9Therefore, I will take back My grain at harvest time

And My new wine in its season.

I will also take away My wool and My flax

Given to cover her nakedness.

10And then I will uncover her lewdness

In the sight of her lovers,

And no one will rescue her out of My hand.

11I will also put an end to all her gaiety,

Her feasts, her new moons, her sabbaths

And all her festal assemblies.

12I will destroy her vines and fig trees,

Of which she said, ‘These are my wages

Which my lovers have given me.’

And I will make them a forest,

And the beasts of the field will devour them.

13I will punish her for the days of the Baals

When she used to offer sacrifices to them

And adorn herself with her earrings and jewelry,

And follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me,” declares the Lord.

Restoration of Israel

14“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,

Bring her into the wilderness

And speak kindly to her.

15Then I will give her her vineyards from there,

And the valley of Achor as a door of hope.

And she will sing there as in the days of her youth,

As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.

16It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord,

“That you will call Me Ishi

And will no longer call Me Baali.

17For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth,

So that they will be mentioned by their names no more.

Message to the Seven Churches

4John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— 6and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

1) How does Jacob’s burial request align with renewed covenant identity?

2) How do Hosea and Revelation define holy distinctness among the nations?

3) What practices keep you “set apart” in exile?

David Again Spares Saul

1Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding on the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?” 2So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having with him three thousand chosen men of Israel, to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph. 3Saul camped in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, beside the road, and David was staying in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness, 4David sent out spies, and he knew that Saul was definitely coming. 5David then arose and came to the place where Saul had camped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army; and Saul was lying in the circle of the camp, and the people were camped around him.

6Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, saying, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” 7So David and Abishai came to the people by night, and behold, Saul lay sleeping inside the circle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people were lying around him. 8Then Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand; now therefore, please let me strike him with the spear to the ground with one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time.” 9But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed and be without guilt?” 10David also said, “As the Lord lives, surely the Lord will strike him, or his day will come that he dies, or he will go down into battle and perish. 11The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed; but now please take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water, and let us go.” 12So David took the spear and the jug of water from beside Saul’s head, and they went away, but no one saw or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a sound sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.

13Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the mountain at a distance with a large area between them. 14David called to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner replied, “Who are you who calls to the king?” 15So David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your lord the king? For one of the people came to destroy the king your lord. 16This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, all of you must surely die, because you did not guard your lord, the Lord’s anointed. And now, see where the king’s spear is and the jug of water that was at his head.”

17Then Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord the king.” 18He also said, “Why then is my lord pursuing his servant? For what have I done? Or what evil is in my hand? 19Now therefore, please let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering; but if it is men, cursed are they before the Lord, for they have driven me out today so that I would have no attachment with the inheritance of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ 20Now then, do not let my blood fall to the ground away from the presence of the Lord; for the king of Israel has come out to search for a single flea, just as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

21Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will not harm you again because my life was precious in your sight this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have committed a serious error.” 22David replied, “Behold the spear of the king! Now let one of the young men come over and take it. 23The Lord will repay each man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord delivered you into my hand today, but I refused to stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. 24Now behold, as your life was highly valued in my sight this day, so may my life be highly valued in the sight of the Lord, and may He deliver me from all distress.” 25Then Saul said to David, “Blessed are you, my son David; you will both accomplish much and surely prevail.” So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

1A wise son accepts his father’s discipline,

But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

2From the fruit of a man’s mouth he enjoys good,

But the desire of the treacherous is violence.

3The one who guards his mouth preserves his life;

The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

4The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

But the soul of the diligent is made fat.

5A righteous man hates falsehood,

But a wicked man acts disgustingly and shamefully.

6Righteousness guards the one whose way is blameless,

But wickedness subverts the sinner.

7There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing;

Another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth.

8The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,

But the poor hears no rebuke.

9The light of the righteous rejoices,

But the lamp of the wicked goes out.

10Through insolence comes nothing but strife,

But wisdom is with those who receive counsel.

11Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles,

But the one who gathers by labor increases it.

12Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

13The one who despises the word will be in debt to it,

But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

14The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

To turn aside from the snares of death.

15Good understanding produces favor,

But the way of the treacherous is hard.

16Every prudent man acts with knowledge,

But a fool displays folly.

17A wicked messenger falls into adversity,

But a faithful envoy brings healing.

18Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline,

But he who regards reproof will be honored.

19Desire realized is sweet to the soul,

But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil.

20He who walks with wise men will be wise,

But the companion of fools will suffer harm.

21Adversity pursues sinners,

But the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.

22A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,

And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

23Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor,

But it is swept away by injustice.

24He who withholds his rod hates his son,

But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

25The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

But the stomach of the wicked is in need.

Hosea’s Second Symbolic Marriage

1Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” 2So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley. 3Then I said to her, “You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so I will also be toward you.” 4For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. 5Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.