July 20-26, 2025

Heart Prep:
As a father, this week’s study truly breaks my heart. I can only imagine what it would be like to have my children repeatedly run to a “parent” who is persuasive, then abusive and ultimately unforgiving. And again, I can only imagine, enveloped in his anger, the broken heart of our Heavenly Father. And yet, through it all, we will see Father God’s amazing love and grace, and His overwhelming desire to be reconciled with His children – and the prophecy of the coming of His Son who will ultimately make that possible in a way never imagined, yet long foretold...


This Week’s Study:

• Sunday, July 20th –  Hosea 1-7
• Monday, July 21st – Hosea 8-14
• Tuesday, July 22nd – Isaiah 28-30
• Wednesday, July 23rd – Isaiah 31-34
• Thursday, July 24th – Isaiah 35-36
• Friday, July 25th – Isaiah 37-39, Psalm 76
• Saturday, July 26th – Isaiah 40-43

What to Expect:

• Allegations, accusations, judgment and punishment: All through Hosea and Isaiah there are countless examples – worded in detail – of Israel’s unfaithfulness to the Lord. Expect to see examples of God’s broken relationship with His people lived out through Hosea.
• The foretelling of the Christ in passages such as Hosea 2:23, Isaiah 28:16, 42:1, 43:19 and 42:25. Also consider Isaiah 40:3 and as spoken through John the Baptist nearly 7 centuries later –  “A voice of one calling in the wilderness; prepare the way for the Lord!” 
• Father God’s continued desire for reconciliation with those He has created in His own image.

Some Things to Look For:

• The voice of reason: God speaks repeatedly to the nation of Israel through His prophets.
• Woe: This word is repeated many times in the passages of Isaiah.
• God’s love for His people: Amazing love directed to an altogether unrepentant and unfaithful nation.
• Asaph’s song: A fantastic expression of love, awe and admiration.
• Hezekiah’s prayer: A powerful and desperate plea to the Almighty, and the profound answer to that plea.
• The Servant of the Lord: God’s answer to all that is… well, read these scriptures this week. You’ll see!!

My Personal Insight:
Many of these passages remind me of the Book of Proverbs, and subsequently the Book of Ecclesiastes.  Looking back on my own life, there are countless times where I could I say, “If I had only listened, or ‘if I had only done (or not done) such and such,” etc. But I can also say how God has called me out of the darkness and into His wonderful light. I can say this to myself and to the reader, but I can also say it to those around me who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This week’s passages attest to the persistence of our Creator to draw us all back unto Himself – for it is only in the knowing that we can ever truly find fulfillment. I am so thankful for our church and for His Word; whereas I can grow in that knowing of Him, and finally begin to comprehend what “abundant life” really looks like. 


Prayer:
O Lord of Hosts, we are so thankful that even in all of our pitfalls, temptations, trials and the like, You are always there with Your outstretched arm, ready to pick us back up again. May we ever share Your perfect example of a loving Father with a lost and dying world.
In Jesus’ Name, 
Amen. 
 
This week’s devotion was prepared by Stu Schell (aka Studog)