Read | Hosea 11
When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
Israel called to the Egyptians
even as Israel was leaving them.
They kept sacrificing to the Baals
and burning offerings to idols.
It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the hand,
but they never knew that I healed them.
I led them with human cords,
with ropes of love.
To them I was like one
who eases the yoke from their jaws;
I bent down to give them food.
Israel will not return to the land of Egypt
and Assyria will be his king,
because they refused to repent.
A sword will whirl through his cities;
it will destroy and devour the bars of his gates,
because of their schemes.
My people are bent on turning from me.
Though they call to him on high,
he will not exalt them at all.
How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I surrender you, Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
I have had a change of heart;
my compassion is stirred!
I will not vent 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;
I will not come in rage.
They will follow the LORD;
he will roar like a lion.
When he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west.
They will be roused like birds from Egypt
and like doves from the land of Assyria.
Then I will settle them in their homes.This is the LORD’s declaration.
Ephraim surrounds me with lies,
the house of Israel, with deceit.
Judah still wanders with God
and is faithful to the holy ones.
Click here to listen to the Scripture in ESV.
As you consider God’s fatherly love and Israel’s wandering, where have you responded to God’s kindness with distance, forgetfulness, or repeated rebellion?
What does your sin reveal about the ways you have taken God’s love for granted while giving your affection and loyalty to lesser loves?
Focus
Practice personal and corporate confession today. First, confess your own sins plainly before God. Then confess the sins of the groups you belong to, not as a way of avoiding your own guilt, but as an act of humble identification: the sins of your household, church, workplace, friend group, or culture. Pray: “Lord, have mercy on me, and have mercy on us.”
Pray
Pray both personally and corporately. Confess your own sins, and then ask God for mercy on the sins of your household, church, and community.
Going Deeper
If you are also following the BibleProject’s One Story That Leads to Jesus reading plan, complete today’s reading.
