Joel: What do I do when the unprecedented happens?
Devotions based on Week 2 of The Prophets: Joel (WATCH HERE)
Unprecedented.
This was the buzzword of 2020. It seemed like every other report about CoVid19 used the word “unprecedented.” The spread was unprecedented. The shutdowns were unprecedented. The economic downturn was “unprecedented.” The social distancing was “unprecedented.” The list could go on.
When something unusual happens it catches our attention. When the event has scope among many, it catches the nation and world’s attention.
The question is this, “When something unprecedented happens, how do we respond?
For the prophet Joel, the event that was unprecedented was an invasion of locusts. Here’s how the prophet begins his inspired message:
Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors?
… What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten;
what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten;
what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten. (Joel 1:2,4)
When something rare or unusual happens, it is easy to recognize as unprecedented. However, the greater challenge is to understand how to respond to it. The event catches our attention, but is it a call to change direction?
For the prophet Joel and the people of Israel, it was. God desired the natural disaster of a swarm of locust to catch the attention of the people of Israel. They were in a state of spiritual apathy and drift. Their lives were comfortable in their material belongings and routines of life and commerce. Spiritually they were asleep.
So God uses the “unprecedented” swarm of locusts to wake them up.
The drunkards: Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine;
wail because of the new wine, for it has been snatched from your lips. (Joel 1:5)
The priests: The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the Lord. (Joel 1:9)
The farmers: Despair, you farmers, wail, you vine growers; (Joel 1:11)
When life is altered by natural disasters, personal catastrophes, or national events, it is worth taking a moment to reflect and ask, “For what reason is God getting my attention.”
We may wonder “why?” it might take an “unprecedented” or large impact event, but perhaps these wake up calls were insightful.
Drunkards depended on wine to get drunk. The locusts destroyed the vineyards and wine couldn’t be produced. Is there a reason for a drunkard to pause and wonder why the wine has been snatched from his lips?
Priests, who minister before the Lord, were absent of grain and drink offerings because all the grain was eaten. Is there a reason for a priest to pause and reflect on why God might allow the grain to be destroyed?
The farmers who watched their crops methodically be eaten by the swarms of locust and the next year of seed destroyed, is there a reason for God to call them to pause and reflect in despair over what was happening?
Yes. Yes there is.
In time of disaster, there is only one way to turn: Away from the comforts of life, the empty rituals of religion and the dependence on profession and profit and back to the LORD.
For when the heart drifts from the Lord, the Lord allows the unprecedented to draw those same hearts back to himself.
Apply: As a country, we have experienced some horrific events in this past week (senseless train stabbing, school shooting, Charlie Kirk assassination and the remembrance of terror attacks in 2001. Take time to reflect today and ask, “For what reason is God getting my attention?”
Prayer: Lord, we don’t like the uncomfortable nature of personal and national calamities. However, knowing your heart of love and mercy, you are using them to call us back to you. Show me the way back to you. AMEN.
Hosea: A living example of God’s faithfulness!
Devotions based on Week 1 of The Prophets: Hosea (WATCH HERE)
“The Lord said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.’” (Hosea 3:1 NIV)
It’s hard to love someone who doesn’t love you back. It’s hard to be faithful to someone who is unfaithful to you. Yet God called Hosea to be a living example of faithfulness to an unfaithful spouse.
Most prophets proclaimed God’s Word with their lips. Hosea, however, proclaimed it with his life. God called him to marry Gomer, a woman who would be unfaithful to him. Hosea’s marriage became a living reflection of Israel’s unfaithfulness to the Lord. Every betrayal, every heartbreak, every public humiliation Hosea endured was meant to mirror God’s grief over His people’s idolatry.
Most of us would resist the thought of marrying someone who will betray us. But Hosea obeyed, not because he relished the pain, but because God was showing the world what His love looks like: faithful, steadfast, pursuing even the unfaithful.
When Gomer left Hosea, it wasn’t just a broken marriage; it was a sermon acted out before Israel. Hosea’s heartbreak was God’s heartbreak. Israel had run after idols, made alliances with pagan nations, and traded covenant loyalty for fleeting pleasures.
And yet, Hosea’s story doesn’t end in despair. God commands Hosea to go again, to find his unfaithful wife, to buy her back, and to love her once more (Hosea 3:1–2). In doing so, Hosea lived out the relentless, redeeming love of God, a love that refuses to let go, even when betrayed.
Hosea’s love for Gomer points us to a bigger reality: God’s love for His people in Christ. Like Gomer, we chase after other loves such as money, approval, pleasure, or power. Spiritually, we commit adultery whenever we love something more than God.
Like Hosea, God comes after us, not to punish us, but to redeem us.
The Apostle Paul writes, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). Jesus is the greater Hosea. He doesn’t just buy us back with silver and grain; He redeems us with His very blood.
Peter echoes Hosea’s message: “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:10). What was true for Israel through Hosea is true for us through Christ.
We are challenged to live out the faithfulness of God. This past week has reminded us of how desperately our world needs the truth, the hope, the faithfulness of God. An innocent woman stabbed on a train, a voice of biblical truth and worldview assassinated, a remembrance of evil that struck America 24 years ago all scream to the broken unfaithfulness of the world around. Hosea’s life and message challenge us. He modeled God’s faithfulness. He kept proclaiming God’s truth in a culture that mocked it. He kept loving when it hurt. He kept obeying when it cost him. He kept his heart grounded in the love, mercy and faithfulness of our God. He modeled for us that to be God’s people means to reflect His covenant love:
- In marriage: honoring promises even when it’s hard.
- In friendships: showing up consistently, not only when convenient.
- In our walk with God: worshiping Him alone, resisting the idols that call for our hearts.
- In our world: Speaking the truth in love, without fear and without compromise.
Faithfulness isn’t easy. Hosea knew that firsthand. But he also knew the God whose faithfulness never fails. So do we.
Apply: Ask yourself: Where is God calling me to live out His faithfulness today? Is there a strained relationship that needs the first step of forgiveness? Is there a temptation pulling me away from God that I need to resist? Is God calling me to show steady love in a place where others would give up?
Prayer: Faithful God, thank You for your prophet Hosea, who lived out Your unrelenting love in the midst of heartbreak. Forgive us for the times we have been unfaithful to You. Thank You for pursuing us in Christ and making us Your people again. Help us reflect Your enduring faithfulness in our relationships, our commitments, and our daily life. Amen.
Hosea: Lo-Ammi “Not My People”
Devotions based on Week 1 of The Prophets: Hosea (WATCH HERE)
Hosea 1:8 After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. 9 Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.
Few passages in the Bible sound as devastating as this one. God commands Hosea to name his child Lo-Ammi, “Not My People.” In this name, the covenant relationship between God and His chosen nation seems to be broken. Israel’s persistent idolatry, spiritual adultery, and rejection of His Word had led to this chilling declaration: “You are not my people, and I am not your God.”
In a living illustration, Hosea’s son captures the seriousness of unfaithfulness. Israel had exchanged the glory of the living God for the lifeless idols of Baal. They pursued self-reliance, political alliances, and worldly pleasures rather than trusting in the Lord. The covenant, which should have been marked by loyalty and love, was trampled by their rebellion.
God had warned them many times. In Deuteronomy 28:62–64, Moses spoke of the curses that would come if Israel abandoned the Lord: “You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left but few in number… because you did not obey the Lord your God.” Their loss of identity as “God’s people” was not an arbitrary punishment, rather it was the natural consequence of rejecting Him.
It is not hard to see parallels in our own world. We live in a time when loyalty to God is often traded for loyalty to self, career, wealth, or pleasure. Many still say “We are God’s people” but live in ways that contradict His Word. The spirit of Lo-Ammi echoes whenever our lives declare, “We do not need God; we can be our own masters.”
And if we’re honest, this is not just about “the world out there.” Each of us has moments when our lives do not reflect God’s covenant love. We may trust in money more than His promises, in approval more than His grace, or in our own wisdom rather than His Word. If God were to deal with us strictly according to our faithfulness, we too would deserve to be named Lo-Ammi.
But here is the stunning grace of God: even when He declares judgment, He always holds out the hope of restoration. Just a few verses later, Hosea prophesies:
“Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’” (Hosea 1:10)
God’s faithfulness is stronger than our unfaithfulness. Israel’s sin was great, but God’s mercy was greater. He promised to one day restore the relationship, not because Israel had earned it, but because His covenant love could not be broken.
The Apostle Peter quotes this very passage in 1 Peter 2:10 to describe the church: “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” Through Christ, God takes the Lo-Ammi of our sin and replaces it with Ammi—“My People.” In Jesus’ blood, we who were outside of God’s people have been made God’s people.
Apply: So how do we live this out? We live as people who belong to Him. That means: Rejecting idols—anything that takes first place in our hearts. Trust God’s promises, even when the world offers easier paths. Living with gratitude that we are “children of the living God.”
Prayer: Gracious Father, we confess that our hearts are prone to wander, like Israel of old. Too often we chase after other loves and forget that we belong to You. Yet we thank You that in Christ, You have made us Your people again. Help us to live in the joy and security of being Your children. Amen.
Hosea: Lo-Ruhamah “Not Loved”
Devotions based on Week 1 of The Prophets: Hosea (WATCH HERE)
Hosea 1:6 6 Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”), for I will no longer show love to Israel, that I should at all forgive them.
A son named Jezreel? Perhaps one could live with that.
But then to have a daughter and each time you spoke her name you would declare, “Not loved!” Hosea’s second child with Gomer was to be named Lo-Ruhama, which means “not loved” or “no mercy.”
Can you imagine some of the conversations with Lo-Ruhamah as she grew up and began to understand or maybe be teased about her name? “Dad, why did you name me ‘Lo-Ruhamah’?”
Hosea would then have to explain to his daughter that God was using her to be a constant witness to the people of Israel. While Hosea could affirm his love for his daughter, the people of Israel had stepped away from the love of God.
How?
They started loving other things. They spent their worship time in front of false idols. The Lord wasn’t responsible for not loving them, the people had stepped outside of God’s love and therefore would not receive God’s love and mercy.
Hosea confronts them:
Hosea 8:11-13 “Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning. 12 I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something alien. 13 They offer sacrifices given to me and they eat the meat, but the LORD is not pleased with them.
On the surface it might have looked like at times the people of Israel were worshipping, sacrificing and followed some of God’s law, but it was not an engagement of the heart. They chased after idols and pleasures of their own heart and found the worship and word of God foreign.
As a result…”not loved.”
While the daughter of Hosea pictured the state of God’s people, the relationship Lo-Ruhamah had with Hosea was one where Hosea still accepted and loved his daughter as his own. The Lord was no different. God’s people had pushed Him away repeatedly.
But even this harsh word is not final.
God’s heart in pointing out the drift of his people was so that they would return to the one who truly loved them. In Hosea 2:23, God promises, “I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’” His mercy returns, overflowing. God’s faithfulness amidst our unfaithfulness prevails. This truth wasn’t just for Israel at the time of Hosea, but for us today. The Apostle Paul puts it this way: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).
Ultimately, the love of the Lord would be manifested in his Son Jesus. All who had no mercy for their sins would receive mercy. All who are searching for love, would receive the enduring grace of God. This includes you.
Apply: Have you ever felt beyond God’s mercy? Remember, God’s mercy is not earned—it’s extended. You may feel unloved, but God’s Word declares something better.
Prayer: God of mercy, thank You that even when I feel unworthy, You extend grace. Let me live not by my feelings, but by the truth that I am deeply loved in Christ. Amen.
Hosea: Jezreel “The Lord Scatters”
Devotions based on Week 1 of The Prophets: Hosea (WATCH HERE)
Jezreel – The Place of Scattered Judgment
Hosea 1:4 “Then the Lord said to Hosea, ‘Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.’”
When Hosea and Gomer had their first child, God told Hosea to name him Jezreel, a name loaded with history, meaning, and judgment. In Hebrew, Jezreel means “God sows” or “God scatters.” The name referred to the Valley of Jezreel, a place that had become infamous in Israel’s history for bloodshed, idolatry, and rebellion.
God’s reference to the “massacre at Jezreel” pointed back to Jehu, who had violently overthrown the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9–10). Though Jehu was initially acting on God’s command, he went beyond God’s purpose and used excessive violence, eventually leading Israel into the very same sins he had supposedly eradicated. Jezreel became symbolic of corrupted leadership and national rebellion.
So why name a child after that?
God was using Hosea’s family as a living sermon. Jezreel represented the judgment coming upon Israel. The people had sown seeds of idolatry, injustice, and violence and now they would reap the consequences. God was about to “scatter” them in exile. The northern kingdom of Israel, which had rejected God over and over, would soon fall to the Assyrians (722 B.C.).
But here’s where God’s faithfulness will overcome the scattering of unfaithful Israel.
In Hosea 2:22-23, God reverses the meaning of Jezreel: “…and they will respond to Jezreel. I will plant her for myself in the land.”
Suddenly, Jezreel no longer means scattered in judgment but rather planted in hope. The same name that once signified exile now points to restoration. This is the heart of our faithful God: judgment is never His final word. He disciplines to redeem. He scatters in order to plant again.
God’s faithfulness is not voided by our failures. Even when He allows painful consequences for sin, it is never to destroy us, but to draw us back to Himself. Alluding to the reign of the Messiah and his Kingdom, he gives hope to his people of gathering them again, but this time stronger, deeper, and more faithful to him.
We can be like Israel. Sometimes, we experience the consequences of our own sin or the brokenness of a fallen world, and it feels like God is scattering everything. This is not the time to move away from the Lord, but rather realize that what feels like destruction may actually be preparation for new growth.
God’s faithfulness always works to call us back. At times he allows a “scattering” to bring us to a realization of what we are missing when we walk away from the Lord. In repentance, he gathers us back to plant us in his Kingdom to be a people gathered together to produce a harvest of righteousness.
Remember, God is not just the God of Jezreel the battlefield, but he is also the God of Jezreel the planting ground.
Apply: Are you in a season of “scattering,” a time where it feels like things are falling apart? Could it be that God is using this season to plant something new in you? Are you willing to let Him work, even when it feels like judgment or discipline?
Prayer: Lord, I confess that sometimes I fear Your judgment more than I trust Your heart. When I see things unraveling in my life, I assume You are angry or distant. But Your Word reminds me that even when You scatter, You intend to replant. Even Your discipline comes from a heart of mercy. Help me trust that You are always working for my blessing and your desire to bring me close to you. Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.