FWD: Morning Manna (May 2); BP: Hos. 2:14-23; RBTTY: Lk. 22:1-20; I Kings 12-13

 
Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net

 

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-----Original Message-----
From: "Apostle Tom" <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Sent: Tue, 01 May 2007 16:21:08 -0500
To: pressingon@hotmail.com
Subject: Morning Manna (May 2); BP: Hos. 2:14-23; RBTTY: Lk. 22:1-20; I Kings 12-13
 
 
May 2 “The Valley of Achor”  
 
“Therefore, behold,I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness and  
speak comfortably unto her. And I will give her vineyards from thence and  
the valley of Achor for a door of hope—and she shall sing there, as in the  
days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of  
Egypt.”  
Hosea 2:14-15  
How wonderful to know our Lord can transform our troubles into  
treasures if we’ll but trust Him.  
Achor.  
The very name itself means “trouble” and to the Israelite it was  
anything but a desirable place. Hundreds of years before today’s Manna,  
during the time of Joshua, Achan and his family were stoned there for having  
disobeyed God (Josh. 7:24, 26). Thus, it’s very likely that Hosea’s message  
initially created perplexity in his countrymen’s hearts when they heard his  
prophecy about the valley of Achor.  
 
Hosea’s contemporary, Isaiah, also used this unusual imagery in his  
prophecy to the southern kingdom of Judah. He prophesied that “Achor would  
become a place for the herds to lie down in for those who were seeking the  
God of Abraham” (Is. 65:10).  
 
Thus, we find that God—Who is holy and just and must punish sin—also  
yearned for His people to be reconciled to Him. For now, they must be  
disciplined, for they were outwardly prosperous, but inwardly filled with  
corruption and spiritual adultery. It is impossible for any of us to have  
fellowship with the Heavenly Father when we have unconfessed, unrepented of  
sin in our lives.  
 
However, when we, like the prodigal son, finally “come to ourselves”  
(Lk. 15:17) and say, “I will arise and go to my Father and say unto Him,  
‘Father, I’ve sinned against you and are unworthy to be called Your child”  
(Lk. 15:18-19a, 21), we’ll find Him ever-ready to forgive and restore us  
(v.20). Hallelujah!!  
 
Oh, dear Pilgrim, each one of us have Valleys of Achor in our own  
lives. There’ve been times when we strayed far from the Shepherd, wanting  
to “do it my way.” Even then, He lovingly pursued us, seeking to restore us  
to the Fold. He may have had to weld His Rod of Discipline upon us to  
return us to the strait-and-narrow—but, we should not “despise His  
chastening or faint when He rebukes us”. . .for such is the way of Steadfast  
Love (Heb. 12:5-11). Hallelujah!!  
 
Truly, our loving Lord specializes in “Valleys of Dry Bones” (Ez.  
37:1-14) and “working everything together for good” (Rom. 8:28)—IF we love  
Him and willingly submit to Him (Jer. 18:1-6); otherwise, the Valley of  
Achor will continue to be a place of trouble and heartache.  
 
May the Holy Spirit help us today to thank the Father for caring enough  
to discipline us. May we “lift up the hands that hang down and strengthen  
the feeble knees as we make straight paths for our feet” (Heb. 12:12-13).  
Then, we will see the Valley of Trouble be transformed into the Gateway of  
Hope. How glorious it shall be!  
 
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