Daily Devotions · July 7
Reading for July 7
Read the whole Bible in a year, a few chapters a day.
Hosea 10–12 · Psalm 73 · Hebrews 4
Hosea 10–12 · Psalm 73 · Hebrews 4, Berean Standard Bible
Hosea 10
Israel was a luxuriant vine, yielding fruit for himself. The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars. The better his land produced, the better he made the sacred pillars. 2 Their hearts are devious; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and demolish their sacred pillars. 3 Surely now they will say, “We have no king, for we do not revere the LORD. What can a king do for us?” 4 They speak mere words; with false oaths they make covenants. So judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field. 5 The people of Samaria will fear for the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its people will mourn over it with its idolatrous priests—those who rejoiced in its glory—for it has been taken from them into exile. 6 Yes, it will be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king. Ephraim will be seized with shame; Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols. 7 Samaria will be carried off with her king like a twig on the surface of the water. 8 The high places of Aven will be destroyed—it is the sin of Israel; thorns and thistles will overgrow their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!” 9 Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel, and there you have remained. Did not the battle in Gibeah overtake the sons of iniquity? 10 I will chasten them when I please; nations will be gathered against them to put them in bondage for their double transgression. 11 Ephraim is a well-trained heifer that loves to thresh; but I will place a yoke on her fair neck. I will harness Ephraim, Judah will plow, and Jacob will break the hard ground. 12 Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain. 13 You have plowed wickedness and reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your mighty men, 14 the roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be demolished as Shalman devastated Beth-arbel in the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to pieces along with their children. 15 Thus it will be done to you, O Bethel, because of your great wickedness. When the day dawns, the king of Israel will be utterly cut off.
Hosea 11
When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. 2 But the more I called Israel, the farther they departed from Me. They sacrificed to the Baals and burned incense to carved images. 3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms, but they never realized that it was I who healed them. 4 I led them with cords of kindness, with ropes of love; I lifted the yoke from their necks and bent down to feed them. 5 Will they not return to the land of Egypt and be ruled by Assyria because they refused to repent? 6 A sword will flash through their cities; it will destroy the bars of their gates and consume them in their own plans. 7 My people are bent on turning from Me. Though they call to the Most High, He will by no means exalt them. 8 How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred! 9 I will not execute the full fury of My anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not man—the Holy One among you—and I will not come in wrath. 10 They will walk after the LORD; He will roar like a lion. When He roars, His children will come trembling from the west. 11 They will come trembling like birds from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria. Then I will settle them in their homes, declares the LORD. 12 Ephraim surrounds Me with lies, the house of Israel with deceit; but Judah still walks with God and is faithful to the Holy One.
Hosea 12
Ephraim feeds on the wind and pursues the east wind all day long; he multiplies lies and violence; he makes a covenant with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt. 2 The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah. He will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds. 3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, and in his vigor he wrestled with God. 4 Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor; he found Him at Bethel and spoke with Him there— 5 the LORD God of Hosts, the LORD is His name of renown. 6 But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and always wait on your God. 7 A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands. 8 And Ephraim boasts: “How rich I have become! I have found wealth for myself. In all my labors, they can find in me no iniquity that is sinful.” 9 But I am the LORD your God ever since the land of Egypt. I will again make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the appointed feast. 10 I spoke through the prophets and multiplied their visions; I gave parables through the prophets. 11 Is there iniquity in Gilead? They will surely come to nothing. Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal? Indeed, their altars will be heaps of stones in the furrows of the field. 12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram and Israel worked for a wife—for a wife he tended sheep. 13 But by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet he was preserved. 14 Ephraim has provoked bitter anger, so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt upon him and repay him for his contempt.
Psalm 73
A Psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. 3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4 They have no struggle in their death; their bodies are well-fed. 5 They are free of the burdens others carry; they are not afflicted like other men. 6 Therefore pride is their necklace; a garment of violence covers them. 7 From their prosperity proceeds iniquity; the imaginations of their hearts run wild. 8 They mock and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. 9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongues strut across the earth. 10 So their people return to this place and drink up waters in abundance. 11 The wicked say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?” 12 Behold, these are the wicked—always carefree as they increase their wealth. 13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure; in innocence I have washed my hands. 14 For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning. 15 If I had said, “I will speak this way,” then I would have betrayed Your children. 16 When I tried to understand all this, it was troublesome in my sight 17 until I entered God’s sanctuary; then I discerned their end. 18 Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin. 19 How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors! 20 Like one waking from a dream, so You, O Lord, awaken and despise their form. 21 When my heart was grieved and I was pierced within, 22 I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You. 23 Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with Your counsel, and later receive me in glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 Those far from You will surely perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You. 28 But as for me, it is good to draw near to God. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may proclaim all Your works.
Hebrews 4
Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also received the good news just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, since they did not share the faith of those who comprehended it. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest. As for the others, it is just as God has said: “So I swore on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.’” And yet His works have been finished since the foundation of the world. 4 For somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in this manner: “And on the seventh day God rested from all His works.” 5 And again, as He says in the passage above: “They shall never enter My rest.” 6 Since, then, it remains for some to enter His rest, and since those who formerly heard the good news did not enter because of their disobedience, 7 God again designated a certain day as “Today,” when a long time later He spoke through David as was just stated: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same pattern of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain.
How to SOAP
Grab a journal and a pen. Read the chapters above and watch for the verse that stops you. Then take it through four steps.
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Scripture
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Observation
What is it saying? Who is speaking, and to whom?
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Application
What does it mean for your life today? Be specific.
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Prayer
Talk to God about it. Ask Him to help you live it.
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Why daily devotions?
Devotions are time set aside each day to read God's Word and let Him speak. The point isn't checking off chapters. It's meeting with Him.
Ten or fifteen minutes is enough to start. Pick a time and a place and keep the appointment. Mornings work well for a lot of us, before the phone and the day start talking.
Missed a day? Don't start over. Read today's chapters and keep going.