Listen to me people of God!
Hosea 2 describes being unfaithful and only being turned around to reform by being exposed, punishment and by being disciplined.
By withholding celebrations and halting the progression by giving space to think again.
Some things forfeited in ruin to redeem the future.
To provide the remedy to make recovery certain.
Intense action like this will often cause also some restriction and pain.
Thorns and walls, whilst protecting us from getting through into further danger can be hurtful at the same time whilst trying to escape confinement.
Continuing being blocked by thorns and walls hopefully leads to seeing error, seeking a way out, repenting and listening.
It is rare for God to be in both punishment and discipline mode together but standing back and restraining actions in extreme times has sometimes to be resolved by extreme action.
Individually and corporately there is a need on earth to turn back to God en mass.
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
Every step along the way a need to listen to God’s voice and His agenda.
Satan and darkness in the world try to hide the voice and the truth.
Deafen and blind us.
Love of other idols grab our attention when God should be our first love.
We have been blessed to receive revelation from the word in the bible and our guardian church leaders.
Now, more than ever, there is a sense of not just second hand Revelation as being enough and more and more we are being called to gain first hand revelation from God.
Just as Peter did when Jesus had asked him “who do you say I am?”
His answer also provoked Jesus to say that he had not come up with that truth on his own understanding it had been revealed to him directly from God.
Interestingly the rock on which they stood became the church at the gates of hell.
Now is a season to, in maturity, rely more and more on personal revelation.
To follow closely which may be through the wilderness as well as the promised land.
The reward is having our breath blown away by the oneness and the clarity with which we can first handedly know God’s voice and purposes.
God is jealous for our time, our ear and our attention.
The illustration shows us intentionally listening to God’s voice first hand knowing His revelation.
The sound waves in the spectrum of the Light of the Holy Spirit.
Five scriptures that come to mind:
“Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths.”Hosea 2:6 ESV
“And I will put an end to all her mirth, her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, and all her appointed feasts.”Hosea 2:11 ESV
“And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals when she burned offerings to them and adorned herself with her ring and jewellery, and went after her lovers and forgot me, declares the Lord.”Hosea 2:13 ESV
“And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord. “And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth,”Hosea 2:19-21 ESV
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”2 Peter 3:9 ESV
The song. More. Jeremy Riddle https://youtu.be/U6iCnmZPuQE
Lessisgreater 