Hosea 7:1-10

Hosea 7:1-10 - Daily Devotion - 15 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 When I heal Israel,
the iniquity of Ephraim will be exposed,
as well as the crimes of Samaria.
For they practice deceit and thieves break in;
bandits raid in the streets.
2 But they fail to consider in their hearts
that I remember all their evil.
Now their deeds are all around them;
they are before My face.

3 They delight the king with their evil,
and the princes with their lies.
4 They are all adulterers,
like an oven heated by a baker
who needs not stoke the fire
from the kneading to the rising of the dough.
5 The princes are inflamed with wine
on the day of our king;
so he joins hands
with those who mock him.
6 For they prepare their heart like an oven
while they lie in wait;
all night their anger smolders;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven,
and they devour their rulers.
All their kings fall;
not one of them calls upon Me.

8 Ephraim mixes with the nations;
Ephraim is an unturned cake.
9 Foreigners consume his strength,
but he does not notice.
Even his hair is streaked with gray,
but he does not know.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them,
yet they do not return to the LORD their God;
despite all this, they do not seek Him.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Duc

In the story ‘Moby Dick,’ Captain Ahab’s obsession with killing the whale causes him to ignore the advice of the crew and the dangers of the sea, leading to his death and ruin. Captain Ahab’s problem was arrogance, which blinded him to the reality of his situation and caused his downfall.

In today’s passage, the arrogance of Israel – also known as Ephraim and Samaria – is on show. The people are adulterers, unfaithful to God. They freely commit evil deeds in God’s sight, ignoring his displeasure (v 2). Even Israel’s king delights and joins the intrigue. He does nothing to stop the spread of sin throughout the kingdom, unaware that the people will devour him.

The chaos of Israel’s kingdom in this time is reflected in history – four of Israel’s kings were assassinated by rivals during a 14-year period (746 BC to 732 BC). And as Israel’s political instability made it vulnerable to neighbouring powers, it formed ungodly alliances with pagan nations who would use up its resources and draw its people to false gods and practices. The people’s arrogance blinds them from the reality that they need to repent and seek God, and so they continue sinning, heaping judgment and suffering on themselves.

We should grieve the tragedy of arrogance and sin, which leads to destruction. Jesus reminds us that God will humble the proud and lift up those who humble themselves (Matthew 23:12). Unlike the kings of Israel, Jesus the true king also humbled himself before God and through his suffering became the source of salvation to all who obey him (Hebrews 5:8-9). Let us rejoice in what Jesus has done for us and follow his lead in our worship of God.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Assistant Ministers.

Hosea 6

Hosea 6 - Daily Devotion - 14 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 Come, let us return to the LORD.

For He has torn us to pieces,
but He will heal us;
He has wounded us,
but He will bind up our wounds.
2 After two days He will revive us;
on the third day He will raise us up,
that we may live in His presence.
3 So let us know—
let us press on to know the LORD.
As surely as the sun rises,
He will appear;
He will come to us like the rain,
like the spring showers that water the earth.

4 What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O Judah?
For your loyalty is like a morning mist,
like the early dew that vanishes.
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them by the words of My mouth,
and My judgments go forth like lightning.
6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and the knowledge of God
rather than burnt offerings.

7 But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant;
there they were unfaithful to Me.8 Gilead is a city of evildoers,
tracked with footprints of blood.9 Like raiders who lie in ambush,
so does a band of priests;
they murder on the way to Shechem;
surely they have committed atrocities.10 In the house of Israel
I have seen a horrible thing:
Ephraim practices prostitution there,
and Israel is defiled.

11 Also for you, O Judah,
a harvest is appointed,
when I restore
My people from captivity.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Duc

The problem presented in this passage reminds me of the saying in Proverbs 26:11: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” 

For while Hosea urges the Israelites to return to the LORD, he knows that his call will be ignored. Like the dog and the fool, the people fail to learn from past mistakes and will return – time and again – to their sinful ways, despite knowing better.

We hear God’s frustrated despair in his question ‘what shall I do with you?’ (v 4). For even as God is constant and faithful, his people are fickle and faithless. From the very beginning, Israel’s history has been marked by rejection of God, experiences of divine judgment and moments of fleeting sorrow.

The toxic cycle can’t be broken by acts of fasting, the wearing of sackcloth, or even the making sin offerings. God’s desire has been always for “mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (v 6). God longs for real relationship, for his people to know him deeply, to genuinely repent and to truly worship him.

Like the Israelites, we tend to forget what God requires of us and repeat our follies. After all, it’s much easier to keep to rules – like not swearing, giving 10% of our income and coming to church every Sunday – than to properly acknowledge God and pursue a rich and deep relationship with him.

But in view of God’s mercies toward us – in the love he has shown us in Christ, in giving us his Holy Spirit and the promise of everlasting joy and peace – let us answer the call to repent and to offer ourselves wholly to God as ‘living sacrifices’ pouring forth praise and worship to the God who is worthy (Rom 12:1).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Assistant Ministers.

Hosea 5:8-15

Hosea 5:8-15 - Daily Devotion - 13 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

8 Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah,
the trumpet in Ramah;
raise the battle cry in Beth-aven:
Lead on, O Benjamin!
9 Ephraim will be laid waste
on the day of rebuke.
Among the tribes of Israel
I proclaim what is certain.
10 The princes of Judah
are like those who move boundary stones;
I will pour out My fury
upon them like water.
11 Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment,
for he is determined to follow worthless idols.
12 So I am like a moth to Ephraim,
and like decay to the house of Judah.

13 When Ephraim saw his sickness
and Judah his wound,
then Ephraim turned to Assyria
and sent to the great king.
But he cannot cure you
or heal your wound.
14 For I am like a lion to Ephraim
and like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I, even I, will tear them to pieces
and then go away.
I will carry them off
where no one can rescue them.
15 Then I will return to My place
until they admit their guilt and seek My face;
in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Vincent Chan

As I read today’s passage, I found myself asking: Should I be scared of God?

The Christian answer, of course, is both yes and no. The Bible speaks not of being scared of God, but of fearing Him. We are called to “fear the Lord our God”—yet this is not a fear of dread or terror. Rather, it is a reverent awe and deep respect for who He is. Because in Christ, God is our Father!

But that truth is a privilege for those who are in Christ. Without Christ as our shelter, we face the full reality of God’s judgment. Today’s passage gives us a terrifying glimpse of that. God’s judgment is described as wrath poured out like floodwaters (v. 10), as one who tramples His enemies in judgment (v. 11), and as a lion who tears its prey to pieces (v. 14). The right response to this judgment is a holy terror that drives us—not to despair—but to repentance and faith, turning back to God.

I’m reminded of the famous American pastor and theologian Jonathan Edwards. In one service, he preached his renowned sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” portraying God’s judgment so vividly that people wept under conviction. The judgment of God truly is terrifying.

And yet, wonderfully, the end of that sermon pointed people to Christ, as they cried out, “What must I do to be saved?”

May that be our experience too. As we reflect on the reality of God’s judgment, may it lead us not to fear apart from Christ, but to see the goodness and grace that are ours in Christ.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vinno is one of our Assistant Ministers.

Hosea 5:1-7

Hosea 5:1-7 - Daily Devotion - 12 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 “Hear this, O priests!
Take heed, O house of Israel!
Give ear, O royal house!
For this judgment is against you
because you have been a snare at Mizpah,
a net spread out on Tabor.
2 The rebels are deep in slaughter;
but I will chastise them all.
3 I know all about Ephraim,
and Israel is not hidden from Me.
For now, O Ephraim,
you have turned to prostitution;
Israel is defiled.

4 Their deeds do not permit them
to return to their God,
for a spirit of prostitution is within them,
and they do not know the LORD.
5 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them;
Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity;
even Judah stumbles with them.
6 They go with their flocks and herds
to seek the LORD,
but they do not find Him;
He has withdrawn Himself from them.
7 They have been unfaithful to the LORD;
for they have borne illegitimate children.
Now the New Moon will devour them
along with their land.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Vincent Chan

As I read today’s passage, two things about Israel’s sin stood out to me: everyone was involved, and God saw everything.

Everyone.
The passage begins with a threefold call to pay attention—but it’s addressed to three different groups. First, to the religious leaders who should have known better (“you priests”). Then, to the everyday people (“you Israelites”). And finally, to those in positions of power and authority (“you royal house”). In other words, no one was exempt.

God saw everything.
We’re told that God knows “all about Ephraim,” and that “Israel is not hidden from Him.” There are no secret sins in God’s sight. His eyes are not blind to what happens—whether in our actions or in the hidden places of our hearts (v. 4).

This same truth is reflected whenever we say a public confession at church. Each of us is invited to join in, because we recognise that we have gone our own way. Sin affects everyone. And we confess that we have sinned against God in thought, word, and deed—because sin affects everything.

But most wonderfully, our confession always ends with the words of assurance. These are Bible verses that point towards God’s forgiveness in Christ. This is because the mercy and forgiveness that Hosea hints at, we now know fully in our Lord Jesus Christ.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vinno is one of our Assistant Ministers.

Hosea 4:11-19

Hosea 4:11-19 - Daily Devotion - 11 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

11 Promiscuity, wine, and new wine
take away understanding.
12 My people consult their wooden idols,
and their divining rods inform them.
For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray
and they have played the harlot against their God.
13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak, poplar, and terebinth,
because their shade is pleasant.
And so your daughters turn to prostitution
and your daughters-in-law to adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters
when they prostitute themselves,
nor your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery.
For the men themselves go off with prostitutes
and offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes.
So a people without understanding
will come to ruin.

15 Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel,
may Judah avoid such guilt!
Do not journey to Gilgal,
do not go up to Beth-aven,
and do not swear on oath,
‘As surely as the LORD lives!’
16 For Israel is as obstinate
as a stubborn heifer.
Can the LORD now shepherd them
like lambs in an open meadow?
17 Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone!18 When their liquor is gone,
they turn to prostitution;
their rulers dearly love disgrace.
19 The whirlwind has wrapped them in its wings,
and their sacrifices will bring them shame.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Vincent Chan

The famous American writer David Foster Wallace once said, “There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.”

Wallace wasn’t a Christian, but he recognised a profound truth: in our day-to-day lives, every one of us builds our lives on something. We all live for something. We all worship something. But Wallace also made this striking observation: “Most of what you worship will eat you alive.” In other words, the things we worship don’t usually build us up—they slowly consume and degrade us.

That’s exactly the picture we see in today’s passage. Israel is described as worshipping idols—objects as ordinary as a piece of wood or a diviner’s rod (v. 12). Yet these idols are never harmless or trivial. Their worship leads to the degradation of their worshippers. Women are given over to prostitution and adultery (v. 13). Men surrender themselves to lust and selfish desire (v. 14). It’s a tragic picture—people and their bodies handed over to senseless shame.

As I read this passage, I’m reminded how good it is that we are called to worship the one true God. Unlike idols, worshipping God doesn’t diminish us—it renews us. Day by day, as we worship the true Creator, His grace shapes us into who we were always meant to be. We become more—not less—human. We become more and more like Jesus.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vinno is one of our Assistant Ministers.

Hosea 4:1-10

Hosea 4:1-10 - Daily Devotion - 10 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 Hear the word of the LORD,
O children of Israel,
for the LORD has a case
against the people of the land:

“There is no truth, no loving devotion,
and no knowledge of God in the land!2 Cursing and lying,
murder and stealing,
and adultery are rampant;
one act of bloodshed follows another.
3 Therefore the land mourns,
and all who dwell in it will waste away
with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air;
even the fish of the sea disappear.

4 But let no man contend;
let no man offer reproof;
for your people are like those
who contend with a priest.
5 You will stumble by day,
and the prophet will stumble with you by night;
so I will destroy your mother—
6 My people are destroyed
for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I will also reject you as My priests.
Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I will also forget your children.

7 The more they multiplied,
the more they sinned against Me;
they exchanged their Glory
for a thing of disgrace.
8 They feed on the sins of My people
and set their hearts on iniquity.
9 And it shall be
like people, like priest.
I will punish both of them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.
10 They will eat but not be satisfied;
they will be promiscuous but not multiply.
For they have stopped obeying the LORD.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Vincent Chan

We can know about someone without truly knowing them personally. That’s the problem we see in today’s passage. The priests and the people of Israel knew about God’s laws—but it was the kind of knowledge that led to hypocrisy, not holiness. It didn’t shape them to know and trust God; instead, it produced a double life. Instead of hearing the law and sitting humbly under the Ten Commandments, it led to cursing, lying, and murder (v. 2). Instead of the priests teaching the people to obey God, they fed on the people’s sins and delighted in their wickedness (v. 8).

What is the heart of the problem? In many ways, it is a problem of the heart. The issue isn’t that sinful Israel needed more head knowledge to help them obey; they needed a change of heart that would enable them to obey. They needed a knowledge not merely of information but of relationship—a living relationship with the Living God.

I think it’s fair to say that modern-day Christians have many opportunities to learn from God’s Word. Whether it’s Growth Groups, Sunday sermons, or even this daily devotion we’re doing now, we have countless opportunities to hear from God’s Word. But let’s pray that our knowledge would be both of the head and the heart. Let’s pray that we would be people who not only hear God’s Word but sit under it—knowing Him personally and walking in His ways.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vinno is one of our Assistant Ministers.

Hosea 3:1-5

Hosea 3 - Daily Devotion - 8 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 Then the LORD said to me, “Go show love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and offer raisin cakes to idols. ”

2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3 Then I said to her, “You must live with me for many days; you must not be promiscuous or belong to another, and I will do the same for you.”

4 For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or idol. 5 Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Vincent Chan

Today’s section concludes chapters 1-3. It’s like a summary of the poetic events that have just passed. I found myself deeply moved by today’s passage. It contains three stories.

The first is the story of Hosea and his adulterous wife. Despite her unfaithfulness, Hosea is called to “love her as the LORD loves the Israelites.” He is told to redeem her, even after all she has done. Why is Hosea asked to do this?

That brings us to the second story—the story of Israel abandoning God. In her unfaithfulness, Israel turns away from Him and faces the judgment of exile. Yet, in the end, God’s faithfulness will overcome Israel’s unfaithfulness. When they return, He will welcome them with blessing (v. 5). Hosea’s story is a microcosm of the nation’s story.

But these themes of unfaithfulness, judgment, and mercy point toward a third and greater story—the story of God’s unceasing faithfulness toward sinful humanity. Despite our sin and rebellion, God Himself came into our world as our Saviour.

I was struck today by how little I sometimes grasp the seriousness of my sin. Our sin is like the unfaithfulness of Israel and of Hosea’s wife—it is not a small or light thing. And yet, even more wonderfully, I was moved again by the depth of God’s faithfulness—so much deeper and wider than I can ever comprehend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vinno is one of our Assistant Ministers.

Hosea 2:14-23

Hosea 2:14-23 - Daily Devotion - 7 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her
and lead her to the wilderness,
and speak to her tenderly.
15 There I will give back her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor
into a gateway of hope.
There she will respond as she did
in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came up out of Egypt.
16 In that day,”
declares the LORD,
“you will call Me ‘my Husband,’
and no longer call Me ‘my Master.’
17 For I will remove from her lips the names of the Baals;
no longer will their names be invoked.

18 On that day I will make a covenant for them
with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air
and the creatures that crawl on the ground.
And I will abolish bow and sword
and weapons of war in the land,
and will make them lie down in safety.
19 So I will betroth you to Me forever;
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,
in loving devotion and compassion.
20 And I will betroth you in faithfulness,
and you will know the LORD.”

21 “On that day I will respond—”
declares the LORD—
“I will respond to the heavens,
and they will respond to the earth.
22 And the earth will respond to the grain,
to the new wine and oil,
and they will respond to Jezreel.
23 And I will sow her as My own in the land,
and I will have compassion on ‘No Compassion.’
I will say to those called ‘Not My People,’
‘You are My people,’
and they will say,
‘You are my God.’”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

We’re back to God’s irrational grace that defies all logic! In chapter 1, God announced that Israel’s shameful unfaithfulness would lead to his absolute rejection of them – then suddenly he reversed it all with a series of astounding promises. In chapter 2:2-13, God “rewound the tape” to describe Israel’s spiritual adultery again, but in greater detail; and now he describes his promises in greater detail.

We can savour these promises all the more, because we know that God has fulfilled them through Jesus and the gift of his Spirit. The passage repeats the same promises we saw before: an intimate relationship with God, this time as “my Husband” (we are the bride of Christ, Eph. 5:25-32), restoring his compassion and his covenant. But it gets even better. God’s love in the new covenant will be so powerful that it won’t just forgive his people’s unfaithfulness, it will transform their hearts to be devoted to him: “For I will remove from her lips the names of the Baals; no longer will their names be invoked” (v 17). And this relationship of love, life and blessing will last forever – God guarantees it! (v 19)

But my favourite word is the very first word: “Therefore.” It’s the most illogical word in the whole Bible! God has just explained how incurably wicked and faithless his people are, and just how thoroughly they deserve to be wiped out. They have abandoned their Husband and committed spiritual prostitution. So how will God respond? “Therefore, behold, I will allure her and lead her to the wilderness, and speak to her tenderly. There I will give back her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope” (v 14-15).

“Therefore”? How does that follow? It’s about as logical as the Son of God dying instead of blind, stupid spiritual adulterers. There’s no logic … except the logic of God’s grace in Jesus. Thank God for his illogical love and the relationship you have with him forever through Jesus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister.

Hosea 2:9-13

Hosea 2:9-13 - Daily Devotion - 6 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

9 Therefore I will take back My grain in its time
and My new wine in its season;
I will take away My wool and linen,
which were given to cover her nakedness.
10 And then I will expose her lewdness
in the sight of her lovers,
and no one will deliver her
out of My hands.
11 I will put an end to all her exultation:
her feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths—
all her appointed feasts.
12 I will destroy her vines and fig trees,
which she thinks are the wages paid by her lovers.
So I will make them into a thicket,
and the beasts of the field will devour them.
13 I will punish her for the days of the Baals
when she burned incense to them,
when she decked herself with rings and jewelry,
and went after her lovers.

But Me she forgot,”
declares the LORD.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

Two phrases stood out to me in today’s passage. The first is: “I will destroy her vines and fig trees, which she thinks are the wages paid by her lovers” (v 12). It got me thinking: Baal-worshipers and modern self-made materialists who don’t give God a second thought are more similar than you might think.

The thing they have in common is the belief that you can earn health, wealth and happiness by following the right formula. In Israel’s case, that formula was about appeasing Baal, the local god of the land. Follow the right steps, pay money to the local priest, go through whatever immoral ritual you’re told to do – and the fruit and grain will come as your “wage” from the god. There’s no relationship. It’s a transaction in which you’re in charge. Pull the right lever, out comes what you earned.

For the average modern secular person, the formula is about working hard. Get the right education, or find the right training pathway, then get a job, apply yourself, use your intelligence or skills, be diligent – and the house, car, private health insurance, investment portfolio, and leisurely retirement will come as your “wage” from the universe. There’s no relationship – and no God to have a relationship with. It’s a transaction in which you’re in charge. Pull the right lever, out comes what you earned.

The other phrase that stood out was the very end: “‘But me she forgot,’ declares the Lord.” Maybe it stood out because I’m ridiculously forgetful! But this isn’t about having a bad memory. It’s about walking away from a relationship with God. Rememberingthe Lord is about always acknowledging and thanking Him as the loving source of everything good that you receive (see Deuteronomy 6:6-12).

Are you in danger of forgetting the Lord, in the way that the average modern secular person does – thinking that you’re owed a house and a job and money because you’ve worked hard for them. Pray today that God would protect you from the dulling influence of our materialistic culture, and that he would stir into flame your sense of dependence on him and your thankfulness for every blessing that he chooses to give you, simply out of his love.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister.

Hosea 2:2-8

Hosea 2:2-8 - Daily Devotion - 5 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

2 “Rebuke your mother,
rebuke her,
for she is not My wife,
and I am not her husband.
Let her remove the adultery from her face
and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.
3 Otherwise, I will strip her naked
and expose her like the day of her birth.
I will make her like a desert
and turn her into a parched land,
and I will let her die of thirst.
4 I will have no compassion on her children,
because they are the children of adultery.
5 For their mother has played the harlot
and has conceived them in disgrace.
For she thought,
‘I will go after my lovers,
who give me bread and water,
wool and linen, oil and drink.’

6 Therefore, behold,
I will hedge up her path with thorns;
I will enclose her with a wall,
so she cannot find her way.
7 She will pursue her lovers but not catch them;
she will seek them but not find them.
Then she will say,
‘I will return to my first husband,
for then I was better off than now.’
8 For she does not acknowledge
that it was I who gave her grain,
new wine, and oil,
who lavished on her silver and gold—
which they crafted for Baal.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

I would love to be a poet, but I’m nowhere near creative enough. Poetry is so powerful. After the outrageous promises we read at the end of chapter 1, God rewinds to Israel’s current state of spiritual adultery. This time he describes it in a series of vivid poetic images. They seem to shift between describing an adulterous woman and a community of farmers and peasants.

That’s the point, of course. Hosea’s shameful marriage situation is a horrible living poem. The “lovers” Gomer has flung herself on are like the statues of Baal which the Israelites are now worshiping.

But the sexual imagery is not just poetic licence. Baal was a fertility god. The Israelites had copied the Canaanites in believing that this god Baal would give them “bread and water, wool and linen, oil and drink” if they did the right rituals (v. 5). He was, they thought, the god of the land who would make fields fertile. But to unlock that fruitfulness, they needed to sleep with cultic prostitutes at local pagan shrines.

Oh, how far they had strayed from a knowledge of the Lord, the one true God who made everything and who graciously gives us all things, not because we perform rituals but simply because of his love and goodness! It makes me wonder how long it took them to descend from knowing God to such complete blindness. Did they notice the shift as it was happening, or was it so subtle that they didn’t even realise – as bit by bit, they made decisions that drew them away from God’s Word and his people?

There is a silver lining of grace, though. God’s judgment will expose the utter shame of sin; but he has a positive purpose. His judgment just might wake them up to the foolishness of the path they have chosen, and spark in them a desire to return to the Lord as their “first husband” (v 7).

Poetry is doubly powerful when God is the author. Pray that God would move your heart to fulfil his good purpose in you – that he might guard you from those little steps that will draw you away from being guided by his Word and living wholeheartedly for Jesus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister.

Hosea 1:6 – 2:1

Hosea 1:6 - 2:1 - Daily Devotion - 4 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

6 Gomer again conceived and gave birth to a daughter, and the LORD said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I should ever forgive them. 7 Yet I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will save them—not by bow or sword or war, not by horses and cavalry, but by the LORD their God.”

8 After she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, Gomer conceived and gave birth to a son. 9 And the LORD said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people, and I am not your God.

10 Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And it will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ 11 Then the people of Judah and of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader, and will go up out of the land. For great will be the day of Jezreel.

2:1 “Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’
and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

When parents name their children, often they will choose a name whose meaning is significant or special for them, like “Nathaniel,” which means “given by God.”

The children of Hosea’s wife Gomer all have very meaningful names, but there’s nothing heart-warming about them. We met the oldest son “Bloodbath” (well, Jezreel) yesterday. At least we were told that Hosea was the father (v 3). It seems that the next two are “children of adultery” (v 2). Gomer bore them to other men, and they have even more shocking names. Each name is a simple Hebrew phrase. “Lo-ruhamah” means “No compassion,” and “Lo-ammi” means “Not my people.”

I can’t imagine Hosea’s pain at his wife’s betrayal (and I don’t want to!) – but remember, this is what God told him to go through. I’m guessing the names reflect how Hosea would have responded to his wife’s scandalous infidelity: He will not have compassion on her, and he will disown these children. They aren’t his.

The most shocking thing is what these names represent about God’s judgment on Israel. God is not just painting a picture of Israel’s unfaithfulness. He is also announcing the end of his covenant relationship with them. The basis of that relationship had been God’s compassion for them (see Exodus 34:6), and the heart of the relationship was: “I will … be your God, and you will be My people” (Leviticus 26:12).

Now, he’s done with them. No compassion, Not my people.

But then … God suddenly reverses everything in verses 11-12! How?? There’s no logic – he just overturns his rejection and makes the most outrageous promises. They will be his people – in fact, they will be his very own sons! And not just the dwindling northern tribe of Israel. He will pour out his compassion and love and grace on so many people that it will be impossible to count them.

How can this be? How can any husband – let alone the holy God – forgive such a deep betrayal, when there is no excuse, no mitigating circumstances?

We’re not told here. But what I know is: I am Gomer’s child, and God’s unfathomable love is almost more than I can bear. It was that strength of love and commitment that led him to give up his own Son for spiritual adulterers like us. There’s no logic … except the logic of God’s grace in Jesus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister.

Hosea 1:1-5

Hosea 1:1-5 - Daily Devotion - 3 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 This is the word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel.

2 When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, He told him, “Go, take a prostitute as your wife and have children of adultery, because this land is flagrantly prostituting itself by departing from the LORD.”

3 So Hosea went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

4 Then the LORD said to Hosea, “Name him Jezreel, for soon I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5 And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead. All our devotions this month will be written by the ministry staff and student ministers.

This month, we are going to work through the strange, disturbing, and astonishing book of the Old Testament prophet Hosea. We’ll begin today by sketching some of the background of Hosea’s ministry.

Hosea lived about 250 years after King David, long after the united kingdom of Israel had divided into the northern kingdom (also called Israel) and the southern kingdom of Judah. Hosea was a prophet to Israel in the north. Israel had just enjoyed a long period of economic prosperity. But their wealth had bred corruption, violence and idolatry. The people had turned away from their covenant relationship with God. The rich and powerful oppressed the poor and perverted justice. The priests, instead of teaching the people to know the Lord, had led them to worship the Canaanite fertility god Baal.

Israel was soon to reap the consequences of their unfaithfulness. After centuries of warnings from God, in the year 722 BC, the fearsome Assyrian army conquered the capital city Samaria and deported the people to foreign lands. From that point on, Israel no longer existed; only Judah in the south was left.

Hosea’s prophecy was a final trumpet-blast of warning to Israel in the final decades before the end. The situation was extreme, and God called Hosea to an extreme – and frankly, horrible – way of showing just how evil Israel’s sin was. He commanded him to marry a sexually promiscuous and adulterous wife who would bear children from adultery and prostitution. God tells him to name Gomer’s first child Jezreel, which would be a bit like calling your child “bloodbath.” Jezreel was a place where, in 2 Kings 9 & 10, God brought judgment through violent death on the corrupt leaders of Israel. Hosea’s firstborn was a walking announcement that God was going to judge and destroy the whole nation of Israel.

Why on earth would God put Hosea through all of that? Because sin is so much viler than we normally imagine. Unfaithfulness to God isn’t just mildly rude. It’s spiritual prostitution. That is one of the big messages of Hosea’s life and prophecy: the horror, scandal, shame and offence of rejecting God. But as we’ll see tomorrow, there’s a second big message that seems unthinkable and impossible. It’s a message of God’s irrational love, a stubborn commitment to his people that seems to defy logic.

For today, ask God to steel you to listen with a soft heart to Hosea’s message, so that you will also grasp the wonder of his grace.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our senior minister.

Galatians 6:11-18

Galatians 6:11-18 - Daily Devotion - 1 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

11 See what large letters I am using to write to you with my own hand!

12 Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. They only do this to avoid persecution for the cross of Christ. 13 For the circumcised do not even keep the law themselves, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.

14 But as for me, may I never boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which[A] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything. What counts is a new creation.

16 Peace and mercy to all who walk by this rule, even to the Israel of God.
17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers.
Amen.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Paul Bogg

Reading this passage, I sense the weariness of Paul’s plea to the Galatians to take his words seriously. To the hearers of these words, there is a fork in the road – either walk the way of peace and mercy with God through Christ, or walk the way of the law. But not even the people compelling them to walk the way of the law are keeping the law themselves.

Recently I was talking to a non-believer, and I asked him: What would it take for you to make a decision to follow Christ? His answer was: “If I could see it, I would believe it.” The apostle Paul tells the Galatians: “Your proof is me.” Paul himself bears the marks of Jesus on his body, the physical scars of having been persecuted for Christ. He counts himself crucified to the world – and in that crucifixion, he is now a new creation. His testimony in chapter 1 illustrates this transformation – he once persecuted the church, but now is prepared to preach Christ, to the point of suffering intense persecution himself.

As we come to the end of this letter to the Galatian Christians, I wonder: Does my life reflect the same transformation that knowing Jesus brings? Would believers and non-believers alike see Christ in me, crucified to the world, and living the life of a new creation?  It’s a challenging question and causes me to reflect on my day to day living. Do I bear the fruit of the Spirit, taking care to put to death the acts of the flesh and seeking to do good to others, especially the family of faith? Those would be great points to reflect and pray on now.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.

Galatians 6:9-10

Galatians 6:9-10 - Daily Devotion - 31 October 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

9 Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Tina Bogg

I love the encouragement from this verse that trying to do daily life well, through faith in Christ, is an investment that will reap a harvest for God.

Initially as I read this passage, I was thinking about all the mundane, everyday activities I do. For me that’s the continuous cycle of shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, school pickup, extracurricular activities and the everyday emotional battles of parenting. “Well-doing” – or “doing good” in the NIV (which seems a bit clearer) – in my own situation includes being intentional in providing healthy meals for the family, keeping a cleanish house and getting the kids to help, encouraging the kids to learn and try different skills and focus on effort rather than achievements.

As I reflected more, however, I realised the most tiring part is actually trying to do these things with a Christ-like attitude: with patience and kindness, without grumbling, and keeping the big picture of God’s priorities in mind. This often includes the effort of many little acts of love: slowing down to listen to my daughter or read her a book instead of hurrying about finishing up the washing; or taking the time to message a friend and cook extra for someone who’s having a rough week; or taking a deep breath after being asked the same thing for the fifth time in one minute and answering without snapping; or apologising after snapping. Doing good, out of faith in Christ, takes energy and time.

As I read this passage, I resonate with feeling weary, but am encouraged to not give up, trusting that the good fruit will come later and it’s not all for nothing,

Your life situation might be very different to mine. What are the good things you are busy with? Paul includes a special note to do good to our brothers and sisters in Christ. With that in mind, who can you bless today with a message, a prayer, a meal or a helping hand? Let’s pray that God will continue to give us strength, energy, time, patience and perseverance to do good wherever He has placed us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tina is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.

Galatians 6:7-8

Galatians 6:7-8 - Daily Devotion - 30 October 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

7 Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. 8 The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Joseph Ting

The beginning of this passage jumps out at me. Paul basically says: “Don’t kid yourself – God is not to be fooled or taken lightly.” We may think what we do is confined to our hearts, that only we ourselves know what is going on inside us. However, we seldom realise that every single thought, action, even inklings of thoughts, are laid bare in God’s eyes. Remember in Matthew 10:31 and Luke 12:7, God even numbers the hairs on our heads! If God cares for us so much and knows us so intimately, do we seriously think God doesn’t know what’s in our hearts? Or maybe we just forget so easily.

Paul goes on to warn us that in the long term, we will bear the consequences of the decisions we make and the direction we choose – just like a farmer will eventually reap what he sows. If he sows good seeds and puts in the hard work required to nurture what he has planted, he will reap a good harvest. On the contrary, if he sows bad seeds and couldn’t care less about taking proper care of his crops, then he will reap a bad harvest.

Paul tells us that our thoughts and actions are like that of the farmer. If we live to “please the flesh” – if we don’t care about walking by the Spirit of Christ, if we’re happy to follow the so-called “pleasures of today” and do whatever we please according to our sinful desires – then we will bear the consequences of our decision: death and destruction on the final day. On the other hand, if we commit to living as those who belong to Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit and in the grace of God, striving to live out the fruit of the Holy Spirit, then we will receive God’s ultimate blessing of a place in the eternal kingdom that He has prepared for us.

The question is: Which path will I choose? Talk to God now about your decision.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joseph is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.

Galatians 6:3-6

Galatians 6:3-6 - Daily Devotion - 29 October 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

4 Each one should test his own work. Then he will have reason to boast in himself alone, and not in someone else. 5 For each one should carry his own load. 6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word must share in all good things with his instructor.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Rodney Clarke

We are always comparing ourselves to each other. My generation called it “Keeping up with the Joneses” – trying not to look worse than anyone else. Some people have more or less than you. But Paul urges us not to focus on them or on comparing yourself with others, but to focus on testing your own work (v 4). Or in Hebrews 12:1, each of us is to run the race set out for us. Everybody’s journey is different, but the destination is the same: the heavenly prize God has for us in Christ (Phil. 3:14).

We long for heaven, but in the meantime, we are called to bear one another’s burdens in love. What God calls us to do for each other is time-consuming and costly. But it’s about valuing others above ourselves (Phil. 2:3). I always find it difficult – how do you bear someone else’s burden without becoming embroiled in their problems? The messiness of life becomes the issue.

But no person is an island. We are Christ’s disciples because we have love for one another. I don’t want to reach out, but I need to – because I in turn can’t do it alone either. In a sense I am “nothing” if I think I can keep going my own way.

We are very fortunate that we have good and godly pastors and ministers who uphold us and teach us. We must look out for them as we also look out for each other. It’s all about how we live together side by side as believers, as we look forward eagerly for Christ’s return.

I struggle with many things. But I don’t need to struggle with them alone.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rodney is a member of our Fairifield Morning congregation.

Galatians 6:1-2

Galatians 6:1-2 - Daily Devotion - 28 October 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Herman Tu

Have you ever rebuked someone? I never have. But often when we look around at church and see sin amongst us, I want to take the speck out of my brother’s eyes and restore them in purity. But Jesus tells us to take the log out of our own eye first (Matthew 7:3-5).  So how exactly should we navigate this?

Paul teaches us how to address this. Remember that the context is Paul correcting the Galatian church for adding circumcision as a requirement to become a Christian.

Paul commands his brothers and sisters who are “spiritual” to restore the person caught in wrongdoing “with a spirit of gentleness”. There is a beautiful expression here of the reality that we have been made new by the Holy Spirit. Gentleness was one of the fruits of the Spirit we saw yesterday. We are no longer of the flesh but of the Spirit, so we walk in the Spirit and behave with gentleness. At the same time, even though we are of the Spirit, Paul recognises that we need to continually check our hearts and watch for the “log” in our own eyes, to guard us from deceit and jealousy.

To me, that is a pretty good formula already: remembering that we are of the Spirit, restoring with gentleness, and guarding our hearts in the process.

But Paul wants us to do more than restore others. He wants us to relieve their burdens. He says next: “Carry one another’s burdens,” which will “fulfill the law of Christ.” We’re to walk alongside one another, so that when a brother or sister’s sin is too heavy, you might take some of the weight off them.

We have been forgiven by Christ Jesus, saved from the condemnation of sin to live freely under the Word of God. The fellow believer who sins is still a brother or sister saved by grace. Realising this enables you to thank God for his amazing love. How radical is that? It’s never you against them. It is us together against sin.

Give thanks to God that we have been forgiven through Jesus, and pray for those who are navigating situations of rebuking and restoring others, that they may be shaped by the love of Christ.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Herman is a member of our Fairfield Evening congregation.

Galatians 5:22-26

Galatians 5:22-26 - Daily Devotion - 27 October 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Linda Vu

Galatians 5:22-26 reminds me of the kind of life God desires for His children—a life shaped by the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities reflect the character of Christ, and they challenge me to look inward and ask whether my daily life truly reflects Him.

As a parent of two cheeky boys, there are moments when I find it so easy to act out of frustration and impatience. But this passage encourages me to pause and let the Holy Spirit guide my responses—to seek Christ’s help to respond with gentleness instead of anger, patience instead of frustration, and love instead of judgment.

Verse 24 challenges me deeply: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” It’s a daily surrender, choosing God’s ways over my own desires. Each time I surrender a selfish thought or action to Christ, I experience more of His peace and His Spirit working in me.

Paul calls us to “walk in step with the Spirit.” This is an ongoing process of humility and obedience. It means me depending on God and listening to him to transform my heart with His will.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda is a member of our Fairfield Morning congregation.

Galatians 5:16-21

Galatians 5:16-21 - Daily Devotion - 25 October 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; 20 idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Annie Davies

When I read verses 19-21, with its list of the acts of the flesh, some things seem crazy – I would never do those as a Christian! Like sexual immorality, debauchery and sorcery. And yet there are other things in the list that I can struggle with sometimes, like discord, jealousy and envy. And those don’t seem that bad or serious, particularly compared to the other things listed. But Paul is very clear: “those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”. I was struck and rebuked when I read that! When I am envious of what God has given other people, that is an act of the flesh … it’s sin, and sin puts people outside of God’s kingdom! I am reminded that God really is holy, and even something that is a “small sin” in my eyes – something everyone probably struggles with – is utterly offensive to God. And if I practice those things, if I give my life over to that way of life, I will not be part of God’s kingdom.

But verse 16 fills me with such a wave of hope and encouragement. Walking by the Spirit is about living by faith in Jesus, who gives us the gift of his Spirit to both cleanse us from the guilt of sin and give us a new heart and a new way to live. I am so thankful that because of what Christ has done for me, God has given his Spirit to dwell in me. He helps me not do the acts of the flesh. It is so amazing that it is not my efforts to try harder, but rather God is at work in me by his Spirit to help me walk by his Spirit. Trusting in Christ truly does set us free! It is all his work that keeps forgiving my sin, keeps me walking by the Spirit, and ensures that I can inherit the kingdom of God and be part of his people.

This reminds me to pray. When I am struggling with things that are acts of the flesh, only God can help me. So I should depend on him in prayer, that he may continue his work in me. If anything from the list has struck you, why don’t you join me in praying for God’s help that we will walk by the Spirit.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Annie is a member of our Fairfield Morning congregation.

Galatians 5:11-15

Galatians 5:11-15 - Daily Devotion - 24 October 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

11 Now, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12 As for those who are agitating you, I wish they would proceed to emasculate themselves!

13 For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you keep on biting and devouring one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Adam Davies

“Why stop at circumcision, just keep cutting things off down there…” Gosh, Paul, is that really what you’re saying in verse 12? Whoever these people insisting on circumcision are, they must be really leading people into something terrible!

But I guess that’s been Paul’s point in this chapter, right? If Paul was really still preaching circumcision, then the cross would be done away with and pointless. If we have been set free from the slavery of relying on works for salvation, to wholly relying on God’s grace through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, and then we try to insist on something else being essential for our salvation, that makes the cross pointless, and we go back to slavery of works which cannot save. If verse 12 is anything to go by, Paul seems pretty serious about this!

Maybe it caused the Galatians to fight with each other about whether circumcision counted for anything, and the arguments were tearing them apart. Even with those who realised they had everything in Christ and that circumcision counted for nothing, maybe they weren’t using their freedom to care for and serve each other but seemed to be hurting each other! I wonder if it can be hard for us as well, when we’re trying to encourage people to let go of things they are relying on to get into God’s good books and instead to wholly trust in Christ for salvation. I wonder if I am ever high and mighty about it when chatting to someone who is scared about letting go of an unhelpful or ungodly tradition, instead of gently loving and leading them towards the truth of Christ? I pray that I can both be firm about salvation by grace through faith alone, and yet can correct and encourage people in a way that uses my freedom in love and service of others.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adam is a member of our Fairfield Morning congregation.