Maybe you can turn to the book of Hosea, the prophecy of Hosea. It's very interesting that you've been reading through different services in the past weeks, these prophecies, so you can understand better what is going on here in what we're going to consider today. Now, while you look at your search for this book, Hosea, the prophecy of Hosea. I would like to say that we are very glad, both my wife, Kelly, and myself, we are very glad to be here with you all and bring God's Word. Now, as you've heard, there's a Spaniard here, apart from me. Where is he? Hola. Just because Mr. Weir has told me that you don't get very often over here, I think, but I'm going to greet him in Spanish, right? So, sorry that maybe you don't understand this, but... Bienvenido. Espero que te sientas en casa y que el Señor bendiga su palabra ricamente. Well, that's it. You're not going to hear any more Spanish so far. So I hope you can understand my accent all right. I hope my accent, my language, and possibly the mistakes that I'll be making will not put you off while we are considering God's word, but rather the Lord will bless his word upon our hearts. Now, if you have turned to the book of Hosea, before reading just one verse we are going to read, we can ask the Lord in prayer to bless us at this time. So let's briefly pray before the Lord. Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee that we can have this great privilege to come before The Presence. We have The Word open before us. And in such a way, we come before Thee and consider Thy Word, we can consider Christ as He is revealed in The Holy Word. Father, we pray that as we will be considering thy word, that thou wilt open our hearts, that thou wilt give us understanding by the work of thy Holy Spirit working in our midst. And we pray that thou wilt glorify thy name in this congregation, that thou wilt reveal thyself in all thy majesty, that we may consider Christ in all his fullness, and that we may rejoice in the God of our salvation. Father, we pray that the language will not be a problem, but rather that it will help me in the preaching of the word, and that thou will fill me with the Holy Spirit, so that thy people will receive the message that thou hast given me, so we will rejoice in thy word. And we may also put it into practice by the help of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. For we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Prophecy of Hosea, chapter 1. and verse one. Hosea chapter one, verse one. The word of the Lord that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeruam, the son of Joas, king of Israel. Hosea lived in a very peculiar time. We read here about he was ministering to this king, Jeroboam. He was in the northern kingdom and he was ministering here under this king. Now, when we read about Israel, the land of Israel, at this time, we need to keep in mind that the land of Israel was divided into two kingdoms. We have the southern kingdom, the kingdom of Judah. So at this time, when you read about Judah or about Jerusalem, Jerusalem was the capital of Judah, or you read about Zion, actually what you're reading about is about the southern kingdom, the kingdom of Judah. And when we read about Israel at this time, it's actually referring to the northern kingdom, the kingdom of Israel. and its capital was Samaria. So, if you read about Israel, about Samaria, at this time, it's actually taking us to the Northern Kingdom, the Kingdom of Israel. So, you have these two kingdoms. The Northern Kingdom, Israel, and the Southern Kingdom, the Kingdom of Judah. Now, at the same time, we read here, at the time of Hosea, there were, one after the other, these kings living, and you have Isaiah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Now, from the prophecy of Hosea, we learned that he was living and he was ministering in the northern kingdom, in the kingdom of Israel, and he was ministering to this king, and he was a wicked king, the king Jeroboam, and actually it was Jeroboam II. Now at the same time, and I hope you can bear with me for a while till I give you this historical background so you can actually understand what's going on here in the life and ministry of the prophet Hosea. At the same time, we learn from the different prophets and the different prophecies that there were some other prophets living and ministering at the same time as Hosea was ministering. If we go to the north, the northern kingdom, the kingdom of Israel, we find three prophets. Three major, we would say, three major prophets. Hosea, as we have read here, then if we go to the prophet Amos, the prophecy of Amos chapter 1 verse 1, we read that he was also ministering for a while together with the prophet Hosea. In Amos 1, verse 1, we read these words. The words of Amos, which he saw concerning Israel, that is, the northern kingdom, now it's speaking about the northern kingdom, the kingdom of Israel, in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joas, king of Israel. If you read through the prophecy of Amos, you will learn that he was actually ministering in the north, during the time of Uzziah, king of Judah in the south, and Amos was in the north. So we have Hosea, Amos, and then we have the prophet Jonah. In 2 Kings, chapter 14, we read very briefly about some of the things that Jonah prophesied. In 2 Kings, chapter 14, verse 23, we read these words. In the 15th year of Amaziah, the son of Joas, king of Judah, that is in the south, Jeroboam, the son of Joas, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, that is in the north. And he reigned 41 years. That was a very, very long reign under this King Jeroboam II. And then we continue to read. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. He departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, that is, Jeroboam I, And he says, who made Israel to sin, that is, Jeroboam I. So Jeroboam II actually followed the same steps as Jeroboam I, the first king in the northern kingdom, the king of Israel. And then we read that he did some things. He restored the coast of Israel from the entrance of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai. If you go to the prophecy of Jonah, chapter one, verse one again, you will learn that this Jonah is the same Jonah as it's referring here. So actually we have three prophets in the northern kingdom. Hosea, Amos and Jonah. You keep that in mind for a while until we come later on to consider some of the aspects of these prophets. Then we come to the south, the southern kingdom, the kingdom of Judah. And we learned there were two major prophets, Isaiah and Micah. Now, in the book, or the prophecy of Isaiah, we find in chapter one, verse one, that he was actually prophesying at the same time as Hosea. Isaiah chapter one, verse one. The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amos, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, you see that's in the south, he was ministering in the south, In the days of Isaiah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. So it is very interesting when you compare that with the time when Hosea was ministering. Because we learn that Hosea was in the north, Isaiah was in the south, and they were ministering exactly at the same time, but one was in the north and the other one was in the south. And then we have Micah, the prophet Micah. Chapter one, verse one of his prophecy. We learn this in his prophecy. The word of the Lord that came to Micah in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. The Lord revealed certain things concerning the northern kingdom, the southern kingdom, but he was ministering, we learn from his prophecy, he was ministering in the south. Micah was ministering in the south. Now, once I've given you this brief historical background about these prophets where they were ministering, who was ministering with at this time, I want you to consider this question. What took place in the time and through the ministry of each one of these prophets? What took place through the ministry of each one of these prophets? Well, we'll start from the Southern Kingdom and then we'll go up. What happened through the ministry of Micah and Isaiah in the Southern Kingdom, in the Kingdom of Judah? Well, we've read there that they were ministering to several kings. And I want you to take note of the last king, Hezekiah. What took place through the ministry of these prophets in the time of Hezekiah? Well, 2 Chronicles chapter 29 gives us the answer. In verse one we read, Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and 20 years old, and he reigned nine and 20 years in Jerusalem, that is in the south, where Isaiah and Micah were ministering. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. In other words, the Lord saved this king, this king Hezekiah. This king came to the saving knowledge of the God of Israel. And then the Lord, through this king, brought a mighty revival in that land and at that time. But remember that the Lord did that through the ministry of both the prophets Isaiah and Micah. If you continue to read in that chapter, 2 Chronicles chapter 29, you will learn that the Lord brought a great reformation upon the land according to worship, according to service. They returned to the Lord and they worshiped the Lord in a biblical way and they actually obeyed the Lord. And the Lord brought a mighty revival and a great reformation upon the land at that time through the ministry of Isaiah and Micah. Now we go to the north. What happened, what took place through the ministry of these three prophets I've mentioned? Hosea, Amos, and Jonah. We'll start from the last one. What took place through the ministry of Jonah? Second Kings, chapter 14, we have read there that Jonah was ministering under this king, Jeroboam II, for a while. It doesn't say for how long. But what we learned is that after a while, the Lord called Jonah from the northern kingdom to Nineveh. Now, if you look at a map, you have the southern kingdom, the kingdom of Judah. You have the northern kingdom, the kingdom of Israel. And then northeast, From Israel, northeast, you have the kingdom of Assyria. The kingdom of Assyria had its capital, its capital was Nineveh. So the Lord called Jonah from the northern kingdom, farther northeast, to the land of Nineveh, to that city, the land of this kingdom, the kingdom of Assyria. Then we learn that Jonah was ministering together with Hosea for a while. It doesn't say for how long, but then the Lord called him to Nineveh. Now, what took place through the ministry of Jonah? We go to Jonah chapter three, and remember that even Jonah disobeyed the Lord for a while. He went actually in the opposite direction to Nineveh. But then finally the Lord touched his heart and Jonah submitted himself to the will of God. And he went to Nineveh, he started to preach God's word, he started to give to the people the message that the Lord had given him. And in Jonah chapter three, we read in verse four, that Jonah began to enter into the city. And he started to give God's word to the people. And what happened? What took place through his ministry? The people of Nineveh believed God, the word of Jonah came unto the king of Nineveh, and this king, actually, we learn that he was converted. The Lord moved his heart, the Lord touched his heart, the Lord saved this king, a wicked king, a king and a people that were pagan, they were heathen, they didn't know the Lord at all, but the Lord saved them. And the word came unto the king of Nineveh. And this king started to say to his people, let man cry mightily unto God. Let them turn everyone from his evil way. And God saw their works that they turned from their evil way. And God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them. And he did it not. In other words, the Lord again saved this king, the Lord brought salvation upon the land, the Lord actually brought a great blessing upon the land, and at the end of the prophecy of Jonah, we learn that over 100,000 people got saved by God's grace. So in other words, the Lord brought revival in that land, in the city of Nineveh. So in the south, Actually, Isaiah and Micah saw and enjoyed revival through their ministry. The Lord used them, and the Lord blessed the land. Then in the north, we find Jonah, that the Lord blessed him when he went to Nineveh and preached the word there. But then we have two prophets left in Israel, in the northern kingdom. Amos, Just very briefly, if you compare, as we have read there, Amos chapter 1 verse 1 and Hosea chapter 1 verse 1, we actually see that Amos was ministering together with Hosea for a few years at the beginning of this reign of Jeroboam II. But then, Hosea was left alone. It doesn't say what happened to Amos. Maybe he retired because of hate. Maybe the Lord called him to his presence. It doesn't say. But we learn that Hosea ministered there all on his own. At first Amos was with him and Jonah as well. Jonah was called to northeast to the kingdom of Assyria. Amos was with him for a while, but then Hosea was left all on his own, ministering in the land of Israel in the northern kingdom under this wicked king, Jerome II. So once we've seen all this background, all this situation, can you really, can we really think about, can we really imagine Josea's feelings about the whole situation? because he was there ministering in the northern kingdom, in the kingdom of Israel, and in the southern kingdom, at the same time he was ministering, there was revival. There were some, as we would say, co-workers of the work of God, and they were ministering there in the southern kingdom, and the Lord blessed their ministry, and the Lord brought revival under this king, Hezekiah. and again with Jonah, Jonah who was ministering together with Hosea there for a while in the north. But then the Lord called Jonah to Nineveh, and then again the Lord brought revival. And we can surely, because there was such a connection between the prophets, we can surely conclude that Hosea heard about those revivals in the south and in the north. But there was no revival at all in the land and in the time where he was ministering. He was there on his own. First Amos was with him for a while, but then he was left on his own for a very long period of time. Because we've learned there in 2 Kings 14 that Jeroboam II, he reigned for a very long time, 41 years of a wicked reign. But there he was. Hosea all on his own. But what we can learn from his prophecy is that no matter how hard his circumstances were, he kept himself faithful to the Lord, to his service to God and in his ministry. Now, the question is, how did he maintain himself faithful to the Lord? How did he keep himself faithful to the Lord in his service and in his ministry, in spite of all these hard circumstances? He heard revival in so many other places, but there was no revival at all where he was living and where he was ministering. Well, the answer is the following one. He was faithful to the Lord because he trusted in God. There was a sure foundation in which Hosea trusted. And we learned that from his prophecy. In his prophecy, we find four pillars upon which he laid his trust. First of all, and I just want to say, to consider these aspects briefly. First of all, how did Hosea keep himself faithful to the Lord? Though, as we have seen, such harsh circumstances he was living in. Well, Hosea, first of all, trusted in God's word that he had received. Hosea trusted in God's word that he had received. We find a very clear emphasis from the very beginning in his prophecy. And the emphasis is on God's word. See there in chapter 1 verse 1. Verse two, the beginning of the word of the Lord that by Hosea. So first of all, we learn that Hosea received God's word. He was a hearer of God's word, but he didn't stop there. He just was not listening to God's word and that was it. But actually the Lord came to him and the Lord gave him word for him. Verse two, the beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea, and the Lord said unto Hosea, go, go and do my will. Verse three, what did Hosea do? So he went, he went and did God's will. We find the same emphasis in chapter three, verse one, but there's a difference. Chapter three, verse one. Then said the Lord unto me. You see the difference? In chapter one, it's speaking here in third person. The Lord came to Hosea. So it was a word for Hosea, but then in chapter three, Hosea, what actually he's saying is that that word was for me. He's taking God's word to his heart, personally. So the Lord said unto me, go yet, go another time and do my will. Verse two. So I did. So first of all, he received God's word. But it was not like a word for others. In chapter three we read that he applied God's word to himself. First of all, for him. He applied God's word to his heart. And then, chapter four, when he receives God's word, but it's not like a word for others, it's for me, first of all, and he applied that to his heart, to his life, and he obeyed God's word, then he was ready to give God's word to others. Chapter four, verse one. Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel. So how was he faithful to the Lord in spite of all those hard circumstances? Because God's word was above those circumstances. He received God's word. It was not for others, though it was also for others. But first of all, he applied God's word to his life and he obeyed the word of the Lord. And then, and only then, he was ready to give God's word to the people. So how did he maintain himself faithful to the Lord? He trusted in God's word, he applied it to his life, and then he could give it to others. In second place, Hosea trusted in the promise of the Messiah, in the promise of the coming Savior. God had given many promises about the coming Savior of his people, and Hosea trusted in those promises. We find that in chapter three, verse five. There are several references concerning the coming of Christ. There are three exactly, and this is the first one. Chapter three, verse five. Afterwards shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king. Now, that's not literal David. David had long dead. He was dead long time ago. But actually, this David, their king, is actually their greater David, the true David of God's people, the Lord Jesus Christ. And you see that by the connection there is between these words. Seek the Lord, their God, and David, their king. That is, they are going to seek the true God and the Messiah, the Christ that was promised by God himself. So they will seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days. And now that expression, in the latter days, is actually a reference to Christ coming. He could come in the latter days, in the time of the New Testament. So actually this is a reference about Christ coming, their king, their savior, their messiah, the son of David actually. And then the second reference, we find it in chapter 6, verse 2. And you can see there that he, first of all, Hosea, he's speaking about Christ's coming. Chapter 3, verse 5. And now he's going to refer to the outcome of Christ's coming. Chapter 6, verse 2. Again, the same subject, verse one, come and let us return unto the Lord, as we have seen there in chapter three. But then it says there, for he hath turned and he will heal us. He hath smitten and he will bind us up. And this is the outcome, why is this? verse 2, after two days will he revive us? Now that's a very very interesting word in the lips of Hosea because as we have seen he didn't see unless he went down to the south or maybe he went to Nineveh he didn't see he didn't enjoy revival through his ministry in the land of Israel in the northern kingdom he heard about revival in so many other places but he didn't see revival Nevertheless, he could speak, he could preach, he could prophesy about revival. Why? After two days will he revive us. Why? Because he's now looking ahead to Christ's coming, to the coming of the Messiah and his work, and the outcome of his coming. In the third day, he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. That's actually a reference to, for example, Romans 6. where we read that the Apostle Paul is explained there on union with Christ, in his death and in his resurrection. We die with Christ in his death, so that we are dead to sin, and then we also read there that we are risen with Christ in union with him in the newness of life. And this is what it's all about in this verse, chapter 6, verse 2, even in the New Testament. In the third day he will raise us up together with the Savior, the Savior that he's been talking about in chapter 3, the King David. And we shall live in his sight. So this is actually the outcome of Christ's coming. And then the last reference is in chapter 11, verse one, about the promises that God gave to Hosea about the coming savior of his people. Chapter 11, verse one. When Israel was a child, then I loved him and called my son out of Egypt. Now again, that's not a reference to literal Israel, literal Jacob. Actually, it's a reference to the true Israel of God's people, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Savior. And we learn that this is actually a reference to Christ's coming. Because in Matthew chapter 2, We find that when the Lord called Joseph and the child Jesus from Egypt to Jerusalem, there's a reference there in Matthew chapter 2 to this verse, to Hosea chapter 11 verse 1. In other words, here is Hosea speaking about the coming savior, first of all, the outcome of his coming, and then the reference to the actual coming of Christ. When God the Father called his son, this is what he's saying here, I loved him, that is God the Father speaking about his son, I loved him and called my son out of Egypt. To do what? To perform his work and to bring salvation to his people. So we learn that Hosea kept himself faithful because he was not caught up with the situation, with his hard circumstances, but rather he was not just fixing his eyes in his problems, he was fixing his eyes on the coming Savior, on the promises of God concerning the coming Savior who would bring salvation to his people and who would perform it faithfully. And then third, Hosea trusted in God's faithfulness to his covenant of grace. Hosea trusted in God's faithfulness to his covenant of grace. Hosea, in his prophecy, he's making a contrast. On the one hand, in chapter six and verse seven, we find that he refers to God's covenant of works. God's covenant of works is found in chapter six, verse seven. But they like men, now we'll stop there for a minute because in the original, it says there, literally it says, they like Adam. That's the name Adam. It's found there in the original. Actually, in our Spanish version, we read that. They like Adam. And actually, when you read this way, it makes a lot of sense. It makes all the sense. Verse 7. But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant. Where have we transgressed the covenant? In Adam, and with Adam, and even with Adam. We have broken God's law. We have broken His covenant of works. In other words, we are sinners. And because we are sinners, we cannot bring salvation. We cannot work salvation for ourselves. Because we are sinners, we have been unfaithful to the Lord. And we read, we continue to read in this verse, there in Adam and in that covenant and in union with Adam, there have they dealt treacherously against me, is the Lord saying, the Lord is speaking here. So on the one hand, what Hosea is saying is that man is a sinner before God. And actually he's involved in this sentence. Hosea was a sinner before the Lord. He couldn't bring salvation to the people. He was a sinner as well as the people of Israel. He had broken God's law. He had broken God's covenant of works in Adam and with Adam. And then by himself and in himself, he deserved judgment and God's wrath. Because we have dealt there, we have dealt treacherously against the Lord. So on the one hand, Hosea is saying, we cannot trust, I cannot trust in man, I cannot trust in myself to bring salvation, to bring God's salvation about. But on the other hand, he's going to refer to God's covenant of grace. And in chapter one, verse nine, we actually see the consequences of breaking God's covenant of works, actually, of breaking God's law. Chapter one, verse nine. Then say, God, call his name Lo-Ami, for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. By nature, we are not God's people. By nature, we are children of wrath. God's wrath is upon us because we are sinners, we have broken God's law. But then, verse 10, God's covenant of grace come in. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered. Now, think about this. Where do we find this language, these words? For the first time, we find these words when God revealed himself to Abraham. And he revealed to Abraham in the context of his covenant of grace. Abraham was living in his land, in his city, and he was a sinner as the rest. But then the Lord called him to be his child, and from him to have his people. And then we read in the book of Genesis, when the Lord revealed himself to Abraham in the context of the covenant of grace, these words, your offspring shall be as the dust of the ground. Your offspring shall be as the stars of the sky, which cannot be measured, which cannot be numbered. So it's the same language. It's the language of the covenant of grace. God calls his people, though they are not his people in the beginning, but by grace he receives them as his people. And remember that when the Lord is saying there to Abraham, your offspring, your seed, actually in Galatians chapter four we learn that that seed is Christ himself. And then we read the outcome. And this shall come to pass, verse 10, that in the place where it was said unto them, ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, ye are the sons, the sons of the living God. And that word, in that language again, when God says, when we read in the Bible, I am your God, and you are my children, you are my sons and daughters, that's again the language of the covenant of grace, because by nature we are the children of wrath, but by God's grace we are his children, and he is our God. So actually, from the very beginning of his prophecy, Hosea is speaking about God's faithfulness to his covenant of grace. And then chapter 2 again, verse 18. And we see this here more explicitly explained. Chapter 2, verse 18. And in that day will I make a covenant for them. That is the covenant of grace. Verse 19. And I will betroth thee unto me forever. Yeah, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and in judgment and in lovingkindness and in mercies. Now, how can God deal with us both in righteousness and in judgment and in lovingkindness and in mercies? It is only through, as we have seen, through the Messiah who was promised to Hosea. The Messiah that Hosea is speaking about throughout his prophecy. The coming Savior of his people. Because in Christ, Christ is all righteousness. and Christ has suffered our judgment and because we have received Christ's righteousness through the judgment that he suffered on our behalf, then God can deal with us and only can deal with us in loving kindness and in mercies. So, again, Hosea is referring to God's covenant of grace in the context of the coming Messiah, of the coming Savior, the Savior of his people. And verse 20, I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness. Chapter 6, verse 7, we have seen there that man is unfaithful. By nature, we are unfaithful to God's covenant of works. So, we cannot bring salvation. We cannot work salvation for ourselves. But then in verse 20, in all the context of chapter three, we have seen that God is faithful. In his mercy, in his loving kindness, he's merciful and he's faithful to his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. So, again the question, how is it that Hosea kept himself faithful to the Lord? It is because he saw in himself unfaithfulness. He saw in himself his sins, that he had broken God's law, so he couldn't trust in himself, he couldn't trust in man to bring salvation, to work salvation. But on the other hand, he could see that God was faithful through his covenant of grace, the covenant that Christ performed through his life, his death, and his resurrection. And then last, Hosea trusted in the power of prayer. Hosea trusted in the power of prayer. Chapter 10, verse 12. Chapter 10, verse 12. Actually, there's three references to the power of prayer in his prophecy. And the first one is here in chapter 10, verse 12. In the middle of this verse, we read, it is time to seek the Lord. Again, the same subject. It is time to seek the Lord. Till he come and reign righteousness upon you. Now that righteousness, again, in the context of what we have seen, he had been speaking about the fact that we are not righteous, we are sinners, we have broken God's law. God is faithful, God is merciful. At the same time, Here, it's speaking about we cannot deserve anything from God, and then this righteousness is not our own, but it is justifying righteousness, the righteousness that comes through the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. So, you get this connection here. Seek the Lord, and he will bring justifying righteousness upon you. In other words, seek the Lord, and he will bring salvation upon his people. Again, chapter 12, verse four. Second reference to the power of prayer. And I find this reference very interesting. Chapter 12, verse four. Yeah, he, now who is he? Verse two. We read there about Jacob. This is now literal Jacob. Jacob had power over the angel and prevailed. Now, we find this story in Genesis chapter 32. There, in this chapter, we find a very, very strange verse. Genesis chapter 32. and verse 24. Now what was going on there? A man wrestled with Jacob? Actually, we learn here from Hosea that it was the angel, the angel of the Lord. And actually, in other words, it was the Lord himself who wrestled with Jacob. Now, what took place there? What was going on that the Lord wrestled with Jacob? We don't go to go very far. Hosea chapter 12 verse four explains what took place back there. What is meant by the Lord wrestling with Jacob? Jacob had power over the angel and prevailed. He wept and made supplication unto him. That's the way they both wrestled. Now, that is, Jacob continued to seek the Lord. He prevailed in prayer before the Lord. And this is the result. He found him in Bethel. Jacob found the Lord in Bethel, that is, in the house of God. And there, this is very interesting, and there he spoke with us. Hosea is saying that the Lord spoke with us, with me, Hosea, and with the people of Israel that were living at the same time as Hosea. So, the Lord spoke with them back there in the time of Jacob. Now, what's the meaning of that? What's going on here? Well, you have to keep in mind what Hosea has been saying. He's been speaking about God's faithfulness. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And he is faithful to keep his covenant with his people at any time. So remember, God gave his covenant to Abraham. He confirmed his covenant with Isaac and with Jacob. And in that sense, now Hosea is considering that God that is the same yesterday, today and forever, and who is faithful through ages. And he can be found in the same way, in the same way that Jacob found the Lord. Now he can be found by his people, so many years later. In what way? If we weep, he says, Hosea, if we weep and make supplication before the Lord, then the Lord will be found in his house. And there the Lord will reveal himself to us. The Lord will speak with us. And then chapter 14, the last reference to the power of prayer. Chapter 14 and verse two. Take with you words and turn to the Lord. Again, same subject that we've seen throughout all these verses. Seek the Lord. Turn to the Lord. saying to him, take away all iniquity and receive us graciously. So will we render the cuffs of our lips. Assure shall not save us. We will not ride upon horses. Neither will we say any more to the works of our hands, ye are our gods. For in thee, the fatherless findest mercy. He's been saying earlier on, Man, Hosea, I cannot trust in myself, we cannot trust in ourselves because we are sinners before the Lord. We must change our mind, we must change our heart, our heart must be changed, and our attitude toward the Lord must be changed. We cannot trust in ourselves, we must trust in him and turn to him in that sense. So that's what he's saying here. Aser shall not save us. Who was Aser? Aser was an Assyrian god that supposedly helped the Assyrians in time of war. So he's saying here, any other god will not save us. We must turn from idolatry, from false gods, to the only true and living God. That's what he's saying here. We will not ride upon horses. In other words, horses were the symbol of man's trust, man's strength. So, Jose is saying here, we cannot trust in man's power. And then when he says here, the work of our hands will not save us. In other words, again, we cannot work salvation, we cannot bring God's blessing because of what we are. For in thee, the fatherless findeth mercy. So once there's that change of mind, that change of heart, that change of attitude, when those things take place by God's grace, then verse four, the Lord answers. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For mine anger is torn away from him. And again, that's God speaking in the context of his covenant of grace. God dealing with us graciously. Just to conclude, if you see here, Hosea lived in a time, and as we have seen, he didn't see revival. He didn't see God's blessing upon the land where he was ministering. But nevertheless, he kept faithful to the Lord, trusting in his word, trusting in the promised Messiah who was to come, trusting in God's faithfulness to his covenant of grace. And because of that, he turned to the Lord in prayer. And when we go to the New Testament, for example, to John chapter four, we find those things that Hosea was speaking about and he was praying about. We see those things taking place. With this woman, this Samaritan woman, that the Lord saved her. And also through the words of this woman, and also through the words of the Lord himself, many other Samaritans were brought to saving grace. But Hosea kept himself faithful to the Lord, trusting in those things. Back in Spain, many times we feel like Hosea. We feel lonely. But again, what we learn from Hosea is that we must keep ourselves faithful to the Lord. Years back, there have been revivals here in your land. And again, I'm sure you're longing for God's blessing upon your land. God's revival to bring sinners to salvation. But it seems, and it only seems, that God's blessing upon the land tarries. What are you to do in the meantime? Well, we have learned that from the book of Hosea. Keep yourself faithful to the Lord. In what way? Well, first of all, take God's word to your heart. It is not a word for others. It is, first of all, a word for you, personally. Take it to your heart, put it into practice, obey God's word, and then, and only then, you will be able to take God's word to others and speak about your Savior. And then, Trust in the Savior, in Christ, who has also saved you, can also save others. Because Christ has been promised. He has finished his work, as we have seen then in Hosea. And the outcome of his work is to bring salvation. So you always keep in mind to speak of Christ and preach him crucified. And then, don't trust in your own ability, in your own strength, in your own power to bring salvation for what you are, what you do. But as we have seen, we are sinners saved by grace. And we, by ourselves, we only deserve God's wrath. We deserve the punishment of our sins, but because God is faithful to his covenant of grace, he has dealt graciously with us. And then He is the one who is faithful to bring salvation. Not because of what we are or because of what we do, but because of what He has done through His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And with that in mind, take those matters before the Lord in prayer. Because that's a mighty means of grace, before the Lord. And as we have seen there, if we seek the Lord with this attitude, with this mind, with this heart, trusting God's Word, trusting His faithfulness, trusting in our Savior, and we take that in prayer, And we say, there's nothing in us that can save us. There's nothing in us that can bring salvation and bring God's blessing upon the land. Then the Lord will be found in his house and the Lord will bless his people. May the Lord bless his word upon our hearts for his namesake.