Patriots and Prophets, Thursday

0:00Hey kids, welcome to Junior's for Jesus. Go grab your Bibles. We're gonna be digging in and learning some really exciting stories. Let's get started. We've been talking this week about patriots and prophets. A prophet was a special person chosen by God to deliver important messages to his people. They were special messengers from God. These prophets played a crucial role in helping the people to understand God's will and guiding them back to follow his commands. Prophets were often called to warn the people when they were doing something wrong. It's like having a friend who tells you when you're about to make a bad choice. The prophets would remind the people to be followers of God and to be obedient to God's law. They would warn them about the consequences of their actions and encourage them to turn back to God. They also shared messages of hope and encouragement.

1:02When the people faced tough times, prophets brought messages from God to give them comfort and hope. It's like having someone share you on when things are hard. The prophets reassured the people that God was with them and if they stayed faithful and obedient, better days were ahead. Prophets sometimes predicted the future. God revealed to them what would happen and then they would share these words with the people. Our memory verse for this week is Leviticus chapter 23, verse three, it reads, six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it. It is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. The Sabbath of the Lord is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. Thursday,

2:02Hosea, the first minor prophet, lived in the northern kingdom of Israel before its captivity. He married a woman named Gomer, whom he loved, but she wasn't faithful to him. And when she left him to live with other men, he was heartbroken. He warned her that she wouldn't be happy and he did everything that he could to win her back. So why did God tell Hosea to write this sad story? It was to help God's people know how sad he felt when they were unfaithful to him. You see, Gomer was a symbol of Israel and just as she had left her husband and lived with other men, Israel had left the worship of God and the people were worshiping idols. And just as Hosea was heartbroken for what Gomer did, Israel's worship of other gods was breaking God's great heart of love.

3:03He knew that they wouldn't be happy in the end. Return, O backsliding children, he said, for I am married to you, Jeremiah chapter three verse 14. Now that word backsliding means that they were sliding back into their old, sinful ways. So why was that happening? Because you have forgotten the law of your God, God said, there is no knowledge of God in the land and my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Hosea chapter four verses one and six. The kingdom of Israel was sometimes called Ephraim because that was its most important tribe. God said, Oh, Ephraim, what shall I do to you? Its people were like a silly dove without sense, he said, because they have rebelled against my law. Hosea chapter six verse four, chapter seven verse 11

4:07and chapter eight verse one. But even though they were bent on backsliding, God said, how can I give you up, Ephraim? My heart churns within me. My sympathy is third. Hosea urged, Oh Israel, return to the Lord your God. And God promised, I will heal their backsliding. I will love them freely. Hosea chapter 11 verses seven and eight. Hosea chapter 14 verses one and four. Now, let's apply it. What love? Knowing that God loved backsliding Israel like that, don't you think he loves you just as much and is just as sad when you want to leave him to follow the world? This podcast is sponsored by MyBibleFirst.org.