel. That notwithstanding, however, Israel, like Hosea's wife, would have none of it.

The message of Hosea is sobering. It shows us that it is possible for us to reach a point of no return, so to speak, in our resolve to do our own thing and have nothing to do with God.

Scripture is clear about the fact that when we are saved by Christ, we are safe from the enemy's attempts to snatch us from God's hands (see John 10:28-30). But God loves us too much to compel us to be his disciples. Jesus invites us to come to him and take his yoke upon ourselves (see Matthew 11:28-30). But if we're unwilling to follow Jesus because we are either too attached to earthly things (see Matthew 19:16-26) or because we desire to please others more than we desire to please God (see Luke 9:59-62), God will sadly leave us to our own devices.

Hosea teaches us that we can will ourselves out of God's will by insisting on living life according to our desires instead of God's desires.

Let's make this prayer of relinquishment, which Richard Foster so eloquently expressed, our prayer at the beginning of each day this week:

Today, O Lord, I yield myself to You.
May Your will be my delight today.
May You have perfect sway in me.
May your love be the pattern of my living.
I surrender to You my hopes, my dreams, my ambitions.
Do with them what You will, when You will, as You will.
I place into Your loving care my family, my friends, my future.
Care for them with a care that I can never give.
I release into Your hands my need to control, my craving for status, my fear of obscurity.
Eradicate the evil, purify the good, and establish Your Kingdom on earth.
For Jesus’ sake, Amen.

Have a blessed week!
Chuck