The Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 8

THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET

HOSEA 

CHAPTER 

8

1. Set the trumpet to your lips! One like a vulture is over the house of the LORD, because they have broken my covenant, and transgressed my law.

(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 8 verse 1)

Everybody be aware that we are God's beloved people, even though we are sinners! God is still protecting us from our sinful selves and from others because he loves us.


2. Israel cries to me, "M|y God, we-Israel-know you!" 3. Israel has spurned the good; the enemy shall pursue him.

(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 8 verses 2 to 3)


Oh God when our time comes and we all appear before You we are  all in for a big surprise, for although we all proclaim to love and believe in You the way that we live, our values beliefs and decisions may all not always reflect the spirit of that faith that we believe in that is in You.


4. They made kings, but not through me; they set up princes, but without my knowledge. With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction.

(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 8 verse 4)


Israel oh God took matters into their own hands without including or referring to You in the daily transactions of life. They behaved according to their heart's desire and went against the source of life that is You.


5. Your calf is rejected, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? 6. For it is from Israel, an artisan made it; it is not God.  The calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.

(Book of  Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 8 verses 5 to 6)


Oh God I understand how angry You must feel especially when we place our trust in the world and all it has to offer instead of in You and Your ways. As You said many create idols, such as money, pop starts, football players and even worse even parish priests with a very pleasant character may become idols. Once the people are attracted to the idol, the focus is totally shifted and focused.It is displaced from the 'Creator' to the 'created'. If we had to ask certain people why they attend to a particular mass they might say because that person is the priest and I like him. The question to be considered is are parishioners attending to make an experience of You my God, or to listen to a good homely or joke from that priest, or monk, whatever is the case!


7. For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads, it shall yield no meal; if it were to yield, foreigners would devour it.

(Book of Small Prophets Hosea chapter 8 verse 7)


If we sow good seed of the good deeds we do, we will benefits from the works related to the acts of good that we had done, however if we commit negative acts, we will reap the sour and negative fruits of our sinful acts which might end up in pain anguish and calamity.


8. Israel is swallowed up; now they are among the nations as a useless vessel. 9. For they have gone up to Assyria, a wild ass wandering alone; Ephraim has bargained for lovers.

(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 8 verses 8 to 9)



Oh God we are also swallowed up. We are surrounded by elements of the world that do their best to make us go against You and in favour of the world. We are also like the wild ass wandering in a no man's land of the world, the prey of the popular evil spirits who are all the time harassing us in order that we do not reach our destination that of being with Your forever.


10. Though they bargain with the nations, I will now gather them up. They shall soon writhe under the burden of kings and princes.

(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 8 verse 10)


Even though we join forces with the negative forces of the world and find our security in it, that same alliance can one day work against us, for it may be the same source that deprives us of our salvation and may even lead to the destruction of our souls.


11. When Ephraim multiplied altars to expiate sin, they became to him altars for sinning.

(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 8  verse 11)


Oh God as You are aware of, when the practice that is applied on a one time basis becomes an addiction that the user cannot live without this becomes a direct source of both physical and psychological pleasure. Therefore we are to be watchdogs over ourselves, so that when we observe that a habitual pattern is being created we take immediate action to bring it to an end.


12. Though I write for him the multitude of my instructions, they are regarded as a strange thing.  13. Though they offer choice sacrifices, though they eat flesh, the LORD does not accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity, and punish their sins; they shall return to Egypt. 14. Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; and Judah has multiplied fortified cities; but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour his strongholds.

(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 8 verses 12 to 13)


Oh God my Father You have given an uncountable quantity of teachings, a set of clear commandments, dogmas, encyclicals and ecumenical councils, however there are still among us those who still are  not convinced regarding their faith. Further more among us Roman Catholics who attend for adoration, spiritual exercises, communion there are still among us who do not really know who You are in their lives.


I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-


Oh God I pray that we no longer remain children in our faith. I pray that we take You at Your Word and place our trust in You. I also pray that You have mercy on us, for we do not merit heaven but the torments of hell Amen.

  

The Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 7

THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET

HOSEA 

CHAPTER 

7

1. when I would heal Israel, the corruption of Ephraim is revealed, and the wicked deeds of Samaria; for they deal falsely, the thief breaks in, and the bandits raid outside.

(Book of Prophets Hosea Chapter 7 verse 1)

Oh God although You are well aware that by our physical nature we are sinful and corrupt, You do not hold it against us but offer us Your healing. Oh what a loving Father we have, if only as sons and daughters we only appreciate what a loving Father we have.


2. But they do not consider that I remember all their wickedness. Now their deeds surround them, they are before my face.

(Book of Prophets Hosea Chapter 7 verse 2)


Oh God anything we do and say is not missed by You. You are aware of everything and therefore You are in an ideal position to judge us, however even when You do You still love us.


3. By their wickedness they make the king glad, and the officials by their treachery. 4. They are all adulterers; they are like a heated oven, whose baker does not need to stir the fire, from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.

(Book of Prophets Hosea Chapter 7 verses 3 to 4)


Oh God it is true that due to our wickedness we have made certain lawmakers happy because we have voted in favour of issues such as divorce that go against Your will in order to pass the law of divorce and mixed marriages. We have encouraged them to keep on passing other laws that go against Your will. We have added fuel to their f;lame by giving them our approval and the oven will keep on burning.


5. On the day of our king the officials became sick with the heat of wine; he stretched out his hand with mockers. 6. For they are kindled like an oven, their heart burns within them; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.

(Book of Prophets Hosea Chapter 7 verses 5 to 6)


Oh god when we lose control of ourselves we become over controlled by our emotions which take control of us as in outbursts of anger, which is strong enough to give us energy to do things or actions that we will not normally do when we are calm and at peace with ourselves and with others.  When we are in such a sinful state Your presence cannot dwell in us and the negative spirit which thrives in such a negative environment soon takes over motivating us to perform lustful and sinful actions.


7. All of them are hot as an oven, and they devour their rulers. All their kings have fallen; none of them calls upon me.

(Book of Prophets Hosea Chapter 7 verse 7)


Instead of eating our rulers, we put so much pressure on them that they have to resign, as in the case of many leaders and Pope Benedict who was compelled to resign from the papacy as a consequence.


8. Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples; Ephraim is a cake not turned. 9. Foreigners devour his strength but he does not know it; gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, but he does not know it.

(Book of Prophets Hosea Chapter 7 verse 8 to 9)


Oh God I am also a cake that is not yet finished and ready for consumption, I am still works in progress. Each day of my life is a task that is added to the lengthy process of my conversion and salvation. How wise is Your counsel oh God. We must be aware of others who claim to be our friends, however on the other hand their aim, is that of sharing from our skills and resources instead of giving and receiving. The role of such people is like that of a parasite, sucking the life out of its victim until it completely destroys it.


10. Israel's pride testifies against him; yet they do not return to the LORD their God, or seek him for all this.

(Book of Prophets Hosea Chapter 7 verse 10)


Oh God one of our greatest problems is our pride. This blocks us from accepting our reality, the fact that we may have problems in our lives, that are hindering us from living a life according to Your will. If we do not reach this stage and admit this fact, we can never humble ourselves before You and ask for Your healing grace.


11. Ephraim has become like a dove silly and without sense; they call upon Egypt, they go to Assyria. 12. As they go, I will cast my net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the air; I will discipline them according to the report made to their assembly. 

(Book of Prophets Hosea Chapter 7 verses 11 to 12)


Oh GOD even though we try to go our ways You still try to bring us back to You like a bird trapper who tries to catch birds. You can create situations that help us turn back to You. This is Your discipline of love.


13. Woe to them, for they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me! I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me. 

(Book of Prophets Hoses Chapter 7 verse 13)


Oh God when we wander away from You our lives become one big lie which ends our relationship with You and even with our inner self. We start believing in the lie so much that we cannot distinguish lies from the truth.


14. They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds; they gash themselves for grain and wine; they rebel against me.

(Book of Prophets Hoses Chapter 7 verse 14)


Oh God it hurts to the heart when You see us in sorrow over material losses and not wail over our loss of our relationship with You. In fact it is more proper to worry over the loss of our place in heaven than over worldly possessions that today are available but one day we shall have to be without.


15. It was I who trained and strengthened their arms, yet they plot evil against me. 16. They turn to that which does not profit; they have become like a defective bow; their officials shall fall by the sword because of the rage of their tongue. So much for their babbling in the land of Egypt.

(Book of Prophets Hosea Chapter 7 verses 15 to 16)


Even though You have been taking care of us since the time of our beginning, and gave us all we needed to lead a life based on Your ways, we still turn against You my God and my Father.

Oh God I would like to end this chapter of the book of Small Prophets with the following prayer:


Oh God although we are great sinners, we love You. We do our best, however our sinful nature at times gets the best of us. Please forgive us for those times when we turned against You while knowing exactly what we were saying and what we were doing. Most of all forgive us, if during such moments we were aware that what we were doing went totally against Your will. Amen.