The Attributes of God:

The Longing of God Hosea 11-14 “I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love.”                   We often view God as distant and impersonal.  We see Him as one who is in heaven, detached from our lives and the affairs of the world.  However, as we read through the prophets, a different picture emerges.  Although God brings judgment upon sin because of His holiness, he is still a compassionate God who longs to have a personal relationship with us.  Throughout the book of Hosea, the themes of Judgment and grace are interwoven to present us a picture of God.  God is not in heaven detached from His creation and from us.  The more Israel rebelled, the more He sent the prophets to call them back (Hosea 11:2).  Despite their sin, He still has compassion for His people in 11:3-4. Looking back at the Exodus, God reminds them that H...

Our Greatest Spiritual Threat Hosea 6-10 “Strangers devour his strength, yet he does not know it; Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, yet he does not know it.  Though the pride of Israel testifies against him, yet they have not returned to the Lord their God, nor have they sought Him, for all this.” (7:9-10).                   The people of Israel must have been shocked when they heard Hosea’s message condemning them for their sin. They were doing all the right things. They were going to the temple to make their sacrifices and observe all the feasts. They were confident that they were doing all the right things and fulfilling God’s commands. However, for all their outward observances of the law, they forgot one important truth, that the heart is deceitful above all things and that external acts of worship do not necessarily reveal the genuine condition of the heart.    ...

Devastating Judgment and Outrageous Grace  Hosea 1-5 “I will go away and return to My place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face: In their affliction, they will earnestly seek Me.” (Hosea 5:15)                   Hosea ministered during a time when the northern tribes of Israel and the southern tribes of Judah were beginning to become entrenched in their worship of Baal, the chief god of the Canaanites. It was a time when Assyria was rising to power and starting to pose a genuine threat to Israel. As a result, they faced the threat of war and uncertainty. We see the same thing in our country today. There is growing apprehension and fear that our nation is on the brink of disaster. We fear the uncertainty of our geopolitical world. Even though our economy is doing well, there is apprehension that economic disaster is just around the corner. We see an increase in natural disasters ...

Examining our Lives in Light of the Certainty of God’s Word. Daniel 9-12 “Therefore, the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.” Chapters 9-12 of Daniel are remarkable for several reasons. First, Daniel is given a prophecy that accurately describes the history from his day to the arrival of the Messiah. In chapter 9, Daniel describes 70 prophetic weeks that will come. The first 69 weeks (each consisting of a 7-year period) point us to the arrival of the Messiah. Determining the exact starting point of the 69 weeks has led to two views. The first is that the 69 weeks begin with the decree of Nehemiah in 450 BC. If this date is correct, then the 483 years predicted by the prophecy culminate in the triumphant entry of Christ into the city of Jerusalem. The 2 nd  view is that the 69 weeks begin with Ezra in 457 BC. In this case, the first 7 weeks would...

Hope when times become Dark Daniel 6-8 “And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve him.”                   When Nebuchadnezzar was restored to power after God humbled him, it was a time of blessing and prosperity for the people of Israel.  While we do not know for certain, Nebuchadnezzar’s confession in 4:34-35 would seem to indicate that he became a genuine follower of the God of Israel.  With his proclamation, the worship of the God of Israel was elevated to the high level of blessing and approval.  With the proclamation, the Jews must have rejoiced, for it seems as if their misfortune of the exile was turning around.  However, after Nebuchadnezzar’s death, Belshazzar took power. Rather than affirming the worship of the God of Israel, he openly mocked God.  It was a t...

The God Who is Sovereign Daniel 1-5 “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding.”                   We are living in a time of fear and political upheaval.  The geo-political climate seems to be marred by fear and uncertainty.  People, even Christians, live in fear that the wrong party will be elected and will lead the nation to destruction, so we look for a political leader who can bring hope, stability, and justice to the world.  The greatest threat to the national health and stability is not the party elected, or the party defeated; the greatest threat is our trust in humanity to solve the national and global problems and uncertainties.  We continue to look for political solutions to a world that is plagued by spiritual problems.  We...