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| The Toe River Chamber Ensemble will have its annual Christmas concert on December 17th at 7:00 at the First Baptist Church on our historic town square in Burnsville, NC. This is the Chamber's 30th year. It is comprised of musicians of all ages. (A few years ago the ages ranged from 8-80!) Photography courtesy of Steve Buettner |
My Meditations on Today’s
Readings
(Ellipses are mine
and are used for contemplation.)
Key Words /
Phrases: Deeply corrupted, played the harlot, shame, abomination,
iniquity, great enmity, lies, wickedness, rebellion, no fruit, no birth, no
pregnancy, no conception, trusted in your own way; You formed me, covered me,
marvelous are your works, fellow workers of the truth, he who does good is of
God, but he who does evil has not seen God
Harlotry Replaces
Blessing of Family – Hosea 9 and 10 – (Facts:
What It Says Summarized) The Union of God and Israel and the Union of Hosea and
Gomer: God seeks again to turn Israel from its “deeply corrupted” state (9:9).
The prophet Hosea’s very life is an object lesson in illustration to the
Chosen People. The prophet has been
ordered to marry a harlot – symbolic of Israel’s harlotry with idols in her
union with God. The manifestation of
their corrupt nature is the same as we have been reading since Genesis: shame, abomination, iniquity, great enmity,
lies, wickedness, and rebellion. The Further Allusions to the Dishonorable
Unions/Marriages: God’s Decree: No birth, no pregnancy, and no conception! Though they bring up their children, yet I
will bereave them to the last man. Yes,
woe to them when I depart from them. They shall bear no fruit. Yes, were they to bear children, I would kill
the darlings of their womb. Hosea’s
Plea: Give them, O LORD – what will
You give? Give them a miscarrying womb
and dry breasts! The Plea of the People: The sin of Israel shall be destroyed.
They shall say to the mountains, ‘Cover us’ and to the hills, ‘Fall on
us.’ (10:8) The Prophecy of the Diaspora:
My God will cast them away…because…they
did not obey Him, and they shall be wanderers among the nations. God’s Call
for His People to Return to Him: 1) Sow for yourselves righteousness,
2) Reap
in mercy, 3) Break up your fallow ground, 4) For…it is time to seek the
LORD…till He comes and rains righteousness in you.
Principle: While the symbolic result of their wickedness
and corruption is not bearing fruit (children), the literal history of
conception, pregnancy and birth does occur – with the Israelites (and with
Hosea and Gomer) – but often with these children continuing the generational
pattern of evil and godlessness…bringing
out their children to murderers. (9:14).
Note the people’s cry for the mountains to cover them and the hills
to fall on them. (Hosea 10:8): Charles Stanley in the Life
Principles Daily Bible, pg. 1490 says, “Jesus quoted this verse as
the Romans led Him away to be crucified (Luke 23:30.) And John alludes to it in a future
scene of divine judgment (Rev. 6:16). Stanley also says, (Ibid. pg. 1489): A
chronic case of disobedience may reveal not just a rebellious heart, but an
unbelieving one. The Hebrews who died in
the wilderness wanderings refused to obey “because of unbelief” (Heb. 3:19).
Before the Foundation
of the World and In the Womb – Psalm 139:13-16 – (Facts: What It Says – Summarized) The
Psalmist Acknowledges God’s Omniscience, Omnipresence and Omnipotence: 1)
You formed my inward parts, 2) You covered me in my mother’s womb. 3) My
frame was not hidden from You. 4) When I was made in secret, and skillfully
wrought in the lower parts of the earth…Your eyes saw…my substance, being yet
unformed. 5) In Your book they all were written…the days fashioned for me…when as
yet...there were none of them. The Psalmist’s
Response to God: I will praise You…for….I am fearfully and wonderfully
made. Marvelous are Your works…and
that…my soul knows very well. Principle: We are not only known
to God in the womb but also before the womb…and all our days have already been
numbered…even before we had lived one of them on the earth. God is Sovereign and Providential. He is omniscient, omnipresent, and
omnipotent.
Reminders for The
Beloved Family of God – 3 John – (Facts:
What It Says – Summarized) 1) Beloved, I pray that you may prosper…in all things…and be in health…just as
your soul prospers. 2) Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers
who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward…on their journey…in
a manner worthy of God, you will do well…because they went forth…for His name’s
sake…taking nothing from the Gentiles (the unbelievers.) We therefore ought to receive
such, that we may become...fellow workers for the truth. 3) Beloved, do not imitate what is evil…but what is
good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has
not seen God. Principle:
John has made our position in Christ and with God very clear. We are beloved. We are the children of God (1 John 3:1). We
have been prayed over by Christ (John 17), and by the Apostles (in their
letters to believers); we are
rejoiced over as we walk in the truth; we have God’s Holy Spirit within us to
guide and comfort us; we have Jesus Christ interceding for us even now before
God; we have an anointing from the Holy One (1 John 2:20); we are in Christ and He in us; we are
born of God if we believe Jesus is the Christ (1 John 5:1); if we ask anything according to His
will, He hears us; we will be together with Him eternally.
My Lessons and
Applications: How does this knowledge affect how I live? How do the names the apostles and Christ and
God call us in His Word impact and empower us?
Names are deeply
significant in the Bible. Do we
really grasp how much God loves us, how much he desires a close, intimate
relationship with us? So much so, that
He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins that we might live in His holy
presence. Am I spending time with Him alone every day, listening to Him,
talking with Him, walking with Him, learning and living His Word? Does
my life bring Him glory and honor through obeying His commands and loving His
people?
Beloved,
I pray that you may prosper in ALL things...and be in health…just as your soul prospers.
3 John 2
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