Hosea writes this week about the adultery of his wife Gomer through the perspective of a message unto his 3 children. Through this we learn several lessons, culminating in a call to remember the God from whom all blessings flow.

The story of Loammi is the story in three parts: the growth of Israel, the establishment of the church, and the future regathering of the nation. Through Loammi we learn about God's ability to bring sorrow, that He might bring greater joy on the other end.

Today we learn about the first interaction between Joseph and his brothers in nearly 15 years. Much happens at this reunion, but today we use its events to think about the life and choices of Reuben, to ask the question: what could have been, if Reuben had simply made better choices?

Last time we were together we considered the call to endure affliction. This week we get to see the fruit of endurance in Joseph's life and example.

Hosea's first son, Jezreel, taught us of the day of judgment connected to the sins of Jehu. Hosea's first daughter, Loruhamma, teaches us of the contrast between God's rejection of Israel, and His mercy upon Judah in the day of Israel's destruction.

Joseph is falsely accused and thrown into prison. While there, he is just as faithful and fruitful as he was in the house of Potiphar. We all face days of waiting and unknowns. Can we be just a faithful in our lives, as Joseph was in his?

Hosea marries a wife and has a child named Jezreel, connecting this name to the end of the line of Jehu, and to the Kingdom of Israel. We talk about the history of this important city in our time together.

In the first 6 verses of Genesis 39 Joseph taught us how it is Christians are called to respond to evil. This week Joseph teaches us how it is Christians are called to respond to temptation.

Joseph will be the focus of most of the remainder of Genesis, but as we continue through the Old Testament, Judah is the preeminent tribe. To this end the text continues to give us insight into the life of Judah and his lineage. Through Judah's history, today we consider the greatness of God's grace.

We think of Hosea as a book where God, in His longsuffering, announces His love for Israel that would endure until the end. Yet God's love and longsuffering had been long established by that day. We consider this together in Hosea 1:1.