Hosea is a Hebrew word that means salvation. The prophet was given a unique ministry because he was told to take an adulterous woman as his wife. This is normally a bad idea, but God was going to use his family as an object lesson. If that sounds horrifying to you, I would agree on a few different levels.
Amos is the first Minor Prophet that we will consider in our new Bible study: Minor Prophets Major Messages. In this book God does not hold back. He unleashes threats that would be made real in just a few years. The economic good times didn’t help Israel as they turned back from our God. Amos has some surprising insights into our culture as well. That days are evil!
Is the Conclusion to the Ten Commandments something new to you? If you have gone through catechism instruction in the Lutheran church as a youth, the chances are extremely high that you covered the Conclusion.
False testimony might be something people do in court when they don’t tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. False testimony, and the 8th Commandment, is actually a little more than that. As Martin Luther explained in his Small Catechism, keeping this commandment is done when we protect our reputation and our neighbor’s reputation. As the thousands of years have gone by since our God gave this commandment, this hasn’t gotten any easier.
We’re going back to the basics with the 6th Commandment. God’s plan isn’t just a nice idea – it’s the best idea – because God is the one who designed love and marriage. His plan will work for you too.
