Reading
SAA Notes
Peter quotes 2:23 as applying to gentile Christians in 1 Peter 2:10. Once we were Loammi (not God’s people), but now we are Ammi (God’s people). Hosea bought Gomer out of her slavery to the brothel and restored her as his wife. Is God any less patient and faithful?
SJA Notes
* Mighty God, break our stubborn wills today and show us Your wisdom as we read Your word.
“Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one shall rescue her out of my hand.”
This is a hard word from the Lord, an extremely explicit passage.
God takes idolatry, rejection of Him, very seriously.
Israel were Faith-LESS.
So God brought punishment on His people for their continued refusal to turn from their worship of false gods toward Him, true worship of the TRUE GOD.
There isn’t any power or dominion greater than or equal to our God.
Nobody can bind Him up and steal from Him, nobody can overpower Him or trick Him.
And nothing, no power or entity, whether created or figmented, can pull from our of His hand in judgement or in salvation.
How good it is that God’s mercy allows us to move from one state into the other.
“And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.'”
This is reality for us God’s people today!
In Ephesians 2 we read,
“But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
Once we were FAR OFF (no mercy, not God’s people).
In Jesus our saviour we are NEAR (mercy received, called by God as His people).
This is our hope, our story – The truth to tell the world.
* Father God,
Thank You that You have no forsaken us.
Thank You that in Jesus we who were once FAR OFF and now NEAR.
Hallelujah, what a Saviour You are!
Amen.