The Devotional - A Look at the Book #746

 

by Jesse Abel

Psalm 19:8a – There is nothing like the heart that rejoices in living; if you’ve never experienced this kind of heart, there is only one reason for your despair; you have discounted the “statutes” of the LORD!

Good Morning

Before Submarines, my second ship was the USS Forest Sherman (DD-931). It held the title of being the “First and the Finest”. To the officials of the U.S. Navy it was just that; the first of her Class of destroyer and the finest one because it was to be used only as a “show boat”. The ship saw little action throughout her career and was seen at most naval events on the East Coast to display the modern day Navy.

Just after commissioning in 1958 it was sent around the world and for one year the ship visited ports of call that most military ships do not go to. In those days the nations of our world were eager to see the United States military. In most cases a visit like this would boast the economy of some local hamlet and people were friendly to American sailors.

I when on board in 1963 after the cruise around the world; All of the brass was bright, the paint nearly perfect. The uniforms of the men topside were neat and the stenciling of their names over the left pocket of their shirt and the right pocket of their pants was perfectly placed. I know this first hand. In those days I was a deck hand, Boatswain’s Mate. Yet on the inside; the ship was like any other, full of military worldliness and corruption.

In 1982 the ship was decommissioned and sold for scrape to the Fore River Shipyard, just 10 miles from Boston, MA and since then the Forest Sherman Foundation has sought to keep the ship for a memorial, but the Navy that was once very proud of her has finally said in 2011. NO! Truly a story for another time!

The prophet Hosea has an experience with his wife Gomer that I will seek to make a comparison with the events above. Gomer displayed herself in glamour and beauty; the top model so to speak, but she ends up a prostitute and immoral. Her life landed in the hands of a bankrupt world, ready to sell her for scrap slavery.

Yet, God provides Hosea with strength; strength that forgave her, to remarry her and restore her as his lovely bride. The restoration of Gomer is a perfect picture of God's grace over each of us. Like Hosea, Christ has regarded our helpless estate. Through His blood He reclaims each of us personally who by faith receive His gift of Grace and then He adopts us into His family. Hosea 1:2-9 will give us the picture of Hosea's worldly family. The book is fourteen chapters of Gods compassion and desire to restore sinful Gomer who is the nation Israel.

The redeeming power of the church of Jesus Christ is available to the United States of America who today resembles the prostitute who is found in the beds of all cultures today. She wipes her mouth and says I’ve done nothing wrong;

Because we have failed to see that the Statutes of the LORD are RIGHT, there is little rejoicing of heart in our nation. God's compassion and desire is to restore a nation like Gomer to the joy and fellowship of His family through Justification, sanctification and glorification. This grace will always be available to the end; even the sure hope of Israel proves this. Do not give up your hope, return to the Church Americans of the United States.