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MEMORY VERSE: “I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord” (Hosea 2:20).

Suggested Reading: Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, pp. 404–410.

“Now, while mercy’s sweet voice is still heard, while it is not yet too late for wrongs to be righted, while it is called today, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”—Counsels on Stewardship, p. 99.

1. A DIFFICULT WAKE-UP CALL Sun, Dec 28

a. Describe the difficult life of the prophets of God.

James 5:10: As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

“Those to whom God has intrusted important responsibilities have not been brought up in ease and luxury; the noble prophets, the leaders and judges of God’s appointment, have been men whose characters were formed by the stern realities of life.”—The Signs of the Times, February 19, 1880.

b. How did God illustrate to Hosea the relationship between Himself and His unfaithful people?

Hosea 1:1–9: 1 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. Hosea’s Wife and Children 2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord. ” 3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel. ” 6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. 7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen. ” 8 When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. 9 And the Lord said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God. ”

Jeremiah 3:14: Return, O faithless children, declares the Lord; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.

(compare 2 Corinthians 11:2): For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

“In the Bible the sacred and enduring character of the relation that exists between Christ and His church is represented by the union of marriage. The Lord has joined His people to Himself by a solemn covenant, He promising to be their God, and they pledging themselves to be His and His alone. . . .

“The unfaithfulness of the church to Christ in permitting her confidence and affection to be turned from Him, and allowing the love of worldly things to occupy the soul, is likened to the violation of the marriage vow. The sin of Israel in departing from the Lord is presented under this figure.”—The Great Controversy, p. 381.

2. A MESSAGE OF HOPE Mon, Dec 29

a. After declaring judgement, what hopeful promise did God give to Israel?

Hosea 1:10: Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people, ” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.”

“God is abundantly able to transform the hearts of Jew and Gentile alike, and to grant to every believer in Christ the blessings promised to Israel. . . . ‘And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom and been made like unto Gomorrah.’. . .

“Notwithstanding the awful doom pronounced upon the Jews as a nation at the time of their rejection of Jesus of Nazareth, there have lived from age to age many noble, God-fearing Jewish men and women who have suffered in silence. God has comforted their hearts in affliction and has beheld with pity their terrible situation. He has heard the agonizing prayers of those who have sought Him with all the heart for a right understanding of His word. Some have learned to see in the lowly Nazarene whom their forefathers rejected and crucified, the true Messiah of Israel. As their minds have grasped the significance of the familiar prophecies so long obscured by tradition and misinterpretation, their hearts have been filled with gratitude to God for the unspeakable gift He bestows upon every human being who chooses to accept Christ as a personal Saviour.”—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 379.

b. How does the apostle Paul echo this comforting truth?

Romans 9:25–27: 25 As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people, ’and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved. ’” 26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people, ’there they will be called ‘sons of the living God. ’” 27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved,

“When this gospel shall be presented in its fullness to the Jews, many will accept Christ as the Messiah. Among Christian ministers there are only a few who feel called upon to labor for the Jewish people; but to those who have been often passed by, as well as to all others, the message of mercy and hope in Christ is to come.

“In the closing proclamation of the gospel, when special work is to be done for classes of people hitherto neglected, God expects His messengers to take particular interest in the Jewish people whom they find in all parts of the earth. . . .

“Among the Jews are some who, like Saul of Tarsus, are mighty in the Scriptures, and these will proclaim with wonderful power the immutability of the law of God. The God of Israel will bring this to pass in our day. His arm is not shortened that it cannot save. As His servants labor in faith for those who have long been neglected and despised, His salvation will be revealed.”—Ibid., pp. 380, 381.

3. TO THE WAYWARD AND WICKED Tue, Dec 30

a. Despite the serious spiritual decay of His people, what tender appeal does God extend to them?

Hosea 2:14: “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.

“It is as true now as when Christ was upon the earth, that every inroad made by the gospel upon the enemy’s dominion is met by fierce opposition from his vast armies. The conflict that is right upon us will be the most terrible ever witnessed. But though Satan is represented as being as strong as the strong man armed, his overthrow will be complete, and everyone who unites with him in choosing apostasy rather than loyalty will perish with him.

“The restraining Spirit of God is even now being withdrawn from the world. Hurricanes, storms, tempests, fire and flood, disasters by sea and land, follow each other in quick succession. Science seeks to explain all these. The signs thickening around us, telling of the near approach of the Son of God, are attributed to any other than the true cause. Men cannot discern the sentinel angels restraining the four winds that they shall not blow until the servants of God are sealed; but when God shall bid His angels loose the winds, there will be such a scene of strife as no pen can picture. . . .

“Could the curtain be rolled back, could you discern the purposes of God and the judgments that are about to fall upon a doomed world, could you see your own attitude, you would fear and tremble for your own souls and for the souls of your fellow men. Earnest prayers of heart-rending anguish would go up to heaven. You would weep between the porch and the altar, confessing your spiritual blindness and backsliding.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, pp. 407, 408.

b. How can our amazing God give a fresh start, providing hope beyond a stained legacy of sin?

Hosea 2:15: And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

Psalm 130:7, 8: 7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. 8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

“God have mercy. Why will not those who are overtaken in crime manifest repentance proportionate to the enormity of their crime, and fly to Christ for mercy, and heal, as far as possible, the wounds they have made?”—The Review and Herald, March 24, 1868.

“No matter how weak the sinner may be; no matter how many or how great may have been his transgressions, the Saviour will accept him. Christ loves every member of the human race; for He has bought them all with a price;—and what a price!”—Ibid., September 3, 1903.

4. REVIVAL AND REACHING OUT Wed, Dec 31

a. Describe the deeper bond of devotion a soul will have with God when they truly repent and turn away from their sinful ways.

Hosea 2:16, 17: 16 “And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband, ’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal. ’ 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more.

“ ‘And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call Me Ishi [‘My husband,’ margin]; and shalt call Me no more Baali [‘My lord,’ margin]. For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.’ Hosea 2:14–17.”—Prophets and Kings, pp. 298, 299.

b. How is this prophecy of spiritual restoration to be fulfilled in our day?

Hosea 2:18–20: 18 And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. 19 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. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

“In the last days of this earth’s history, God’s covenant with His commandment-keeping people is to be renewed.”—Ibid., p. 299.

“While mercy lingers, while the Saviour is making intercession, let us make thorough work for eternity.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 405.

c. What is the foundation of becoming God’s people today, according to Hosea and John?

Hosea 2:23: and I will sow her for myself in the land. 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. ’”

John 1:12: But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

“Visit your neighbors and show an interest in the salvation of their souls. Arouse every spiritual energy to action. Tell those whom you visit that the end of all things is at hand. The Lord Jesus Christ will open the door of their hearts and will make upon their minds lasting impressions.

“Strive to arouse men and women from their spiritual insensibility. Tell them how you found Jesus and how blessed you have been since you gained an experience in His service. Tell them what blessing comes to you as you sit at the feet of Jesus and learn precious lessons from His word. Tell them of the gladness and joy that there is in the Christian life. Your warm, fervent words will convince them that you have found the pearl of great price. Let your cheerful, encouraging words show that you have certainly found the higher way. This is genuine missionary work, and as it is done, many will awake as from a dream.”—Ibid., vol. 9, p. 38.

5. THE FRUITS OF FAITH Thu, Jan 1

a. Describe the glorious outcome soon to occur among those who wholeheartedly take heed to God’s final appeal.

Hosea 3:4, 5: 4 For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods.

5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.

“To the ten tribes, long rebellious and impenitent, was given no promise of complete restoration to their former power in Palestine. Until the end of time, they were to be ‘wanderers among the nations.’ But through Hosea was given a prophecy that set before them the privilege of having a part in the final restoration that is to be made to the people of God at the close of earth’s history, when Christ shall appear as King of kings and Lord of lords. . . . [Hosea 3:4, 5 quoted.]

“In symbolic language Hosea set before the ten tribes God’s plan of restoring to every penitent soul who would unite with His church on earth, the blessings granted Israel in the days of their loyalty to Him in the Promised Land.”—Prophets and Kings, p. 298.

“ ‘In that day’ ‘the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, . . . shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.’ Isaiah 10:20. From ‘every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people’ there will be some who will gladly respond to the message, ‘Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come.’ They will turn from every idol that binds them to earth, and will ‘worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.’ They will free themselves from every entanglement and will stand before the world as monuments of God’s mercy. Obedient to the divine requirements, they will be recognized by angels and by men as those that have kept ‘the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.’ Revelation 14:6, 7, 12.”—Ibid., pp. 299, 300.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS Fri, Jan 2

1. How does God illustrate the pain He suffers due to our waywardness?

2. What message in Hosea reveals the tremendous longsuffering of God?

3. How does God treat those who have sinned against Him?

4. What can result from my reaching out to people whose fruits openly demonstrate that they are far away from God?

5. How can my life indeed serve as a monument to God’s mercy?