THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
HOSEA
CHAPTER
12
1. Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit but Judah still walks with God, and is faithful to the Holy One. Ephraim herds the wind, and pursues the east wind all day long; they multiply falsehood and violence; they make a treaty with Assyria and oils is carried to Egypt.
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verse 1)
As in the case of a father who has many children oh God my Father, there are those children who are respectful and obedient to You and Your ways, and there are others who are disobedient and rebellious. I believe oh God that as humans we make part of both groups for we are a mixture of good and bad and at times one takes dominance over the other making us obedient at times and rebellious at other times.
2. The LORD has indictment against Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways, and repay him according to his deeds.
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verse 2)
Oh God even though You love us, You cannot turn a blind eye to our shortcomings. As humans, we are to give an account to You for our good acts and deeds and even for those moments of weakness when our behaviour was not according to Your will. I pray oh God that when we appear before You the balance sways in favour of the positive deeds and not in favour of the negative Amen.
3. In the womb he tried to supplant his brother, and in his manhood he strove with God. 4. He strove with the angel and prevailed, he wept and sought his favor; he met him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him. 5. The LORD the God of hosts, the LORD is his name!
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verses 3 to 5)
Oh God, it is by nature that we are rebellious both towards others and even towards You my loving, God. Our mortal life is a constant battle against our sinful nature until we achieve our main objective in life, that of being united with You forever. Amen
6. But as for you, return to your God, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verse 6)
Oh, wise prophet Hosea Your words are truly inspired by God, for you could not have given us a better piece of advice. It is best to let others go their ways according to the ways of the world, however, we are to stick to the ways of God that are based on love and justice. Moreover, the second piece of good advice is that we are to wait on You my, God who always delivers at the appointed time according to Your diary as planned for our own good. However in the mean time, we are not to be passive but never cease in doing good actions and remaining firm in our life of prayer.
2. The LORD has indictment against Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways, and repay him according to his deeds.
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verse 2)
Oh God even though You love us, You cannot turn a blind eye to our shortcomings. As humans, we are to give an account to You for our good acts and deeds and even for those moments of weakness when our behaviour was not according to Your will. I pray oh God that when we appear before You the balance sways in favour of the positive deeds and not in favour of the negative Amen.
3. In the womb he tried to supplant his brother, and in his manhood he strove with God. 4. He strove with the angel and prevailed, he wept and sought his favor; he met him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him. 5. The LORD the God of hosts, the LORD is his name!
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verses 3 to 5)
Oh God, it is by nature that we are rebellious both towards others and even towards You my loving, God. Our mortal life is a constant battle against our sinful nature until we achieve our main objective in life, that of being united with You forever. Amen
6. But as for you, return to your God, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verse 6)
Oh, wise prophet Hosea Your words are truly inspired by God, for you could not have given us a better piece of advice. It is best to let others go their ways according to the ways of the world, however, we are to stick to the ways of God that are based on love and justice. Moreover, the second piece of good advice is that we are to wait on You my, God who always delivers at the appointed time according to Your diary as planned for our own good. However in the mean time, we are not to be passive but never cease in doing good actions and remaining firm in our life of prayer.
7. A trader, in whose hands are false balances, he loves to oppress.
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verse 7)
As much as the image of You my God and Father was portrayed in verse 6, the image of the adversary is portrayed in verse 7. Unlike You my God, the evil one is untrue and cunning and his pleasure is that of oppressing us and cause us to commit one sin after another. As humans, we are struggling to strike a balance in our lives in favour of goodness but the oppressive effects of evil are always at work Amen. I pray for Your protection oh God against the forces of evil.
8. Ephraim has said, "Ah, I am rich I have gained wealth for myself; in all of my gain no offense has been found in me that would be sin."
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verse 8)
When faced with our sinful reality especially during moments of crisis, even before You my God we try and seek justification in order to deny our sins. We often use logical reasoning in order to defend ourselves and justify our acts.
9. I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, as in the days of the appointed festival
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verse 9)
Oh God, You love us so much that You wish to release us from our state of Egypt and give us the liberty and dignity of that of Your sons and daughters and not that of slaves of our sins.
10. I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions, and through the prophets I will bring destruction.
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verse 10)
Oh God, I strongly believe that it is You who gives us visions and ideas. You know what is good for us before we ever think of our needs or wants. You inspire us to create inventions for the good of humanity, but not ideas how to destroy each other or even ourselves as in the case of euthanasia or abortion Amen.
11. In Gilead there is iniquity, they shall surely come to nothing. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls, so their altars shall be like stone heaps on the furrows of the field. 12. Jacob fled to the land of Aram, there Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he guarded sheep.
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verses 11 to 12)
During these times, oh God my Father the faith of Your people extinguished like a flame that has consumed all the candle. The acts that, resulted were purely the result of this state of degeneration. During our times meaning 2016, the same process is taking place. Many of us come to Church on Sunday, but when analyzing their behaviour during the service it is evident that some of us either do not know what is going on, why they are attending or even if they still believe in You or not! On the other, hand certain priests are not really believers in You although they celebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist. At the time I was on my way experimenting if I was really called to be a priest, although I had no doubts that You had called me, a friar who lived in the same convent gave me the scare of my life. He told me that Philosophy muddles the mind and its reasoning and theology destroys the faith. My response was that I was better off if I left the convent, thus preserving my mind and most of all my faith. However if this is true regarding philosophy and theology we have many priests who are atheists and for the sake of being priests are still proclaiming Your message of good news and are still serving on the altars. I pray oh God that the experience of this friar is not that of many other priests and friars. Amen
13. By a prophet the LORD brought Israel up from Egypt, and by a prophet he was guarded. 14. Ephraim has given bitter offense, so his Lord will bring crimes down on him and pay him back for his insults.
(Book of Small Prophets Chapter 12 verses 13 to 14)
Oh God my Father I thank You for those people who served as prophets throughout my life, during the process of my conversion. I still meet some of them occasionally and we talk about You and the blessed interventions that have taken place in our lives thanks to You. Everywhere I go You send me such people who make me aware of myself, my actions and even of misconceptions on many levels that I might have and help me percieve my distorted perception. Thank You for sending me such prophets and caring for me by sending me such people who are signposts for me to follow Amen.
Oh God my Father I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-
Oh God, You are my Father, You know my every move, You are aware of both my strengths and my weaknesses, You have been following me, guiding me from the very time I came into existence as a human being. Throughout my life there were moments when we were really close, however, there were other moments when I chose to live life according to my way instead of Yours. I Thank You for waiting for me to turn back from my ways and walk in Your ways again. Thank You Jesus.
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verse 7)
As much as the image of You my God and Father was portrayed in verse 6, the image of the adversary is portrayed in verse 7. Unlike You my God, the evil one is untrue and cunning and his pleasure is that of oppressing us and cause us to commit one sin after another. As humans, we are struggling to strike a balance in our lives in favour of goodness but the oppressive effects of evil are always at work Amen. I pray for Your protection oh God against the forces of evil.
8. Ephraim has said, "Ah, I am rich I have gained wealth for myself; in all of my gain no offense has been found in me that would be sin."
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verse 8)
When faced with our sinful reality especially during moments of crisis, even before You my God we try and seek justification in order to deny our sins. We often use logical reasoning in order to defend ourselves and justify our acts.
9. I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, as in the days of the appointed festival
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verse 9)
Oh God, You love us so much that You wish to release us from our state of Egypt and give us the liberty and dignity of that of Your sons and daughters and not that of slaves of our sins.
10. I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions, and through the prophets I will bring destruction.
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verse 10)
Oh God, I strongly believe that it is You who gives us visions and ideas. You know what is good for us before we ever think of our needs or wants. You inspire us to create inventions for the good of humanity, but not ideas how to destroy each other or even ourselves as in the case of euthanasia or abortion Amen.
11. In Gilead there is iniquity, they shall surely come to nothing. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls, so their altars shall be like stone heaps on the furrows of the field. 12. Jacob fled to the land of Aram, there Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he guarded sheep.
(Book of Small Prophets Hosea Chapter 12 verses 11 to 12)
During these times, oh God my Father the faith of Your people extinguished like a flame that has consumed all the candle. The acts that, resulted were purely the result of this state of degeneration. During our times meaning 2016, the same process is taking place. Many of us come to Church on Sunday, but when analyzing their behaviour during the service it is evident that some of us either do not know what is going on, why they are attending or even if they still believe in You or not! On the other, hand certain priests are not really believers in You although they celebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist. At the time I was on my way experimenting if I was really called to be a priest, although I had no doubts that You had called me, a friar who lived in the same convent gave me the scare of my life. He told me that Philosophy muddles the mind and its reasoning and theology destroys the faith. My response was that I was better off if I left the convent, thus preserving my mind and most of all my faith. However if this is true regarding philosophy and theology we have many priests who are atheists and for the sake of being priests are still proclaiming Your message of good news and are still serving on the altars. I pray oh God that the experience of this friar is not that of many other priests and friars. Amen
13. By a prophet the LORD brought Israel up from Egypt, and by a prophet he was guarded. 14. Ephraim has given bitter offense, so his Lord will bring crimes down on him and pay him back for his insults.
(Book of Small Prophets Chapter 12 verses 13 to 14)
Oh God my Father I thank You for those people who served as prophets throughout my life, during the process of my conversion. I still meet some of them occasionally and we talk about You and the blessed interventions that have taken place in our lives thanks to You. Everywhere I go You send me such people who make me aware of myself, my actions and even of misconceptions on many levels that I might have and help me percieve my distorted perception. Thank You for sending me such prophets and caring for me by sending me such people who are signposts for me to follow Amen.
Oh God my Father I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-
Oh God, You are my Father, You know my every move, You are aware of both my strengths and my weaknesses, You have been following me, guiding me from the very time I came into existence as a human being. Throughout my life there were moments when we were really close, however, there were other moments when I chose to live life according to my way instead of Yours. I Thank You for waiting for me to turn back from my ways and walk in Your ways again. Thank You Jesus.
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