1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,880
Day 244, or September 1. Guidance can be difficult at times. Our thoughts today are rooted in

2
00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:18,920
Hosea chapter 1 verse 2. When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him,

3
00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:24,820
Go, marry a promiscuous woman, and have children with her.

4
00:00:24,820 --> 00:00:31,800
Now the big picture surrounding this verse. The prophet Hosea has a very special name.

5
00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:38,880
It comes from the same root word meaning salvation, as two other names in the Bible—Joshua

6
00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:45,800
and Jesus. He is one of only two writing prophets to the northern tribes of Israel. There were

7
00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:51,240
other prophets who ministered to the north, such as Elijah and Elisha, but we have no

8
00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:57,780
writings from them. Hosea lives a life in parallel to God's relationship with the people

9
00:00:57,780 --> 00:01:05,560
of Israel. Hosea's wife and Israel are both unfaithful.

10
00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:11,840
And now our action step for today. I know people who get their guidance from the Bible

11
00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:18,600
by flicking through its pages and seeing where it flops open, and in his sovereign mercy

12
00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:24,960
God sometimes guides like this. However, I am sure you have heard of the man who used

13
00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:32,920
this method, and his finger landed on Matthew 27 verse 5, which ends with the words, Judas

14
00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:40,720
went out and hanged himself. Whoops! So he tried again. This time he landed on Luke chapter

15
00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:49,080
10 verse 37, which reads, Then Jesus said, Yes, now go and do the same.

16
00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:55,720
It may be humorous, but it contains a serious lesson that we must read the Bible in context

17
00:01:55,720 --> 00:02:02,000
and in the light of the overall message of Scripture. In our text today, God tells Hosea

18
00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:08,920
to do something very unusual. When your sense of guidance seems hard to understand, don't

19
00:02:08,920 --> 00:02:14,560
just ignore it, but make sure it's from God, and therefore doesn't contradict the major

20
00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:20,200
themes of the Bible. Ponder on it and weigh it up in the light of everything else God

21
00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:27,200
has said. Ask him for confirmation. Consult your church leaders. Never limit your obedience

22
00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:33,800
by your ability to understand, because God never contradicts himself and has given us

23
00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:40,800
detailed guidance in the Bible. However, there are times when we simply have to step out

24
00:02:40,800 --> 00:03:05,140
in faith.