Hosea was a prophet to the 10 northern tribes called Israel. His contemporaries were Amos, Isaiah, Jonah, and Micah. Hosea’s was a pathetic, tragic life. In fact, few men in Scripture inspire such pity as Hosea.
It is doubtful that any Old Testament prophet played a more significant role in the history of Israel than Daniel. Taken from his homeland while still a teenager (he was no more than 15) and pushed through a highly competitive crash course in a foreign culture, Daniel emerged as the premier prophet during the reigns of several monarchs of the captivity era.
Stuart Briscoe chose an apt title for his little book on Ezekiel: All Things Weird and Wonderful. You can’t read the prophet Ezekiel’s writings three minutes without encountering the strange, the phenomenal, or the wonderful.
The ravages of war and the consequences of disaster are usually beyond belief or description. Few are those who can capture the tragic scene in words. Jeremiah was one of the few. His brief, biting journal of what he saw and felt following the fall of his beloved nation is contained in this short book.
Jeremiah wasn't the brightest among the prophets; Isaiah held that distinction. And the book of Jeremiah isn't the most difficult to understand—that award probably goes out to Ezekiel. Neither is Jeremiah the most influential (that’s Daniel) nor the most notorious—Jonah, without a doubt—or even the most to be pitied (hello, Hosea). But of all the prophets, for sure, Jeremiah was the most heroic.
The final decades of the eighth century BC produced several great men, but perhaps the most significant of these was a blue-blooded prophet called Isaiah. That’s quite a statement when you consider his contemporaries were Amos, Hosea, and Micah.
The Old Testament prophets were dynamic figures, who continue to speak to our age with an undeniable relevance. It is doubtful any other group of men in all literature presents a more impressive or colourful picture of courage, godliness, or perception. They were men who knew God and trusted Him against insuperable odds.
The Song of Solomon is an intimate, tender, romantic expression of physical love between a man and a woman—first, prior to their marriage…then, after the wedding. If anything other than this is to be safely seen here, it’s an analogy related to Christ and His devoted love for His bride, the church.
The book of Ecclesiastes, as short as it is, is one of the most mysterious works in the Bible. Its content marks a decided departure from the orthodox, a bold and even imprudent alienation from Jehovah…and yet in a few verses, we read strong words in defense of a life devoted to the living Lord.
What the Psalms are to our devotional life, the book of Proverbs is to our practical life. In terse and striking ways, the profound genius of these maxims lies in their shrewd concentration of truth. As we shall see, they remain to this day a marvellous source of insightful and penetrating information.
Sign up to receive Chuck Swindoll’s Daily Devotional in your inbox seven days per week.
Insight for Living is committed to excellence in communicating the truths of Scripture and the Person of Jesus Christ in an accurate, clear, and practical manner so that people will come to an understanding of God’s plan for their lives, as well as their significant role as authentic Christians in a needy, hostile, and desperate world.
1-30445 Progressive Way • Abbotsford, BC • V2T 6W3
info@insightforliving.ca
1.800.663.7639