JUNE 19

PREDICTION OF CAPTIVITY. Hosea 10:1-15

Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased,

he built more altars; as his land prospered,

he adorned his sacred stones. Their heart is deceitful,

and now they must bear their guilt. The lord will demolish their altars

and destroy their sacred stones.

Then they will say, "We have no king , .

because we did not revere the lord. But even if we had a king,

what could he do for us? They make many promises,

take false oaths

and make agreements;

therefore lawsuits spring up

like; poisonous weeds in a plowed field.

The people who live in Samaria fear

for the calf-idol of BethAven. Its people will mourn over it,

and so will its idolatrous priests, those who had rejoiced over its splendor,

because it is taken from them into exile. It will be carried to Assyria

as tribute for the great king.^: Ephraim will be disgraced;

Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols." Samaria and its king will float away

like a twig on the surface of the waters. The high places of wickedness'" will be destroyed—

it is the sin of Israel. Thorns and thistles will grow up

and cover their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, "Cover us!"

and to the hills, "Fall on us!"

"Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel,

and there you have remained. Did not war overtake ''

the evildoers in Gibeah? When I please, I will punish them;

nations will be gathered against them

to put them in bonds for their double sin.

Ephraim is a trained heifer

that loves to thresh;

so I will put a yoke

on her fair neck. I will drive Ephraim,

Judah must plow,

and Jacob must break up the ground. Sow for yourselves righteousness,

reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground;

for it is time to seek the lord, until he comes

and showers righteousness on you. But you have planted wickedness,

you have reaped evil,

you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength

and on your many warriors, the roar of battle will rise against your people,

so that all your fortresses will be devastated— as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle,

when mothers were dashed to the ground with their

children, Thus will it happen to you, O Bethel,

because your wickedness is great. When that day dawns,

the king of Israel will be completely destroyed. I

GOD'S LOVE FOR ISRAEL. Hosea11:1-11

"When Israel was a child, I loved him,

and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more I called Israel,

the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baals

and they burned incense to images.

It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,

taking them by the arms; but they did not realize

it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness,

with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck

and bent down to feed them.

"Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent?

Swords will flash in their cities,

will destroy the bars of their gates and put an end to their plans.

My people are determined to turn from me,

Even if they call to the Most High,

he will by no means exalt them.

"How can I give you up, Ephraim?

How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah?

How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me;

all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger,

nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man—

the Holy One among you.

I will not come in wrath." They will follow the lord;

he will roar like a lion. When he roars,

his children will come trembling from the west. They will come trembling

like birds from Egypt,

like doves from Assyria. I will settle them in their homes

declares the lord.

RECITATION OF ISRAEL'S SINS. Hosea 11:12-13:3

Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,

the house of Israel with deceit. And Judah is unruly against God,

even against the faithful Holy One. Ephraim feeds on the wind;

he pursues the east wind all day

and multiplies lies and violence. He makes a treaty with Assyria

and sends olive oil to Egypt. The lord has a charge to bring against Judah;

he will punish Jacob⁶ according to his ways

and repay him according to his deeds. In the womb he grasped his brother's heel;

as a man he struggled with God. He struggled with the angel and overcame him;

he wept and begged for his favor. He found him at Bethel

and talked with him there— the lord God Almighty,

the lord is his name of renown! But you must return to your God;

maintain love and justice,

and wait for your God always.

The merchant uses dishonest scales;

he loves to defraud. Ephraim boasts,

"1 am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin."

"1 am the lord your God,

who brought you out of Egypt; 1 will make you live in tents again,

as in the days of your appointed feasts. I spoke to the prophets,

gave them many visions

and told parables through them."

Is Gilead wicked?

Its people are worthless! Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?

Their altars will be like piles of stones

on a plowed field. Jacob fled to the country of Aram

Israel served to get a wife, - ..

and to pay for her he tended sheep. The lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,

by a prophet he cared for him. But Ephraim has bitterly provoked him to anger;

his Lord will leave upon him the guilt of his bloodshed

and will repay him for his contempt

When Ephraim spoke, men trembled;

he was exalted in Israel.

But he became guilty of Baal worship and died. Now they sin more and more;

they make idols for themselves from their silver, cleverly fashioned images,

all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of these people, "They offer human sacrifice

and kiss'' the calf-idols." ' , Therefore they will be like the morning mist,

like the early dew that disappears,

like chaff swirling from a threshing floor,

like smoke escaping through a window.

THE WRATH OF GOD. Hosea 13:4-16

"But I am the lord your God,

who brought you out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me,

no Savior except me. I cared for you in the desert,

in the land of burning heat. When I fed them, they were satisfied;

when they were satisfied, They became proud;

then they forgot me. So I will come upon them like a lion,

like a leopard I will lurk by the path. Like a bear robbed of her cubs,

I will attack them and rip them open. Like a lion I will devour them;

a wild animal will tear them apart.

"You are destroyed, O Israel,

because you are against me, against your helper. Where is your king, that he may save you?

Where are your rulers in all your towns, of whom you said,

'Give me a king and princes'? So in my anger I gave you a king,

and in my wrath I took him away. The guilt of Ephraim is stored up,

his sins are kept on record. Pains as of a woman in childbirth come to him,

but he is a child without wisdom; when the time arrives,

he does not come to the opening of the womb.

"I will ransom them from the power of the grave

I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues?

Where, O grave, is your destruction?

"I will have no compassion,

even though he thrives among his brothers. An east wind from the lord will come,

blowing in from the desert; his spring will fail

and his well dry up. His storehouse will be plundered

of all its treasures. The people of Samaria must bear their guilt,

because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword;

their little ones will be dashed to the ground,

their pregnant women ripped open."

PROMISE OF FORGIVENESS. Hosea 14:1-9

Return, O Israel, to the lord your God.

Your sins have been your downfall! Take words with you

and return to the lord. Say to him:

"Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously,

that we may offer the fruit of our lips.

Assyria cannot save us;

we will not mount war-horses. We will never again say 'Our gods'

to what our own hands have made,

for in you the fatherless find compassion."

"I will heal their waywardness ... .

and love them freely,

for my anger has turned away from diem. 1 will be like the dew to Israel;

he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon

he will send down his roots;

his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree,

his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. Men will dwell again in his shade.

He will flourish like the grain. He will blossom like a vine,

and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon. O Ephraim, what more have I'' to do with idols?

I will answer him and care for him. I am like a green pine tree;

your fruitfulness comes from me."

Who is wise? He will realize these things.

Who is discerning? He will understand them. "Hie ways of the lord are right; • -

the righteous walk in them,

but the rebellious stumble in them.

Despite the warnings of Hosea, the people remain entrenched in idolatry: the focus now turns to Judah though affected less than Israel, has problems of its own

In Judah

AMAZ1AH RENEWS REIGN. 2 Kgs.14:17 [2Chron. 25:25 ]

Arnaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel.

AMAZIAH ASSASSINATED. 2 Chron. 25:26-28 [2 Kgs.14:18-20]

As for the other events of Amaziah's reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the lord, they conspired against him in Jerusalem and he fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. He was brought back by horse and was buried with his fathers in the City of Judah.

UZZIAH (AZARIAH) MADE KING. 2 Kgs.14:21; 15:1,2 2 Chron. 26:1,3

Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah,' who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.

Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother's name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. ^K In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Aza-riah son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign.

UZZIAH'S CHARACTER 2 chron. 26:4,5 [ 2 Kgs. 15-.3 ] He did what was right in the eyes of the lord,. Just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the days of

Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear/ of God. As long as he sought

the lord, God gave him success.

HIGH PLACES REMAIN2 Kgs. 15:4

The high places, however, were not removed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

ELATH REBUILT. Chron. 26:2 [2 Kgs. 14:22 2 ]

He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his fathers.

SUCCESS AGAINST PHILISTINES. 2 Chron. 26:6-8

He went to war against the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod. He then rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal and against the Meunites. The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful.

UZZIAH'S INDUSTRIES. 2 Chron. 26:9,10,15

Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the angle of the wall, and he fortified them. He also built towers in the desert and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil. In Jerusalem he made machines designed by skillful men for use on the towers and on the corner defenses to shoot arrows and hurl large stones. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.

UZZIAH'S MILITARY STRENGTH. 2 Chron. 26:11-14

Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officials. The total number of family leaders over the fighting men was 2,600. Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies. Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and sling stones for the entire army. __