Prophets pointing to Jesus? (Hosea)

Story of Hosea:

Hosea, a prophet in the 8th century BC, ministered during a time of spiritual and moral decline in the northern kingdom of Israel. God called Hosea to marry Gomer, a woman who would become unfaithful, symbolizing Israel’s unfaithfulness to God through idolatry and sin. Despite Gomer’s adultery, God instructed Hosea to love and redeem her, even buying her back from slavery (Hosea 3:1-2). This act mirrored God’s covenantal love for Israel, persistently calling them back despite their rebellion. Hosea’s marriage became a living parable of God’s grace, judgment, and desire to restore His people, urging repentance and warning of consequences for unfaithfulness (Hosea 14:1-4).

Pointing to Jesus:

Hosea’s story vividly foreshadows Jesus as the ultimate expression of God’s redemptive love. Just as Hosea redeemed Gomer, Jesus, through His atoning death, redeems His unfaithful people—sinners who have broken covenant with God (Romans 5:8). 

God’s sovereignty and grace highlights that, like Israel, humanity is utterly undeserving, yet God initiates and accomplishes redemption through Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

Hosea’s persistent love reflects Christ’s unwavering commitment to His bride, the Church, despite her failings (Ephesians 5:25-27). Furthermore, Hosea’s prophecy in Hosea 6:2 (“on the third day He will raise us up”) points to Jesus’ resurrection, securing salvation for His people.

Reflection:

Hosea’s story challenges Christians to reflect on God’s steadfast love and their own call to faithfulness. It reminds believers that, like Gomer, they are prone to wander, yet God’s grace in Christ pursues and restores them. This fosters humility and gratitude, encouraging Christians to rest in God’s sovereign grace rather than their own merit. Practically, it calls believers to mirror Christ’s love in relationships—showing forgiveness and grace even when wronged. It also inspires hope: just as Hosea redeemed Gomer, Christ’s redemptive work assures believers of ultimate restoration, motivating them to live repentantly and faithfully in gratitude for His unending love.

A Walk Through Jonah (Chapter 4)

In Jonah 4, Jonah is angry with God for showing mercy to Nineveh after its people repented. He sulks outside the city, frustrated that God spared the wicked. God provides a plant to shade Jonah, but then sends a worm to destroy it, intensifying Jonah’s discomfort. Through this, God confronts Jonah’s self-centeredness, teaching him about divine compassion. The chapter ends with God questioning Jonah’s priorities, emphasizing His love for all people, even those Jonah despises.

Pointing to Jesus:

Jonah 4 foreshadows Jesus Christ as the ultimate expression of God’s mercy and compassion. Jonah’s reluctance to see Nineveh redeemed contrasts with Jesus’ willing sacrifice to save sinners, regardless of their background (John 3:16). 

The plant that temporarily shelters Jonah points to Christ as the true shelter, providing eternal redemption (Isaiah 53:5). Jonah’s anger at God’s grace mirrors the self-righteousness Jesus confronted in the religious leaders, yet Christ’s death and resurrection extend God’s mercy to all who repent, fulfilling the compassion God showed Nineveh (Romans 5:8).

Devotion:

In Jonah 4, we see Jonah’s heart laid bare—resentful of God’s grace to the undeserving. Like Jonah, we often cling to self-righteousness, forgetting that our salvation rests solely on God’s sovereign mercy. We are reminded that God’s grace is not earned but freely given to sinners, from Nineveh to us (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

The plant’s brief shade points to Christ, our true refuge, whose atoning work secures our eternal comfort. 

Let us confess our Jonah-like tendencies, marvel at God’s boundless compassion, and rest in the gospel of grace that saves even the chief of sinners.

A Walk through Jonah (Chapter 3)

Jonah Chapter 3:

In Jonah 3, God calls Jonah a second time to go to Nineveh and proclaim its impending destruction due to its wickedness. Jonah obeys, delivering a brief message of judgment. Remarkably, the people of Nineveh, from the king to the commoners, repent in sackcloth and ashes, fasting and turning from their evil ways. God sees their repentance and relents from the disaster He had planned, showing mercy to the city.

Pointing to Jesus:

1.  Second Chance: God’s renewed call to Jonah mirrors Jesus’ offer of grace and redemption to sinners, giving a second chance through His sacrifice (2 Corinthians 5:17).

2.  Preaching Repentance: Jonah’s message of judgment and the Ninevites’ response prefigure Jesus’ call to repentance and the kingdom of God (Mark 1:15), leading to salvation.

3.  God’s Mercy: God’s relenting from judgment reflects Jesus’ role as the mediator of God’s mercy, sparing those who turn to Him (1 Timothy 2:5).

4.  Universal Salvation: The Ninevites’ inclusion highlights Jesus’ mission to save all nations, fulfilling God’s redemptive plan (John 3:16).

Reflection: 

Jonah 3 reveals God’s sovereign grace in calling Jonah again and softening the hearts of the Ninevites to repent. Their response was not due to their own merit but to God’s electing purpose, working through Jonah’s reluctant obedience. This points us to Christ, the ultimate prophet, whose perfect obedience secured our salvation. 

This chapter underscores God’s unchangeable will to show mercy to those He has chosen, reminding us that our repentance and faith are gifts of His grace, not our works. Let us trust in His sovereign plan.

Prayer: 

Merciful God, we thank You for Your patience and grace, as seen in Jonah and fulfilled in Christ. By Your Spirit, grant us repentance and faith, that we may rest in Your sovereign salvation. Amen.

A Walk Through Jonah (Chapter 2)

Jonah Chapter 2

Jonah 2 describes Jonah’s prayer from inside the great fish after being swallowed. In despair, he cries out to God from the depths, acknowledging his rebellion and the consequences of fleeing God’s command. He recounts being cast into the sea, engulfed by waves, and sinking to the roots of the mountains, yet he turns to God in his distress. Jonah expresses gratitude for God’s deliverance, as the fish vomits him onto dry land, fulfilling God’s promise of salvation.

Pointing to Jesus:

Jonah 2 points redemptively to Jesus in several ways:

1.  Three Days and Nights: Jonah’s time in the fish (2:1-2) prefigures Jesus’ burial and resurrection after three days (Matthew 12:40), symbolizing victory over death.

2.  Prayer from the Depths: Jonah’s cry for help from the belly of the fish mirrors Jesus’ suffering and intercession on the cross, offering salvation to sinners (Hebrews 5:7).

3.  God’s Sovereign Rescue: God’s appointment of the fish to save Jonah reflects His sovereign plan to save through Christ, who was raised by divine power (Acts 2:24).

4.  Repentance and Restoration: Jonah’s turn to God prefigures the repentance Christ enables, leading to restoration for all who believe (Acts 17:30-31).

Reflection: 

Jonah 2 reveals the depth of God’s mercy, even toward a rebellious prophet. Cast into the sea for his disobedience, Jonah’s prayer from the fish’s belly is a testament to God’s grace—He hears and saves, not because of Jonah’s merit, but by His sovereign will. This points us to Christ, whose descent into death and triumphant resurrection secure our redemption. 

Jonah’s deliverance underscores God’s unchangeable decree to save His people, calling us to trust in His covenant faithfulness rather than our own strength. Let us repent and rest in the finished work of Christ.

Prayer: 

Gracious God, we thank You for Your mercy that reaches into the depths of our sin, as seen in Jonah and fulfilled in Christ. By Your Spirit, turn our hearts to repentance and trust in Your sovereign salvation. 

Amen.

A Walk Through Jonah (Chapter 1)

Jonah 1 recounts the beginning of the prophet Jonah’s story, where God commands him to go to Nineveh, a great but wicked city, to proclaim judgment. Instead, Jonah disobeys, fleeing in the opposite direction by boarding a ship to Tarshish. God responds with a mighty storm, threatening the ship’s destruction. The pagan sailors, unaware of Jonah’s disobedience, cast lots to find the cause of the storm, which points to Jonah. He admits his guilt, revealing he’s fleeing from the Lord. Jonah suggests they throw him overboard to calm the storm, and after hesitating, the sailors comply. The sea becomes calm, and the sailors fear and worship God. Meanwhile, God appoints a great fish to swallow Jonah, preserving him for three days and nights.

Pointing to Jesus:

Jonah 1 foreshadows Jesus Christ in several redemptive ways:

(Substitutionary Sacrifice)

Jonah’s willingness to be thrown into the sea to save the sailors parallels Jesus’ sacrificial death to save humanity from the storm of God’s wrath. Jonah’s act, though rooted in his own sin, prefigures Christ’s sinless sacrifice on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21).

(Three Days and Nights)
Jonah’s time in the fish’s belly (1:17) explicitly foreshadows Jesus’ death and resurrection after three days (Matthew 12:40). Just as Jonah emerged alive, Jesus rose triumphantly, conquering sin and death.

(God’s Sovereignty Over Creation) 
The storm and the fish obey God’s command, pointing to Jesus’ authority over nature (Mark 4:39). God’s control in Jonah’s story reflects His redemptive plan through Christ.

(Salvation to Gentiles) 
The sailors, Gentiles, come to fear and worship God through Jonah’s actions, prefiguring how Jesus’ work brings salvation to all nations (Romans 1:16).

Reflection: 

In Jonah 1, we see God’s relentless sovereignty and grace, even in the face of human rebellion. Jonah’s flight from God’s call reveals our own tendency to resist God’s will, preferring our comfort over His mission. Yet, God pursues Jonah—not with immediate judgment, but with a storm that leads to repentance and a fish that delivers rather than destroys. This points us to Christ, who endured the ultimate storm of God’s wrath for our sake, securing our salvation. 

Jonah’s story reminds us of God’s grace—He chooses unlikely vessels like Jonah, and even us, to fulfill His redemptive purposes, despite our sinfulness. His sovereignty ensures that His mission to save will not fail, calling us to trust and obey.

Prayer: 

Lord, we confess our Jonah-like tendencies to flee from Your call. Thank You for pursuing us with Your unstoppable grace, as You did through Christ, who bore the storm of Your wrath for us. By Your Spirit, align our hearts to Your mission, that we may proclaim Your mercy to the nations. Amen.

A Walk Through Ruth (Chapter 4)

In Ruth 4, Boaz goes to the city gate and meets the closer kinsman-redeemer. After negotiating, the kinsman declines the responsibility, allowing Boaz to redeem Ruth and the land of her deceased husband. 

Boaz marries Ruth, and they have a son, Obed, who becomes the grandfather of King David. The chapter concludes with a genealogy, linking Ruth to David’s lineage, highlighting God’s providence in weaving a foreign widow into Israel’s story.

Pointing to Jesus:

Ruth 4 points redemptively to Jesus as the ultimate Redeemer. Boaz’s willingness to redeem Ruth and her land mirrors Christ’s redemption of humanity and the earth from sin’s curse. The legal transaction at the gate foreshadows Jesus fulfilling the law to secure our salvation (Galatians 3:13). 

Ruth, a Gentile, entering David’s line (Matthew 1:5-16) prefigures Christ’s role as Savior for all nations, fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:3).

Devotion:

“Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer… He shall be to you a restorer of life…”

Reflection: 

Ruth 4 showcases God’s grace, orchestrating redemption through Boaz for Ruth and Naomi. This reflects God’s love, choosing even a Moabite to be part of His covenant people. 

The birth of Obed points to Christ, our ultimate Redeemer, who restores life through His sacrifice. We are saved by grace alone, resting in God’s eternal decree (Ephesians 1:4-5), not our merit.

Prayer: 

Heavenly Father , we praise You for Your redemptive plan, seen in Ruth and fulfilled in Christ. Thank You for choosing us in Your grace to be Your own. Restore us daily through Your Spirit, that we may live for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, 

Amen.

A Walk through Ruth (Chapter 3)

Ruth Chapter 3

Summary:

In Ruth 3, Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, devises a plan to secure a future for Ruth, a Moabite widow. She instructs Ruth to go to the threshing floor where Boaz, a wealthy kinsman, is working. Ruth is to uncover his feet and lie down, signaling a request for marriage under the custom of kinsman-redeemer (a relative who could redeem a family member from hardship). 

Ruth follows Naomi’s instructions, approaching Boaz discreetly at night. Boaz awakens, recognizes Ruth’s request, and praises her loyalty and virtue, noting her choice to seek his protection rather than pursuing younger men. 

He acknowledges his role as a redeemer but mentions a closer relative who must first be approached. 

Boaz ensures Ruth’s safety, sends her home with grain, and promises to resolve the matter. 

The chapter highlights themes of loyalty, providence, and the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan.

Points to Jesus:

Ruth 3 foreshadows Jesus as the ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer. Boaz’s role as a redeemer who willingly steps in to protect and provide for Ruth mirrors Christ’s redemptive work. Just as Boaz acts with kindness and honor to redeem Ruth from her vulnerable state, Jesus, through His life, death, and resurrection, redeems humanity from sin and spiritual poverty. 

Ruth’s humility and trust in seeking Boaz’s protection reflect the faith required to approach Christ for salvation. 

The chapter’s emphasis on Boaz’s willingness to redeem, despite another closer relative, points to Jesus as the one who fulfills the law and surpasses all others to secure redemption for all who seek Him (Hebrews 9:12). 

The narrative subtly weaves God’s providence, guiding Ruth—a foreigner—into the lineage of Christ (Matthew 1:5), showing how God’s redemptive plan includes all nations.

Devotion: 

Ruth 3:10-11 – “And he said, ‘May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask…’”

In Ruth 3, we see God’s sovereign hand orchestrating redemption through human actions. Ruth’s bold yet humble approach to Boaz reflects a heart trusting in God’s provision, while Boaz’s response reveals a willingness to redeem rooted in covenant faithfulness. 

This chapter underscores God’s providence and grace. Just as God guided Ruth, a foreigner, into His redemptive plan, He sovereignly works in our lives to bring us to our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. 

We, like Ruth, are called to trust in God’s promises, resting in the certainty that He is working all things for our good (Romans 8:28). 

Boaz’s commitment to Ruth points to Christ’s unwavering commitment to His people, secured not by our merit but by His grace alone.

Prayer: 

Lord, we thank You for Your providential care, seen in Ruth’s story and fulfilled in Christ, our Redeemer. By Your grace, You have brought us into Your family, covering us with Your righteousness. 

Help us to trust Your perfect plan, resting in the assurance of Your unchanging love. May we live boldly in faith, reflecting Your grace to others. In Jesus’ name, 

Amen.

A walk through Ruth (Ch.2)

Ruth Chapter 2

In Ruth Chapter 2, Naomi and Ruth, now in Bethlehem, face poverty as widows. Ruth, with Naomi’s blessing, goes to glean in the fields to provide for them, trusting in God’s provision. By divine providence, she gleans in the field of Boaz, a wealthy and godly relative of Naomi’s late husband, Elimelech. Boaz notices Ruth, learns of her loyalty to Naomi, and shows her kindness by protecting her, providing food, and ensuring she gathers ample grain. 

He praises her faith and character, invoking God’s blessing on her. Ruth returns to Naomi with an abundance of grain and shares the news of Boaz’s favor, sparking hope that he might act as their kinsman-redeemer.

Ruth Chapter 2 points redemptively to Jesus as the ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer. Boaz’s role as a redeemer, showing unmerited favor to Ruth, a Moabite outsider, foreshadows Christ’s redemptive work, purchasing His people from spiritual poverty (Ephesians 1:7). 

Ruth’s humble faith and dependence on God’s provision mirror the posture of those who rely on Christ for salvation. 

Boaz’s generosity, providing safety and abundance, reflects Jesus, the Bread of Life, who offers eternal sustenance (John 6:35). 

The chapter’s emphasis on God’s providence, guiding Ruth to Boaz’s field, underscores His sovereign plan to bring salvation through Christ, a descendant of Ruth and Boaz (Matthew 1:5). 

Ruth’s inclusion in Israel’s covenant community prefigures the gospel’s reach to all nations (Galatians 3:28-29).

Devotional:

Ruth 2:12 – “The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”

Reflection:

Ruth’s faith led her to seek refuge under the wings of the Lord, trusting Him in her vulnerability as a foreigner and widow. Boaz’s kindness to her reflects God’s unmerited grace, which Christians celebrate as the heart of salvation. 

We, like Ruth, are unworthy outsiders, yet God sovereignly draws us to Himself, covering us with His covenant love through Christ, our true Redeemer. 

Boaz’s provision points to Jesus, who not only shelters us but redeems us fully, securing our eternal inheritance. 

God’s providence, seen in Ruth’s “chance” arrival in Boaz’s field, assures us that He orchestrates every detail of our lives for His redemptive purposes.

Application: 

Rest in God’s sovereign grace, knowing that He has provided Christ as your Redeemer. Trust His providence in your daily needs, and let Ruth’s example encourage you to seek refuge in Him alone, with humility and faith.

Prayer: 

Gracious God, we praise You for Your sovereign providence and redeeming love. Thank You for Jesus, our Kinsman-Redeemer, who shelters us under Your wings and provides for our every need. Help us to trust Your perfect plan and to live with the humble faith of Ruth, glorifying You in all we do. 

Amen.

Book of Ruth (Ch. 1)

 

Book of Ruth (Ch. 1)

Chapter 1 introduces the story of Naomi, a Bethlehemite woman, who, with her husband Elimelech and their two sons, flees to Moab due to a famine in Judah. 

In Moab, Elimelech dies, and their sons marry Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. Tragically, both sons also die, leaving Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth widowed. 

Hearing that the Lord has provided for His people in Judah, Naomi decides to return home. She urges her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab, as she has no more sons to offer them in marriage. 

Orpah returns to her family, but Ruth clings to Naomi, declaring her unwavering loyalty: “Where you go, I will go… your people will be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). 

Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest, setting the stage for God’s providential care.

Ruth Chapter 1 subtly foreshadows the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Naomi’s return to Bethlehem, the future birthplace of Jesus (Micah 5:2), signals God’s unfolding plan of salvation. 

Ruth, a Moabite outsider, is grafted into God’s covenant people through her faith and loyalty, prefiguring the inclusion of Gentiles in the gospel (Romans 11:17). Her commitment to Naomi reflects the sacrificial love and faithfulness of Christ, who binds Himself to His people despite their unworthiness. 

The chapter’s backdrop of famine and death, contrasted with the hope of the harvest, points to Jesus as the Bread of Life (John 6:35), who brings spiritual abundance in the face of human desperation. 

God’s providence, evident in guiding Naomi and Ruth back to Bethlehem, foreshadows His sovereign plan to bring forth the Messiah through their lineage (Ruth 4:18-22; Matthew 1:5).

Devotional:

Ruth 1:16-17 – “But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.’”

Reflection: 

In Ruth’s steadfast commitment to Naomi, we see a glimpse of God’s electing grace. Ruth, a Moabite, had no natural claim to the covenant promises of Israel, yet she was drawn by faith to embrace Naomi’s God and people. 

This mirrors the truth of God’s sovereign choice to call sinners—undeserving outsiders like us—into His family (Ephesians 2:12-13). 

Ruth’s resolve reflects the perseverance of the saints, enabled by God’s sustaining grace, as she trusts Him in uncertainty. Her journey to Bethlehem, though marked by loss, was under God’s providential hand, leading to her place in the lineage of Christ. 

So too, God orchestrates our lives, weaving our trials into His redemptive story.

Application:

Trust that God’s providence is at work in your hardships, just as it.was for Naomi and Ruth. Rest in His sovereign grace, which has called you to Himself, and let Ruth’s faithfulness inspire you to cling to Christ, your true Redeemer, who never leaves nor forsakes you.

Prayer: 

Sovereign Lord, we thank You for Your electing grace that calls us, like Ruth, from darkness into Your covenant family. Guide us by Your providence through life’s famines and losses, and strengthen us to trust in Your redemptive plan, fulfilled in Jesus Christ. May we, by Your Spirit, remain faithful to You and Your people. 

Amen.