“‘And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent’” (John 17:3, NKJV). The name Hosea in Hebrew means “the Lord saves,” and is related to the names Joshua, Isaiah and even Jesus. The prophet calls the people to reject sin and find refuge in their Lord God because He … Continue reading –>
Hosea 4:1-3 presents God as one who brings a charge or a legal dispute (Hebrew rîb) against Israel. The chosen nation stood guilty before her God because the people had failed to live up to the terms of the covenant. Truth, mercy, and the knowledge of God were to be qualities of Israel’s unique relationship with Him. … Continue reading –>
Read Hosea 2. What is God’s basic message to His people here? How is the gospel revealed in this chapter? Hosea’s message presents the profound truth of God’s steadfast love for an undeserving people. Hosea 2 contains a lengthy speech by the Lord about Israel’s apostasy, which is then contrasted with God’s unfailing love for His people. After … Continue reading –>
When Hosea’s wife, Gomer, committed adultery against him, he suffered the agony of betrayal, humiliation, and shame. To the neighbors and friends who saw his pain, Hosea delivered a divine message through words and actions: Israel, God’s wife, was just like Gomer. The chosen people were committing spiritual adultery. The prophet Jeremiah compared God’s unfaithful … Continue reading –>
“When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, ‘Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord.’ So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.” (Hos. 1:2-3, … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Hos. 1:1-3, Ezek. 4:1-6, Hos. 2:12-18, 4:1-3, James 5:1-7,Rev. 14:6-12. Memory Text: “‘I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called “Not my loved one.” I will say to those called “Not my people,”“You are my people”; and they will say, “You are my God”’” (Hosea 2:23, … Continue reading –>
“And the years of eternity, as they roll, will bring richer and still more glorious revelations of God and of Christ. 06As knowledge is progressive, so will love, reverence, and happiness increase. The more men learn of God, the greater will be their admiration of His character. As Jesus opens before them the riches of … Continue reading –>
Benjamin Sam was a Global Mission pioneer in a primitive highlands region on the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. While visiting the ailing village chief, he faced down soldiers with guns pointed at his head and prayed for healing for the chief. God helped him raise up a small congregation in the highland … Continue reading –>
“Before the entrance of sin, Adam enjoyed open communion with his Maker.”-Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 7. After the Fall, however, that close relationship was radically altered in many ways. Read Genesis 3:24, Exodus 33:20, and Deuteronomy 5:24-26. What did sin do to the close relationship that existed between humanity and God? Sin had broken the relationship between … Continue reading –>
In the world that we know, predation is a common way of life among the animals. The term “food chain” is a familiar reminder of the importance of predation in our ecology, and we have difficulty imagining a world without it. But in the beginning, all land creatures ate green plants (Gen. 1:30). No animals fed on … Continue reading –>
Compare Genesis 1:28 with John 12:31. What was the status of Adam and Eve in the newly created world? Who seized power and became the ruler of this world? Adam was given the responsibility to be ruler of the world. When he sinned, Adam’s dominion was compromised. Satan now exercised his power in the creation, causing the corruption … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 2:7 and Genesis 3:19. From what was Adam made, and what was the result of his sin? God created Adam from the dust, and he became a living being. As long as he maintained his relationship with God, his life would continue. When Adam sinned, he became separated from the Source of life. As a result, … Continue reading –>
One thing that science and the Bible do have in common is the belief that this earth, as we know it now, is not going to last forever. For science (at least some versions of it), the same cold and mindless forces of chance that brought the earth and life on it into existence are … Continue reading –>
Read for This week’s Study: Rev. 21:1-5, Gen 3:19, 1 Cor. 15:52-58, Gen. 6:11-13,Isa. 11:6-9,John 14:1-3. Memory Text: “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13, NIV). In 2 Peter 3:10-13, Peter describes the fate of heaven and earth. Both, along with all that they contain, … Continue reading –>
“‘The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever.’ [Deuteronomy 29:29.] Just how God accomplished the work of creation he has never revealed to men; human science cannot search out the secrets of the Most High. His creative power is as … Continue reading –>