A good friend of mine and a brother in Christ shared a verse with me recently that got my heart and mind’s attention. The reason – in our Adult and Youth C.E.D. (Sunday School) Class we have been discussing the walking in the desert with God and I am convinced the Holy Spirit primed me for the second round of a desert walk that the prophet Hosea was told to tell Israel…. From his own personal desert in his prophetic marriage to Gomer and the lessons the LORD was revealing to them through seeing it played out.

 

Before I give you the verse – I want to remind you – sometimes people don’t get it until they have to go through it and the wise see from what others go through…. In other word terms most don’t learn from others mistakes, and most have to learn it the hard way. That is why God says through Stephen “you stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit”. (Acts 7:51)

 

The good news is “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5) and another piece of good news is that “…these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11)

 

Now onto Hosea’s desert verse:

 

Hosea 2:14-15  “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a Door of Hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

 

Let’s do a little word study to get the gist of the passage as a whole, then the breakdown and application of it to our lives will bring the water in the desert.

 

allure = pâthâh: to open, be make roomy, to make simple, entice, flatter, persuade

 

wilderness = midbâr:  driving, a pasture, open field where cattle are driven, a desert; it also means speech, south.

 

vineyard = kerem: a garden or increase of vineyard

 

speak = dâbar:  to arrange, to speak, to subdue, answer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give,                             name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think,                                  use [entreaties], utter

 

tenderly = ‛al lêb: upon the heart, comfortably with care, courageous, broken, kindly, understandingly, willingly

 

Valley of Achor = ‛êmeq ‛âkôr:   a vale, dale or broad depression of stirring disturbed troubled roiled affliction

 

Door of Hope = pethach tiqvâh: opening, gate, entrance way, entering in plus bind, collect, gather together,                                                             attachment, expectancy, thing that I long for, patiently, wait for and upon

 

I am going to give you space until you come into a desert place and then I speak to you from my broken heart to your yours… After your I speak love to you in the desert I will make a gate to a garden full of future hope out of the depressed valley of affliction you have been in. Let’s go back to the place of first love where we promised to each other when I brought you out of Egypt.

 

One must go through the desert of affliction and valley of trouble to….

know of the broken heart of God caused by our broken heart and…

One will receive a garden that they can enter in the midst of the desert in the low valley of ones life with….

God restoring the love and relationship for a future hope with him…

 

What valley of disturbance and trouble are you afflicted in that God wants to turn into the gate of a garden He has promised for you?

 

What would it look like if you let God drive you into the desert and bring you through it into then vineyard of newness?

 

What part of your first love of God needs to be revisited and revived in order for the door of hope to be cleared of the vines and open the door of your heart to the hope of the Lord with you again?

 

Oh – the days of the desert’s walk

that burn the soul and heart’s are broke

 

through the valley of sorrows pain

onto the time of God speaking again

 

with tender care and love to come

our renewed vow and His faithfulness shown

 

what hope lies beyond the door

a garden full of hope of future’s more

 

back to first love’s place of meet

I bow in restoration at Jesus’ feet

 

Oh – the days of desert’s walk

make heart’s on fire and souls unbroke

 

Come desert and valley and garden to

Because of Jesus, I can stay forever true

 

 

 

 

Walking with the Lord in the Desert,

Going Through the Valley for Jesus,

Getting to the Garden of Hope in God,

First Love Restored, Revived, Renewed,

Remember God Loves and I Do to!!

 

Pastor Daren Lee Barnett