November 3, 2021
What does it say?
Hosea urged Israel to return to God, maintain love and justice, and wait for the Lord.
What does it mean?
Hosea outlined Israel’s spiritual history to remind them of where they came from and to whom they belonged – the Lord God Almighty! They had abandoned proper worship of God, turning instead to Egypt and Assyria for national stability. Their efforts were as ridiculous as trying to eat the wind. Continuing to provoke God this way meant paying the price for sin through judgment rather than God-ordained sacrifice. Hosea presented a simple solution: return, maintain, and wait. Returning to God meant repentance, then maintaining a godly lifestyle by replacing lies and violence with love and justice. Waiting on God involved trusting Him for the security they were so desperately pursuing.
How should I respond?
One of the hardest things to do when life gets off kilter is to wait. Human nature wants to fix the situation immediately. We forget that ‘wait’ is a verb; it’s not sitting idly, but trusting expectantly, choosing not to act until God instructs you to do so. Waiting is made easier when you have unassailable confidence in the One you are waiting on. That kind of trust is the product of faith, built by turning to the Lord and maintaining a life that pleases Him. As you wait, mentally walk through your history to remind yourself how God has provided and cared for your family in the past. Any attempt to find stability or security by your own efforts will fall short. Wait on the Lord God Almighty – always!