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Chapter 4 starts more like the other prophet books I've read so far. The Lord is bringing a legal case against the inhabitants of the land.

...continue reading "Hosea 4 (Israel and Judah)"

Hosea has a wife and three kids that all tell the tales of an Israel who has forsaken God and God has disowned, while still giving His longsuffering hope for the future.

...continue reading "Hosea 2 (Israel)"

The chronological reading order from the Blue Letter Bible interrupts Isaiah and even breaks up the reign of Hezekiah, sending us to the full book of Hosea.

...continue reading "Introduction to Hosea (Israel)"

Buckle up. We've concluded the section on the oracles of the nations. Now we're heading into a new set of chapters, 24-27. Just to give the sense of it, here the section heading in my Ryrie Study Bible: THE FUTURE TRIBULATION AND KINGDOM (ISAIAH'S APOCALYPSE). That's quite a title. Isaiah's Apocalypse sounds like the title to a horror film. Previously, I might have been tempted to skim this section very quickly. But I've learned that, even though these times are often filled with horror, they are actually a time of Hope. God drawing every last soul who will choose Him.

...continue reading "Isaiah 24, 25, 26, and 27"

The oracles continue. This final judgement is of Tyre. This is the famous ancient Phoenician city of explorers and mariners. Modern day Lebanon on the Mediterranean Sea. As a reminder, they supplied lumber for King Solomon's Temple.

...continue reading "Isaiah 23 (Phoenicia: Tyre, Sidon)"

I think humans have a default toward tribal thinking. We view "us" as superior and more cherished than "them". I don't think most people will agree that they, personally, are prone to it; but it shows up in a hundred different way in life. I spotted that thinking in myself when I saw that the next oracle wasn't a terrible foreign enemy, but our Jerusalem. This should remind us that when we act like the enemies of God, we shouldn't be surprised to find ourselves on a list that includes those we're acting like.

It seems like this chapter is related to the events immediately before, during, and/or after the reign of Hezekiah.

...continue reading "Isaiah 22 (Jerusalem)"