Patriots and Prophets, Thursday

Hey kids, welcome to Junior's for Jesus.

Go grab your Bibles.

We're gonna be digging in and learning

some really exciting stories.

Let's get started.

We've been talking this week about patriots and prophets.

A prophet was a special person chosen by God

to deliver important messages to his people.

They were special messengers from God.

These prophets played a crucial role

in helping the people to understand God's will

and guiding them back to follow his commands.

Prophets were often called to warn the people

when they were doing something wrong.

It's like having a friend who tells you

when you're about to make a bad choice.

The prophets would remind the people

to be followers of God and to be obedient to God's law.

They would warn them about the consequences of their actions

and encourage them to turn back to God.

They also shared messages of hope and encouragement.

When the people faced tough times,

prophets brought messages from God

to give them comfort and hope.

It's like having someone share you on when things are hard.

The prophets reassured the people that God was with them

and if they stayed faithful and obedient,

better days were ahead.

Prophets sometimes predicted the future.

God revealed to them what would happen

and then they would share these words with the people.

Our memory verse for this week is Leviticus chapter 23,

verse three, it reads,

six days shall work be done,

but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest,

a holy convocation.

You shall do no work on it.

It is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

The Sabbath of the Lord is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

Thursday,

Hosea, the first minor prophet,

lived in the northern kingdom of Israel

before its captivity.

He married a woman named Gomer, whom he loved,

but she wasn't faithful to him.

And when she left him to live with other men,

he was heartbroken.

He warned her that she wouldn't be happy

and he did everything that he could to win her back.

So why did God tell Hosea to write this sad story?

It was to help God's people know how sad he felt

when they were unfaithful to him.

You see, Gomer was a symbol of Israel

and just as she had left her husband

and lived with other men,

Israel had left the worship of God

and the people were worshiping idols.

And just as Hosea was heartbroken for what Gomer did,

Israel's worship of other gods

was breaking God's great heart of love.

He knew that they wouldn't be happy in the end.

Return, O backsliding children, he said,

for I am married to you, Jeremiah chapter three verse 14.

Now that word backsliding means that they were sliding back

into their old, sinful ways.

So why was that happening?

Because you have forgotten the law of your God, God said,

there is no knowledge of God in the land

and my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Hosea chapter four verses one and six.

The kingdom of Israel was sometimes called Ephraim

because that was its most important tribe.

God said, Oh, Ephraim, what shall I do to you?

Its people were like a silly dove without sense,

he said, because they have rebelled against my law.

Hosea chapter six verse four, chapter seven verse 11

and chapter eight verse one.

But even though they were bent on backsliding,

God said, how can I give you up, Ephraim?

My heart churns within me.

My sympathy is third.

Hosea urged, Oh Israel, return to the Lord your God.

And God promised, I will heal their backsliding.

I will love them freely.

Hosea chapter 11 verses seven and eight.

Hosea chapter 14 verses one and four.

Now, let's apply it.

What love?

Knowing that God loved backsliding Israel like that,

don't you think he loves you just as much

and is just as sad when you want to leave him

to follow the world?

This podcast is sponsored by MyBibleFirst.org.