Category: 1 Year Bible Reading Plan

[NOTE: Those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 276-Jonah 1-4; John 1 summary!]

Happy New Year! I’m so glad you are joining us for our 2019 Journey Through the Bible! Your New Life’s 1 YEAR PRAYER AND BIBLE READING GUIDEwill help you keep track of your progress each day and give you some helpful tips for deepening your prayer life, your intentionality about reading God’s word, and growing closer to Him as we move through 2019.  If you have never read the Bible from cover-to-cover, then welcome to one of the most important journeys you will take as Jesus’ follower.  We can only obey Jesus’ commandments when we know what they are. We find them in the pages of the Bible. We find Jesus’ commandments directly in the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which is why we will be reading from one of them each day the whole time we work our way through the Old Testament. The Old Testament gives us the foundational history of God’s people. As you open your Bible or Bible App each day to read, take a moment to ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit, so you will gain a deeper understanding, and the power to live out the principles you find. The key to maintaining interest and completing a Bible reading plan is to acton what you read, so it becomes what God intended it to be: a guide for daily life. Thank you for joining us on the journey!

In the beginning God… so begins the book of Genesis. Before the beginning was also God.  The age-old question of “Who created God?” goes unanswered in the Bible, because God is the uncaused caused. He always existed. How? We cannot say or know.  Why? We cannot say or know. Part of the nature of God is being unknowable and beyond the capacity of the creatures He has created. Yet, God has made Himself known to us. He has revealed Himself to us in creation. (A creation requires a Creator, right?) He has revealed Himself to us in the history of the people of Israel. He has revealed Himself to us most clearly through His Son, Jesus Christ. Why? That we know. He tells us in the Bible.  From cover to cover we read of God’s love for us, of God’s desire to be in relationship with us.  That’s why reading and living God’s word in the Bible is vital to a growing relationship with God.

The greatest evidence and revelation of God’s love is the remembrance of Jesus walking out of the tomb, thus announcing sin and death had been defeated! You might never have experienced that love, or you might live in it daily. Either way, my prayer for you is you will experience God’s great love in Jesus Christ right now.  Know God created the universe for His glory and so you and I might rule over it with Him. Know that when we rejected God (which we read about in Genesis 3) God continued to care for us. Know Jesus is the ultimate evidence of God’s goodness and love.

We will always have many questions about God we cannot answer in this life. That is to be expected of a being whose thoughts and ways are as high above ours as the heavens are above the earth, according to prophet Isaiah. The good news, the amazing news is God loves us so much He has revealed everything of Himself we need to know to experience abundant life and salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ! To God be all the glory, honor and praise!

Genesis 1 offers us a summary of God’s creative process. While not a scientific explanation for how creation took place, the poetic chapter offers us so much truth: God existed before anything. He brought the chaos to order. He created in an orderly manner, and the process resulted in the “pinnacle” of His creation–human beings. At the close of Genesis 1, God offers the purpose for human existence: To be fruitful, multiply, subdue the earth and have dominion over it. In other words, God created us as co-rulers with Him over the planet!

Genesis 2 offers us a different view of creation. While Genesis one gives us the “birds-eye” view from 30,000 feet, Genesis 2 is more of a “bus ride” through the country. It offers us an account of the specific creation of Adam and Eve. It tells us the only thing “not good” in all of creation was for the man to be alone. The chapter closes with a beautiful picture of the basis for human society: a man and woman leaving their families of origin and starting their own families. In the fabric of creation, we see a marriage between a man and woman is the basis for fulfilling God’s purpose of our being fruitful, multiplying, subduing the earth and having dominion over it.

Genesis 3 tells us why the world is not like it was in Genesis 1-2: perfect. While Adam and Eve knew a perfect relationship with God and each other, the serpent tempted Eve to reject that for something “better.” Of course, they already had perfection, but the serpent (i.e. the devil) always twists the truth to deceive us into thinking we can find something better than God. As a result, Eve rejected God’s warning and ate the forbidden fruit. Adam, who was with her, instead of intervening and protecting her, participated in the sin, and the “Fall” occurred. We call it the Fall, because Adam and Eve “fell” from their perfection, from their perfect harmony with God and each other, sin was introduced, and from that moment we and the world itself were “broken.” The rest of the Bible offers us an account of God’s pursuit of our redemption, our restoration to relationship with Him.

Genesis 4 shows us how quickly sin moves in our world. From Adam and Eve’s loss of direct, personal relationship with God, their son, Cain, murdered his brother. As we will see moving forward through Genesis, the LORD continues to work in the lives of people, while people continue to turn away from Him resulting in greater and lesser degrees of pain, suffering, and death.

As we turn to Mark 1, we introduce the LORD’s ultimate plan for redemption, for freeing humanity from sin and death: Jesus Christ. As we have noted, we will be reading from one of the four gospels the entire time until we get to the New Testament portion of our reading plan, because Jesus is the central character in God’s plan for restoring us to relationship with us. Mark 1 records the “beginning” of the good news or gospel of Jesus Christ. That beginning included John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus, Jesus’ baptism and the first message He preached. His words and John’s coincided: Repent (or turn away from your sin and back to God), because the Kingdom of God is at hand. In Mark 1, Jesus also calls the first four disciples, demonstrates His amazing teaching skill, and His ability to bring the Kingdom of God to earth through casting out demons and healing the sick. For all these reasons and more, we claim Jesus as Savior and Lord in our lives.

(Day 276–Jonah 1-4; John 1)

Jonah is one of the most notable books of the “minor” prophets. The minor prophets weren’t less important than the “major” prophets, but their writings were much shorter. Jonah’s story is known the world over, because he is the poster child for being given a task by God, rejecting it for selfish reasons, and then undertaking the task only after God intervenes in his life in a supernatural way. Jonah’s story adds one final twist in that after he carries out God’s purpose, he is upset that God showed mercy to an entire nation of people. Jonah is the only prophetic book that focuses entirely on the prophet, himself, rather than on a prophetic message to a group of people.

Jonah 1 offers us the background for the entire book. The LORD called Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach a message of repentance to the people. Jonah didn’t want the Ninevites to be saved, so he ran away. Taking a boat in the opposite direction of Nineveh, Jonah thinks all is well. But the LORD sent a storm and the boat on which Jonah was a passenger was in danger of being destroyed. Jonah told the crew it was his fault and they had to throw him overboard. The crew attempted to save Jonah, but ultimately gave in to his request, and the moment he hit the water, the storm dissipated. We would think that would be the end of Jonah, but the LORD sent a great fish to swallow him. Many discount Jonah’s “story” as just that, a story, because of this detail, and what follows in chapter two, but we must remember if there is a God who exists beyond the natural, a supernatural God, then He is capable of intervening in the natural world, as Jesus did constantly during His earthly ministry.

In Jonah 2, Jonah cried out to the LORD from the belly of the fish, and the LORD heard. He had the fish vomit Jonah out on dry land!

In Jonah 3, the LORD tells Jonah to go to Nineveh a second time. Jonah goes. He preaches to the people to repent. They do, and the LORD shows mercy and spares them from punishment. The King of Nineveh took Jonah’s message so seriously he even had the people put their cattle in sackcloth, showing their repentance!

In Jonah 4, Jonah explodes with anger toward the LORD for His compassion on Nineveh. He tells the LORD he knew this is what would happen, that the LORD’s mercy and compassion would be shown. He asked the LORD to let him die, and said that’s why he left for Tarshish in the first place: he didn’t want the Ninevites to be spared. The LORD then made a plant grow up to shade Jonah from the heat. But after a while He sent a worm to kill the plant. Once again, Jonah’s anger flared and he wanted to die. The LORD asked Jonah whether he ought to be angry about a plant that died, which he did nothing to plant or cause to grow. Jonah said he ought to be angry. But the LORD was using it as an analogy, and asked Jonah whether He ought to have shown mercy for a city that had 120,000 children living in it? We don’t get Jonah’s answer, but we can guess Jonah might still have been angry. We don’t always find it easy to demonstrate the kind of compassion the LORD shows. Indeed, without the power of the Holy Spirit, we can all too easily have Jonah’s attitude. His life serves as a dramatic example of what great lengths the LORD will go to save thousands of people, and also how He works in the lives of individuals, because He cares about all of us, but He also cares about each of us.

As we return to John 1, we’re reminded how different John’s gospel is than the other three. John wrote his gospel much later than the others, and his purpose was more “theological” than “chronological.” That is while Matthew, Mark, and Luke wanted to present an overview of Jesus’ life from beginning to end (and return to heaven,) John wanted to show us clearly that Jesus is God. In John 1, John tells us Jesus is “the Word.” He tells us Jesus was with God in the beginning, and Jesus created everything. He tells us Jesus was full of grace and truth. We leave chapter 1 with a clear understanding: Jesus is not just an amazing man; He is God!

The book of Obadiah is the shortest of the writing prophets. It has only one chapter. It was probably written shortly after Judah was carried off into exile to Babylon. The purpose of the book is to condemn Edom, Israel’s neighbor and “relative” (Because the Edomites descended from Esau, Jacob’s brother), for not helping the people of Judah when they were being destroyed and carried off to exile in Babylon. Not only didn’t the Edomites help Judah, but they helped Babylon to round up the people of Judah. Obadiah also condemns all the nations, saying that on the “Day of the LORD” the people of all the nations would receive their just judgment, while the people of Judah would be restored. This is the common theme of the prophets: Israel and Judah were judged for their unfaithfulness. The rest of the nations were judged for their idolatry and wickedness. The people of Israel and Judah will be restored.

As we return to Mark 16, once again, we’re reminded that Mark has a “shorter ending” and a “longer ending.” In both versions Jesus has risen from the dead. In the shorter version we read only of His resurrection, but none of His words to the disciples. In the longer ending, Jesus meets with the apostles and tells them of the work they will do in His name, and how the Holy Spirit will lead them and give them gifts for their work. The reason for the shorter and longer endings is because in the manuscripts of Mark’s gospel that were found, the earliest manuscripts didn’t include the longer ending. As we complete Mark once again, the key for us to remember is Jesus’ resurrection changes everything! Because He rose from the dead, so shall we. That makes all the difference now and forever.

In Amos 7, the LORD shows Amos three separate visions of what Israel’s judgment will be like. In the first, the land would be devoured by locusts. In the second the land would be devoured by fire. In the final vision, the LORD set up a plumb line, by which He would judge Israel. Amaziah came to Amos and told him to leave the land and go to Judah. He told him the people couldn’t take his words, so he needed to leave. Amos responded that Amaziah’s wife would become a prostitute and his children would die by the side, and he would be carried off into exile and die in “an unclean land.”

Amos 8 resumes the judgment coming against Judah. While it could be either Judah or Israel or both, the Temple is mentioned. The key in this condemnation of the people is their mistreatment of the poor. They use false measures against them, and sell them for silver. The result of such treatment is the destruction of those who do it.

Amos 9 concludes the book with a promise of utter destruction on Israel followed by a promise to restore Israel. The LORD tells the people no matter where they hide: Sheol, heaven, or the depths of the sea, He will find them. But then, as is so often the case, the LORD changes His tone and He promises a future when Israel will be restored. The LORD’s mercy always wins in the end.

As we return to Mark 15, we read once again of Jesus being delivered to Pilate, and of Pilate handing Jesus over to be crucified. The great shame of Pilate is he found no guilt in Jesus, but to preserve his position, he went along with the people’s cries for Jesus to be crucified. As Jesus was being prepared for crucifixion, the Roman soldiers mocked Him, by placing a crown of thorns on His head, and dressing Him with a purple robe. The people mocked Jesus when He was crucified saying He could save others, but not Himself. The truth in that statement is so ironic: If Jesus had saved Himself, all of us would be lost, but because He gave His life in place of ours, we can all be saved! Upon Jesus’ death, the centurion in charge said, “Surely this man was the Son of God.” He said that because of the manner in which Jesus died–calmly and with dignity. Joseph of Arimathea received permission from Pilate to take Jesus’ body and bury Him in his own tomb. This is where the chapter ends. It is where the story ought to have ended, if Jesus were merely a man. The devil would have won, and we would be lost. But while Jesus was a man, He was more than a man, which is why there is a Mark 16, and why we have hope of victory over sin and death!

Amos 4 starts with a rebuke of the women of Samaria, who the LORD calls “cows”, because they have fattened themselves with leisure, and turning away from the LORD. The LORD tells the people over and over how He is judging them through various types of natural events such as drought, and famine. He calls the people to repent, but they do not repent, so the judgment continues.

In Amos 5, he tells the people to seek the LORD and they will live, but if not then 1,000 will go out to battle and 100 will be left; 100 will go out and ten will be left. The natural disasters and the battles will mount to Israel’s loss, and the people of various regions of Israel will be carried off to exile. Even so, the LORD calls the people to let justice roll down like the waters. He continues to call for repentance, to a return to following Him. As always, the LORD’s judgment on sin and idolatry is sure, but He calls for repentance and a return to Him.

In Amos 6, the LORD pronounces judgment against the wealthy in Zion and Israel. He tells them they will be the first to be carried off into exile or destroyed when the enemy comes. They have lived a life of ease and ignored the commands of the LORD and the needs of others. As always justice and obedience to the LORD are His call, and the people have neither heeded the call nor cared about it.

As we return to Mark 14, we read again the events leading up to the arrest and trial of Jesus. They have become so familiar to us by this time, and we could write paragraphs about each one. Jesus’ being anointed in Bethany, and the complaint by many that the ointment was “wasted,” while Jesus pointed out He was being anointed for burial. Judas leaves the group and goes to the religious leaders to betray Jesus to them. We read of the Last Supper, and all that went with it, including the disciples not knowing which of them would betray Jesus, and Peter’s claim he would never deny Jesus. The group leaves the meal to go to Gethsemane for prayer, but only Jesus perseveres in prayer. Then Jesus is arrested even though everyone knows He did nothing wrong. When the religious leaders attempted to get false witnesses to testify against Him, they couldn’t even get their stories straight. Even so, as the chapter ends, Jesus is bound, and Peter has denied knowing Jesus three times, just as Jesus said he wold. Peter weeps bitterly as the chapter ends, and each of us who love Jesus see the scene and are brought to tears as well. But as we know, chapter 14 isn’t the worst that humanity did to Jesus. That’s coming up tomorrow in Mark 15.

Today we turn to the prophet Amos, who may have been the first of the writing prophets. He served both Judah and Israel, and pronounced judgment on the nations for their idolatry, and rejection of God’s ways. In the end he offers the hope that Israel will be preserved through a remnant that will return.

Amos 1 starts with a rebuke of Jerusalem and Judah, but then moves quickly to a condemnation of most of the nations that surrounded Judah and Israel. The LORD promises to destroy each one for their sins against Israel and Judah.

This condemnation spills over to Amos 2, with a condemnation of the Moabites. Then the judgment moves to Judah and Israel. The LORD lists their sins in extensive detail, but by this time we have experienced most of what we read here in the other prophets. The people are reminded of the LORD’s faithfulness from the time He delivered the people from Egypt, and they are reminded of their unfaithfulness from that time as well.

Amos 3 offers additional judgment against Israel, with the LORD asking rhetorical questions, which all have the same answer: the people of Israel deserve their punishment. A bit of additional judgment is pronounced against Judah as well. As we have seen time-and-again throughout the prophetic books, the LORD holds Judah and Israel to the highest standard, because they alone are His people.

As we return to Mark 13, we recall it is Jesus’ pronouncement of what will happen in the future, and specifically at the time of His return. The message of judgment sounds similar to that of the prophets of all, but throughout the tone is more hopeful, and throughout Jesus offers a call to be ready when He returns. While many attempt to determine when Jesus will return, He tells us no one knows the day or the hour, so the key is to be ready whenever it is. As we live our days, we know one thing for certain: For us this is the “last generation” on the earth, that is each of us only gets to live for one generation. Whether Jesus returns during our lifetime, or waits for the next generation, we have only this lifetime to trust Him as Savior and Lord, and only one generation to love and serve Him. Let’s do that with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and do it in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we do, we can be sure whether He comes to establish His eternal reign during our lifetimes, or whether we go to see Him at the end of our lives, we will be ready!

The Book of the Prophet Joel intrigues, because so little is known about him. Because he writes primarily about Jerusalem and Judah, we assume he was from Judah. Biblical scholars place the time of Joel’s writing between the 9th and 6th centuries B.C. Joel speaks of the Day of the LORD, which the Jews thought was going to be a time of judgment against the nations, and of restoration for Israel, but Joel made it clear that Israel was also in line for God’s judgment.

Joel 1 tells us of a coming storm of locusts that would destroy everything. The resulting destruction was intended for Judah. Joel calls the priests and the people to repentance, because that is the only thing that will stop the destruction. This is always the case: we must repent or face the LORD’s destruction in our lives. While Jesus has died and risen from the dead to redeem and restore us, we must repent and receive the gift of redemption or lose it.

Joel 2 offers us another picture of the coming judgment of the day of the LORD. He offers another call to repentance, and then we read of the LORD’s great mercy, which will restore the land, and the people. He also tells of the day when He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. This prophecy was fulfilled in Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the 120 believers who had waited and prayed for ten days for His coming. On that day the Church of Jesus Christ was born, and 3,000 new converts were added.

Joel 3 promises restoration for Judah, and coming judgment on all the nations that have destroyed her in the past. The book ends with more promise of Judah’s restoration.

As we return to Mark 12, which is becoming quite familiar to us by this time, Jesus tells the Parable of the Tenants, which is a thinly veiled condemnation of the religious leaders. After this those leaders seek to trap Jesus, but fail each time. First, the Pharisees ask Jesus whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. Thinking whatever Jesus answers, they will have grounds to condemn Him, Jesus turned the situation around by proclaiming we must render to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are God. Next, the Sadducees attempted to show the fallacy of the idea of resurrection by telling a story about a woman who was married to seven different men. Their question was, “Whose wife will she be, because she was married to seven different men?” Jesus’ answer puts them in their place as He tells them they have it wrong, because they don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God. He points out we are neither married or given in marriage in heaven. After this, a teacher of the Law asks Jesus what is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus’ answer silences everyone: Love the Lord you’re God…and love your neighbor as yourself. Next, Jesus turns the tables by asking them whose son the Christ is, because King David called Him Lord. How then could He be David’s son? Jesus warns the people to beware of the scribes, because their goal is the praise of people, not the glorifying of God. Finally, Jesus praises a poor widow for giving her last two pennies in the offering to the LORD. He tells the disciples she gave more than all the rich people who gave out of their abundance, because she gave out of her poverty, trusting the LORD to provide for her.

Hosea 12-13 offer scathing rebuke and more judgment against Israel. Judah is also included in the condemnation. The LORD tells them they will both live in tents once again, meaning they will wander as they did forty years in the wilderness after He delivered them from Egypt. This time the wandering would be for seventy years, before some of them returned to Israel to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. The LORD’s judgment is sure and in ferocious terms He tells the people He will carry it out upon them.

Hosea 14 closes out the book with a call to repentance. We see no evidence of that repentance, nor do we hear of a return to mercy. We know the LORD has told us He will show mercy in the future in other chapters, and in other books of prophecy, but Hosea ends with no emphasis on that.

As we return to Mark 11, we read of the second time in Jesus’ life when He was acknowledged for the King He is: His Triumphal entry. The first time was when the wise men came from the east and worshiped Him when He was only two-years-old. The Triumphal entry offers us the opportunity to see the people gathered from many lands for Passover in Jerusalem shout, “Hosanna!” to Him. While the same crowd would shout, “Crucify!” in just five days, in this moment the called out to Him in exultation. The next day, Jesus pronounces a curse on a fig tree, and cleanses the money changers out of the Temple. This altercation was a direct attack on the religious leaders’ ways, and Jesus knew where it would lead. It didn’t matter, because His zeal for His Father’s house, would not let the religious leaders make a travesty of it. When the disciples saw the fig tree Jesus cursed was withered from the roots, they were amazed. Jesus used it as an opportunity to point out the importance of faith in our lives. Finally, the religious leaders challenged Jesus’ authority. This would be the first of a number of tests they would put before Jesus. Each time they would be the ones who looked foolish, not Him. In this case when they asked Him where He received His authority to say and do what He did, He turned the tables by asking whether John the Baptist’s authority was from God or people? The leaders knew if they said from God, Jesus would ask why they didn’t listen to him, but if they said from people, the people would riot, because they thought He was a prophet. Thus, they said they didn’t know, and Jesus said then He wouldn’t tell them where His authority originated either. This standoff, was only a foreshadowing of what would take place over the next couple of days, but in the end Jesus knew where the path was leading–to the cross. Thankfully, He was fully prepared for it, because that’s why He came to the world. He came to die, so we can live life in abundance now, and in eternity with Him when this life ends!

Hosea 9-10 offer more words of judgment for Israel. While the details vary, the theme is the same: Israel will be carried off by their enemies. Both Assyria and Egypt are named. The reason? The same reason offered throughout the letter: the people have been unfaithful to the LORD, and their wickedness continues to increase.

After the nearly contemptuous condemnation of chapters 9-10, the LORD tells us in chapter 11 of His love for Ephraim, for Israel. He recalls His founding of the people as He called them out of Egypt, and how even while they were “children” they turned from Him. Yet, He is God and not a person, so He will show mercy. It is the common theme of the prophetic books: the LORD’s judgment is sure, but His mercy is even surer!

As we return to Mark 10, we’re reminded of Jesus’ affirmation of His Heavenly Father’s establishment of marriage in the fabric of creation as a relationship between a man and a woman for life. The religious leaders came to Him asking whether it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife? Jesus asked them how the Law of Moses read? They said it was permitted, but Jesus responded this was because of human hardness of heart, but not God’s purpose or plan. In this day of anything goes sexuality, it is vital for us to remember Jesus’ affirmation of the order of creation concerning it: Sexuality is a gift from God, and is to be exercised between a man and woman in the covenant of marriage. This statement rattled the disciples, because even in their day, such an affirmation seemed radical. Imagine how radical it seems to us! Yet, God’s truth is always best for us, His boundaries are intended to guide and help us, not to hinder or limit us. After this comment on marriage, Jesus blesses children, whose parents brought them to Him. While the disciples didn’t think this important, Jesus affirmed the parents’ desires and blessed the children.

Next, Jesus encountered a rich, young man who wanted to know how to inherit eternal life. We need to understand in that day (as often in ours), wealth was considered to be a blessing of God. Imagine the young man’s surprise when after passing the “religion” test, Jesus told the man the only thing he “lacked,” was to sell everything he had, give it to the poor, so he would have riches in heaven, and then come and follow Jesus. The young man walked away sad, because he couldn’t give up his wealth. Picture being offered a spot among Jesus’ disciples and giving it up, because you couldn’t let go of your money. That’s exactly what happened. The disciples were confused once again, by the idea that wealth could be a stumbling block, but Jesus offered His famous statement about it being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven. We must never let anything stand between us and Jesus, because whatever it is, Jesus will ask us to give it up–or at least be willing to give it up–to serve Him.

The chapter continues with Jesus telling the disciples a third time He is going to be crucified and then rise again. This time James and John’s mother sees this as an opportunity for her sons to be given important positions when Jesus reigns as King. She asks Him for those positions on his right and left hand. But Jesus tells her it isn’t His to give. The rest of the disciples become irate when they find out what happened. It wasn’t because they were so righteous, but because they were pre-empted. Jesus reminds all of them leadership in God’s Kingdom is the opposite of worldly leadership. Leadership in God’s Kingdom starts with servanthood, and Jesus is the best example of that!

Finally, Jesus heals blind Bartimaeus as we would expect in Mark’s gospel. The entire chapter has been talk–significant talk, but talk nonetheless. It ends with Jesus healing Bartimaeus, so we remember what Jesus came to do: Bring the Kingdom of God to earth. In His Kingdom all can see! Faith is the ingredient that makes it happen. Here it was Bartimaeus’ faith. In other places it was Jesus’ faith in His own power. Always, faith brings the Kingdom forward.

In Hosea 5, the LORD pronounces judgment against both Israel and Judah for their “whoredom.” Again, the image that continues throughout the book of Hosea is the LORD as the faithful husband, and Israel and now Judah as the unfaithful wife, who has become a prostitute through their worship of idols. In His judgement, the LORD says at first He will be as a moth and mold that will rot the nations, but then He turns to a much fiercer image: He will be a lion that will tear apart these nations.

In Hosea 6, we find the people of Judah and Israel do not repent. The LORD says they are like Adam who turned away from the LORD. Indeed, at one point we are all like Adam, but we must repent and turn away from our sin, because only then will we be restored. One of the most powerful statements in the chapter is this: For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6 (ESV) Hundreds of years later, the Apostle Paul would remind us in his letter to the Ephesian church that when we trust Jesus and grow in our maturity in His Spirit we speak the truth in love, precisely what the LORD wants from His people!

Hosea 7 continues the pronouncement against Israel for relying on other nations rather than their LORD. He compares them to a “cake half-turned,” or “half-baked.” They have no sense, they lack understanding, and they certainly lack the steadfast love the LORD requires. We see the nation is heading to destruction, and continue in willful disobedience of their LORD.

As we return to Mark 9, we find one of the most incredible moments of Jesus’ life. He takes Peter, James and John up on a mountain and there, His appearance changes and He is visited by Moses and Elijah, two of the greatest men of Jewish history! Peter was so overcome by the experience, he suggested they make tents for each of the three, presumably so they could stay on the mountain top (literally), and relish the experience. But as with all of life, the mountain top experience didn’t last. They had to return to the valley. On the way down, Jesus told the three not to tell anyone about the experience until He had risen from the dead. They didn’t understand what He meant at that moment, and wouldn’t understand until Jesus rose from the dead!

Once back in the valley, the four came upon the other nine disciples attempting to cast a demon out of a boy. They were unable to do so, so the father asked Jesus “if” He were able to do something. Jesus picked up on the “if,” and said all things are possible for those who believe. He then promptly healed the boy. We find Jesus disturbed, probably angry at the situation, because of the nine disciples’ inability to do such a “minor” act, and also see how powerful the Kingdom of God is when it breaks into our world. After this event, Jesus tells the disciples once again that He is going to be crucified and rise from the dead. This time the twelve argue among themselves about who is the greatest. Jesus brings a child to the center of the group and points out this is the stuff of the Kingdom of God: being like a child.

As the chapter concludes, a couple of the disciples tell Jesus they found someone casting out demons in His name. They had told the man to stop, because he was not “one of them.” Jesus said not to stop anyone who does such things, because whoever is not against us if for us. This is an important principle. At times we find others whose group or theology might be different from our, but if Jesus is their LORD and they are doing works in His name, then they are on our side. Finally, Jesus gives a warning about any who lead His “little ones” to sin. While the term “little ones” includes children, it includes all of us as we see from Jesus’ use of the word in other places. To Jesus, we are all “little ones,” and each of us is precious to Him. What a great blessing and comfort to know that each of us is Jesus’ “little one.”

Today, we turn to the Book of Hosea, a prophet whose ministry was directed to the Northern Kingdom, Israel. He is often called the “Deathbed Prophet,” because he was the last prophet in Israel before the nation fell to the Assyrians. As we will see, the LORD directed Hosea to marry a prostitute, which was to symbolize Israel’s relationship with Him. Israel had become a prostitute, and even so the LORD still loved “her.” He would, however, tolerate no other lovers in Israel’s life, so the message was to repent or perish. Some biblical scholars believe the LORD’s command to Hosea to marry a prostitute was symbolic, but the book reads as a literal direction to Hosea, not a symbolic one.

Hosea 1 lays out the command of the LORD to Hosea: marry a prostitute and have children. Each of the children’s names symbolized the LORD’s judgment against Israel. The first, named Jezreel, symbolized the LORD’s judgment of the people that would take place at Jezreel. The second, named No Mercy, showed the LORD would not have mercy on His people. The third, Not My People, showed the LORD would say the Israelites were not His people. The chapter ends, as we have seen so many chapters of prophecy end already: with a promise of hope for the future. The people of Israel would return and be numerous. They would once again be God’s people.

In Hosea 2, the LORD condemns Israel for her unfaithfulness. In graphic detail, He recounts how she has turned from Him, but then in the second half of the chapter, the LORD promises to take back His unfaithful wife. He promises the people will prosper and “No Mercy” will be called “Mercy,” and “Not My People,” will be called “My People.” This shows us the LORD’s mercy and forgiveness are always the final word for His people.

Hosea 3, recounts the LORD’s command for Hosea to go and redeem his wife from prostitution. Hosea pays the price of her redemption, but tells her she must remain pure for many days. In the same way, the LORD promises to redeem Israel, but it will be after a long time without prince, or king, or anyone in charge over Israel.

The LORD condemns the people once again in Hosea 4. He continues to pronounce judgment against them and compares their going after false gods to “whoredom,” which it was. The LORD was their “husband,” but instead of remaining true to Him, the chased after gods of wood and stone, and worshiped aspects of nature. This passage is comparable to Romans 1, where the Apostle Paul condemned those who knew the LORD and his ways, but abandoned them to worship idols and nature. The human heart was created to worship. When we don’t worship the living God, we worship created things. When we become so arrogant that we will no longer worship any god, claiming to be atheists, we worship ourselves. Thankfully, as we see from cover to cover in the Scriptures, the LORD is merciful and His steadfast love endures forever. While He condemns sin, when we repent–when we turn away from our sins, He receives us back and restores us. Jesus is the ultimate affirmation of the redemption the LORD has for us.

As return to Mark 8, we come once again to the “turning point,” in the gospel. Here Jesus sets His face to go to Jerusalem. While we are only half-way through the book, from this time forward Jesus is heading to His ultimate destiny of dying on the cross to pay the penalty for human sin, and rising from the dead to show He is Lord and God and the only way to salvation. As the chapter unfolds, Jesus feeds four thousand men along with women and children with a few loaves of bread and fish. Then He has a brief run in with the Pharisees who demand a sign, which is quite odd given He just fed thousands of people with a meager amount of food! Jesus tells them He isn’t giving them any sign. Then as Jesus and the disciples travel by boat across the Sea of Galilee, Jesus tells the disciples to beware of the “leaven” of the Pharisees. As was often the case, they didn’t get it. They thought He was reprimanding them forgetting to bring bread. Jesus reminded them He had provided bread for thousands, but was talking about the works of the Pharisees.

When they arrived at land, they went to Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus asked the key question: Who do you say I am? We must all answer that question. Peter gave the right answer, “You are the Christ(Messiah) of God!” After affirming Peter’s answer, Jesus told them for the first time He was going to be arrested, found guilty, crucified and buried. He told them He would rise again. Peter, who had just answered the most important question ever, showed his humanity by rebuking Jesus for saying He was going to die. Jesus then called Peter “Satan,” for thinking solely from a human perspective. Jesus then turned to the crowd and reminded them, and through them us, the only way to follow Jesus is to deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily, and follow. Jesus never sugar-coated the cost of being His follower. It will involve self-denial, pain, and in extreme cases even death in this life, but the rewards both now and eternally are far more than any cost.