Verse of the Day: V20 “I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.”
1. God’s Pleading (V1-5)
V2 “Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;”
God commanded the children of prophet Hosea to plead with their mother to repent of her unfaithfulness, and returned to her family. Their mother had chosen to love her lovers and material possessions instead of her husband and children. God compared the unfaithfulness of the people of Israel to that of the unfaithfulness of prophet Hosea’s wife.
V5 “For their mother hath played the harlot; she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.”
2. God’s Punishment (V6-13)
V11 “I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.”
Despite the children’s pleading, their mother refused to repent of her unfaithfulness. Despite God’s pleading, the people of Israel refused to repent of her unfaithfulness. Subsequently, God punished them by putting an end to their happiness. Indeed, let us repent of our unfaithfulness towards God otherwise His punishment shall also be upon us.
V12 “And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.”
3. God’s Promise (V14-23)
V20 “I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.”
In the future, during the time of the Millennium, all the people of Israel, shall know and believe in the true God, and remain faithful to Him. Today, God’s promise is for everyone who believes in Jesus Christ and remains faithful to Him, shall never perish in the fiery pits of hell, but shall have everlasting life with God in the pearly gates of heaven.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to believe in You and remain faithful to You forever.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 06:24 am
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Verse of the Day: V2 “The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.”
1. God’s Way Is Not Our Way (V1-3)
V2 “The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom: departing from the LORD.”
Will you marry a prostitute? This was exactly what God commanded prophet Hosea to do. It must have puzzled Hosea as how could God command His holy and godly man to marry an unholy and ungodly woman. However, this was exactly what God commanded Hosea, and Hosea obeyed God and never questioned God even though he could not fully understand God’s way.
V3 “So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.”
2. God’s Mercy Is Not Our Mercy (V4-7)
V6 “And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.”
God declared that He would have mercy on the people of Judah but not the people of Israel. Though Hosea could not fully understand why God’s mercy was to some, and not to others, he continued to obey God, and named his daughter, Lo-ruhamah or No Mercy.
V7 “But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.”
3. God’s People Is Not Our People (V8-11)
V9 “Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.”
Many people think that they are God’s people, but one day when they meet God, they shall be very disappointed as they are never God’s people. They profess to be Christians but they never possess the Holy Spirit, and are never obedient to God’s commandments.
“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:23).
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to obey You even though I cannot fully understand.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 10:21 am
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Verse of the Day: V2 “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
1. The Great Tribulation (V1)
V1 “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”
God gave Daniel a vision that there shall be a time of trouble, known as the Great Tribulation Period, which shall come after the Rapture or the moment when all Christians shall be caught up to heaven to meet the Lord. Those who live during the Great Tribulation will find it almost impossible to believe in Christ because the devil reigns during that time. This is why Christians are commanded to share the Gospel of Christ to their unbelieving loved ones and friends while there is still time before the Rapture.
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
2. The Great Judgment (V2-9)
V2 “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
There shall come a time of the Great Judgment where God shall sit on a great white throne and judge every person whether they have receive Christ as their personal Saviour.
“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” (Revelation 20:11-12).
3. The Great Choice (V10-13)
V10 “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.”
Today, if you choose to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are the wise who understand.
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, I believe in You and I shall have everlasting life with You in heaven.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 10:30 am
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Verse of the Day: V32 “And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”
1. The Mighty King (V1-7)
V3 “And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.”
The mighty king was none other than Alexander the Great, the king of Grecian Empire. He not only defeated the great Persian Empire but almost conquered the entire world if not for his sudden death due to ill health. He never knew God, and was determined to do his own will or the devil’s will in destroying the Jews, God’s chosen people. However, he failed because God protected His chosen people.
2. The Vile Person (V21-29)
V21 “And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.”
The vile person was none other than Antiochus Epiphanes. He became the king of Syria because of his flatteries. He never knew God and was against the holy covenant or the Jews. However, he failed to destroy them because God protected His chosen people.
V28 “Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.”
3. The Godly People (V30-45)
V30 “For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.”
However, king Antiochus Epiphanes did not reign for long, as subsequently the ships of Chittim or the naval power of the Roman Empire defeated them. Indeed, no empire or kingdom except God’s kingdom shall last forever, and no matter how the devil used the mighty king or the vile person to destroy the nation of Israel, God shall always protect His chosen nation. Though many Jews refused to know God, there was still a remnant who knew God and continued to live godly lives. Today God’s people are both the Jews and the Gentiles who know the Lord Jesus Christ. These godly people shall always remain strong because they are God’s chosen people.
V32 “And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that I am strong because I know You.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 05:16 pm
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Verse of the Day: V19 “And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.”
1. Be Sorrowful (V1-7)
V1 “In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.”
The Almighty God revealed the spiritual condition of the people of Israel that they had become unholy and evil. This was why Prophet Daniel was sorrowful as he mourned for three weeks for his people to repent of their sins. It was sad and tragic that the people of Israel, who were supposedly to be the people of God, a godly example to the world, had become unholy and evil, and their lives were no different from the people of the world.
V2 “In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.”
2. Be Standing (V8-18)
V8 “Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.”
Daniel saw the great vision of not only the wickedness of the people of God but the intense spiritual warfare between the angels of God and the demons of Satan. However, God encouraged Daniel to continue to stand upright despite the wickedness of the people.
V11 “And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.”
3. Be Strong (V19-21)
V19 “And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.”
God sent an angel to strengthen and encourage Daniel. Indeed, the Word of God promises that the Almighty God together with Michael, His prince or archangel and the rest of His angels shall certainly prevail against the Devil and his demons both now and forever.
V21 “But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please strengthen me so that I shall be strong in You and You alone.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 10:17 am
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