Hosea 11:8-12

Hosea 11:8-12 - Daily Devotion - 25 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

8 How could I give you up, O Ephraim?
How could I surrender you, O Israel?
How could I make you like Admah?
How could I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart is turned within Me;
My compassion is stirred!
9 I will not execute the full fury of My anger;
I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim.
For I am God and not man—
the Holy One among you—
and I will not come in wrath.
10 They will walk after the LORD;
He will roar like a lion.
When He roars,
His children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like birds from Egypt
and like doves from the land of Assyria.
Then I will settle them in their homes,
declares the LORD.

12 Ephraim surrounds Me with lies,
the house of Israel with deceit;
but Judah still walks with God
and is faithful to the Holy One.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

Though Israel deserves to face God’s fierce anger, though they deserve total destruction, God will not do it. Why? Because of his compassion. Any human ruler would not show such compassion. But God’s compassion is far greater than human compassion. Yes, he will discipline his people but then he will transform them. At last, they will follow him. He will roar like a lion, that is, he will speak his powerful word and call his people out of slavery. They will come trembling, trembling in awe before his greatness, trembling at his word. He will settle them in their homes.

Ultimately, this is a picture of what God has done for his people through his Son – and we Gentiles are included. We deserved destruction, but God’s compassion for us in Christ is beyond our understanding. He roars the gospel message to the world, and we come trembling before him and his word. He brings us out of slavery to sin and causes us to follow him. He gives us an eternal home in the New Jerusalem. Praise God for his compassion on sinners like us!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Assistant Ministers.

Hosea 11:1-7

Hosea 11:1-7 - Daily Devotion - 24 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called My son.
2 But the more I called Israel,
the farther they departed from Me.
They sacrificed to the Baals
and burned incense to carved images.
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them in My arms,
but they never realized
that it was I who healed them.
4 I led them with cords of kindness,
with ropes of love;
I lifted the yoke from their necks
and bent down to feed them.
5 Will they not return to the land of Egypt
and be ruled by Assyria
because they refused to repent?
6 A sword will flash through their cities;
it will destroy the bars of their gates
and consume them in their own plans.
7 My people are bent on turning from Me.
Though they call to the Most High,
He will by no means exalt them.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

This passage is about the tragedy of Israel. God loved them as a father loves his only son. He chose them to belong to him. He called them out of slavery in Egypt. But the tragedy was that, from then on, the more he called them, the more they went away from him (v2). The more he sent them saviours and prophets, the more they turned away from him and worshiped other gods. This will inevitably lead to further tragedy, Hosea says. God will punish them. Israel will return to Egypt (v5) – that is, they will return to slavery, this time under the Assyrians.

But this passage also contains the solution to this tragedy. According to chapter 2 of Matthew’s gospel, God has sent a new Israel into the world, his eternal Son. He too was forced to take refuge in Egypt – because of King Herod’s murderous intent. But God also called him out of Egypt back to the land of Israel. But unlike the old Israel, this new Israel would always obey God’s call, even to death on a cross. And so he would win an eternal salvation for all who trust in him. How blessed we are to live in the days of this new Israel, Jesus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Assistant Ministers.

Hosea 10:9-15

Hosea 10:9-15 - Daily Devotion - 22 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

9 Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel,
and there you have remained.
Did not the battle in Gibeah
overtake the sons of iniquity?
10 I will chasten them when I please;
nations will be gathered against them
to put them in bondage
for their double transgression.

11 Ephraim is a well-trained heifer that loves to thresh;
but I will place a yoke on her fair neck.
I will harness Ephraim, Judah will plow,
and Jacob will break the hard ground.
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness
and reap the fruit of loving devotion;
break up your unplowed ground.
For it is time to seek the LORD
until He comes and sends righteousness
upon you like rain.

13 You have plowed wickedness and reaped injustice;
you have eaten the fruit of lies.
Because you have trusted in your own way
and in the multitude of your mighty men,
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,
so that all your fortresses will be demolished
as Shalman devastated Beth-arbel
in the day of battle,
when mothers were dashed to pieces
along with their children.
15 Thus it will be done to you, O Bethel,
because of your great wickedness.
When the day dawns,
the king of Israel will be utterly cut off.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

Israel have sinned greatly. God warns that terrible judgement is coming. But God longs for his people to repent. He longs for them to turn back to him and walk in his ways so that he can forgive and spare them his punishment. In v12 he calls them back to the right path. ‘Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love’. As a farmer sows seeds, God’s people are to do righteous deeds, that is, live his way. Then they will reap the reward of experiencing God’s unfailing love as he blesses their lives.

But this will not be easy. It will be like a heifer breaking up unplowed ground. They need to make every effort to seek God. And it’s urgent. Now is the time to seek the Lord, says Hosea, otherwise judgement will come soon. And they need to persist in seeking the Lord until he comes and showers his righteousness on them.

Here is a wonderful statement of God’s saving grace that is as true for us today as it was then. As we turn away from our sin and seek God, he promises to shower his righteousness on us. As Romans 3 says: ‘But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe’ (Romans 3:21-22). As we put our trust in Jesus’ sacrifice for sin, God declares us to be perfectly righteous in his sight. What a gift! Hallelujah!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Assistant Ministers.

Hosea 10:1-8

Hosea 10:1-8 - Daily Devotion - 21 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 Israel was a luxuriant vine,
yielding fruit for himself.
The more his fruit increased,
the more he increased the altars.
The better his land produced,
the better he made the sacred pillars.
2 Their hearts are devious;
now they must bear their guilt.
The LORD will break down their altars
and demolish their sacred pillars.

3 Surely now they will say,
“We have no king,
for we do not revere the LORD.
What can a king do for us?”
4 They speak mere words;
with false oaths they make covenants.
So judgment springs up
like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.

5 The people of Samaria will fear
for the calf of Beth-aven.
Indeed, its people will mourn
with its idolatrous priests—
those who rejoiced in its glory—
for it has been taken from them into exile.6 Yes, it will be carried to Assyria
as tribute to the great king.
Ephraim will be seized with shame;
Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols.
7 Samaria will be carried off with her king
like a twig on the surface of the water.
8 The high places of Aven will be destroyed—
it is the sin of Israel;
thorns and thistles will overgrow their altars.
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

The sentence that jumps out at me in this passage is the final one: “Then they will say to the mountains, ‘Cover us!’ and to the hills, ‘Fall on us!’” This describes the desperate attempt of unforgiven sinners to hide from the judgement of God. But they will not be able to. It’s even more sobering when you consider that the sins of Israel described in this passage are ordinary sins, common in our society today. For example, in v1, ‘As his fruit increased, he built more altars’: Israel became prosperous, but instead of thanking God for it and serving him gladly they served other gods. In v4 they break contracts and take each other to court. Sound familiar?

Revelation chapter 6 picks up this sentence and applies it to the final judgement.

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” (Revelation 6:15-17)

When that day comes unforgiven sinners will not be able to hide from God’s judgement. Let’s praise God for the Lamb’s forgiveness and pray for opportunities to warn unbelievers of the judgement to come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Assistant Ministers.

Hosea 9:10-17

Hosea 9:10-17 - Daily Devotion - 20 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness.
I saw your fathers as the firstfruits
of the fig tree in its first season.
But they went to Baal-peor,
and consecrated themselves to Shame;
so they became as detestable
as the thing they loved.
11 Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird,
with no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception.
12 Even if they raise their children,
I will bereave them of each one.
Yes, woe be to them
when I turn away from them!
13 I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre,
planted in a meadow.
But Ephraim will bring out
his children for slaughter.
14 Give them, O LORD—
what will You give?
Give them wombs that miscarry
and breasts that dry up!

15 All their evil appears at Gilgal,
for there I hated them.
I will drive them from My house
for the wickedness of their deeds.
I will no longer love them;
all their leaders are rebellious.
16 Ephraim is struck down;
their root is withered;
they cannot bear fruit.
Even if they bear children,
I will slay the darlings of their wombs.
17 My God will reject them
because they have not obeyed Him;
and they shall be wanderers
among the nations.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Andy Rowlands

In this passage, Israel is presented as a grapevine, as those who are to bear fruit for God. I find this such a humbling passage, because it’s not for their fruit that they were chosen: wild grapes don't bear good fruit. It’s a striking image that shows us the nature of Israel’s (and our) relationship with God. Just as God found Israel, He is the one who found me and made himself known to me! And not only to me, but also to his church.

And yet, sin is so terrible as to take Israel away from the God who loved them. It is so terrible that the destruction of the people God loves is better than their continued sinning. Their children are being taken away so that they cannot sacrifice them, and they are being driven away from the places that lead them to sin.

That’s confronting for me. I cannot pretend that I do not sin, and the consequences are so serious! When I consider all the evil of my life, I am so thankful that God will not curse me for my detestable sins, nor reject me because of my disobedience. Instead, he will see my Lord, Jesus, who at the cross became accursed for me, bearing the punishment for my sins, so that I do not have to. And so now I rejoice, as one God has chosen and even justified at the cross.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andy is one of our Student Ministers.

Hosea 9:1-9

Hosea 9:1-9 - Daily Devotion - 19 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 Do not rejoice, O Israel,
with exultation like the nations,
for you have played the harlot against your God;
you have made love for hire on every threshing floor.
2 The threshing floor and winepress will not feed them,
and the new wine will fail them.
3 They will not remain
in the land of the LORD;
Ephraim will return to Egypt
and eat unclean food in Assyria.

4 They will not pour out wine offerings to the LORD,
and their sacrifices will not please Him,
but will be to them like the bread of mourners;
all who eat will be defiled.
For their bread will be for themselves;
it will not enter the house of the LORD.
5 What will you do on the appointed day,
on the day of the LORD’s feast?
6 For even if they flee destruction,
Egypt will gather them
and Memphis will bury them.
Their precious silver will be taken over by thistles,
and thorns will overrun their tents.

7 The days of punishment have come;
the days of retribution have arrived—
let Israel know it.
The prophet is called a fool,
and the inspired man insane,
because of the greatness
of your iniquity and hostility.
8 The prophet is Ephraim’s watchman,
along with my God,
yet the snare of the fowler lies on all his paths.
Hostility is in the house of his God!
9 They have deeply corrupted themselves
as in the days of Gibeah;
He will remember their guilt;
He will punish their sins.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Everett

In our passage today, it seems that Israel is having a party. People rejoicing, new wine, fresh grain – all these ideas sound like a great feast day to the Lord. But in the midst of this great party, Hosea speaks a sombre warning – Don’t rejoice. The days of punishment have come.

You see, even though everything seemed great at this moment, Israel’s greatest problem still remained – their spiritual adultery (v1). They had been unfaithful to God. And God’s judgment was coming against them as a result. Hosea warns Israel of a great reversal of their situation – their abundant crops will not feed them; their silver will be taken; they will not be able to celebrate the LORD’s feasts; and they will be cast out of God’s land. They might be partying now, but soon their worlds will be turned upside down.

It's not easy to warn people about God’s judgment – especially when everything seems good. For a lot of my friends, life is a bit of a party – they have good jobs, good houses, and good holidays. Life isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty good. But they have a big problem too – they have been unfaithful to the God who made them. And I know that a day of judgment is coming for them too (2 Peter 3:8-10). Jesus has rescued me from that judgment – praise God! – but my non-Christian friends are still facing that judgment, even though they don’t know it. I’m not a prophet like Hosea, but as an ambassador of Christ, I still want to try and warn my friends, and implore them to be reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:20). Why don’t you pray today that we would have the courage to warn others about God’s judgment, and share the amazing news of Jesus with them?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Student Ministers.

Hosea 8

Hosea 8 - Daily Devotion - 18 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 Put the ram’s horn to your lips!
An eagle looms over the house of the LORD,
because the people have transgressed My covenant
and rebelled against My law.2 Israel cries out to Me,
“O our God, we know You!”
3 But Israel has rejected good;
an enemy will pursue him.

4 They set up kings, but not by Me.
They make princes, but without My approval.
With their silver and gold they make themselves idols,
to their own destruction.5 He has rejected your calf, O Samaria.
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be
incapable of innocence?
6 For this thing is from Israel—
a craftsman made it, and it is not God.
It will be broken to pieces,
that calf of Samaria.

7 For they sow the wind,
and they shall reap the whirlwind.
There is no standing grain;
what sprouts fails to yield flour.
Even if it should produce,
the foreigners would swallow it up.
8 Israel is swallowed up!
Now they are among the nations
like a worthless vessel.
9 For they have gone up to Assyria
like a wild donkey on its own.
Ephraim has hired lovers.
10 Though they hire allies among the nations,
I will now round them up,
and they will begin to diminish
under the oppression of the king of princes.

11 Though Ephraim multiplied the altars for sin,
they became his altars for sinning.
12 Though I wrote for them the great things of My law,
they regarded them as something strange.
13 Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to Me,
and though they eat the meat,
the LORD does not accept them.
Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins:
They will return to Egypt.
14 Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces;
Judah has multiplied its fortified cities.
But I will send fire upon their cities,
and it will consume their citadels.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Matt Radloff

Are you “all in” on Team Jesus? Or do you still want to have it both ways?

In today’s chapter, God continues his condemnation of Israel through Hosea. Here we see that claiming to acknowledge God while seeking security in other things is a recipe for disaster. Time and time again throughout Israel’s history, God had saved them. And yet time and time again, they looked elsewhere for something more, as though He meant nothing to them. They kept on seeking security in idols, kings and foreign nations instead of the God who rescued them.

Sure, Israel offered sacrifices and cried out to God, but He sees what’s really going on. God always sees. While Israel claimed to acknowledge God, they’ve chased after the nations around them and even set up an idol the resembles the golden calf that Israel had worshiped way back in Exodus 32, at Mount Sinai. God wasn’t enough for them; they thought they needed more.

Are you in danger of having the same attitude? God has saved us in Jesus and given us everything we need. He’s our maker, and our saviour, and our loving Father, what more could we want? When we’re tempted to find security in money or status, God’s word reminds us to find security only in him. He’s the one who provides. He’s the one who sustains. He’s the one who cares. So, we can live confidently, going “all in” on Team Jesus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matt is one of our Student Ministers.

Hosea 7:11-16

Hosea 7:11-16 - Daily Devotion - 17 November 2025
St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

11 So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove—
calling out to Egypt, then turning to Assyria.
12 As they go, I will spread My net over them;
I will bring them down like birds of the air.
I will chastise them
when I hear them flocking together.

13 Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me!
Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against Me!
Though I would redeem them,
they speak lies against Me.
14 They do not cry out to Me from their hearts
when they wail upon their beds.
They slash themselves for grain and new wine,
but turn away from Me.
15 Although I trained and strengthened their arms,
they plot evil against Me.
16 They turn, but not to the Most High;
they are like a faulty bow.
Their leaders will fall by the sword
for the cursing of their tongue;
for this they will be ridiculed
in the land of Egypt.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Alex Chen

In the face of hardship or suffering, we tend to naturally turn to and trust in what we think is powerful. When there’s a car accident, an emergency room visit, conflict with a close friend, it’s so easy to freak out. In those moments, it feels so safe to turn to something like money to fix my problem. Paying for my problem to go away is almost a reflex reaction.

In our passage God’s people have looked for help anywhere but God. They turn here and there like a dove, looking for powerful allies in pagan superpowers – Egypt and Assyria. They fail to cry out to God and trust Him, and judgement will come with great certainty for them. They turn to other gods, but do not turn to the one true God – just like a faulty bow will turn to the side and fail to hit the right mark.

But the truth is: God is the only one who brings victory for His people. This was true for Israel, and is true for us now, as He has brought victory over sin through Jesus at the cross. Jesus defeated death for all those who believe in Him. While there will still be hardship and sin now until Jesus returns, God is the powerful one who we can and should turn to. For now, that means faithfully waiting in our uncertainty, anxiety, and suffering. It means praying, meeting with other Christians, reading and hearing God’s Word. Our great comfort is knowing that Jesus’ ultimate victory at the cross means we can look in certain hope beyond our situation now to eternal life with God, when suffering will truly pass away.

We are good at seeking refuge in the wrong things because of what the world tells us is strong, but Hosea reminds us of people who have missed the mark. It’s a pointer back to the God who is truly powerful and sufficient. Perhaps Peter’s words about Jesus in John 6 are clearer in light of this: “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex is one of our Student Ministers.

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.